Newton Canyon and Sandstone Peak Malibu

I've now decided this will be my outdoor blog. I will have another blog, not yet live, for healthcare. I just want to separate my passions so they won't get jealous.

On Saturday, Downward dog Dom and I woke early (OK, he drove and picked me up, and I was barely awake), and we headed to the Santa Monica hills. We did a quick jaunt up Newton Canyon. Long in miles, 9, weak in elevation gain, 1,000. But the view,

and the time, we returned to the car by noon, inspired us to hit another peak, the Sandstone Peak, which is the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains, at 3,111. The elevation gain, we took the short route rather than the Mishe Mokwa trail, which would have been a 6 mile trail hike, was about 1,200'.

We hit the summit, with about 1,000 visiting Japanese tourists, about 2 p.m. (I signed my first registry. Wooo-hooo!)

At the bottom at Neptune's waited my reward. (The one thing learned, remember landmarks for the return trip. We hit a wooden bridge on the way back that neither one of us remembered, and thought we took a wrong turn. I'm still not sure we didn't and missed a switchback.)