MALIBU, Calif. — There are many benefits to living in Southern California and one of them is the vast collection of hiking trails available throughout the region.
The benefits of being outdoors are undeniable and even an experienced hiker like Karla Amador still feels that sense of wonder when she's on a trail, she said.
The crunch of earth underfoot. The rush of a waterfall. Amador loves it all.
“I never get bored of it," she said, standing near a waterfall on the Solstice Canyon Trail. "I never get tired.”
For Amador, who founded the organization 52 Hike Challenge, hiking is a walking meditation. At home, one can spiral into one's thoughts, she said. But out here people have to focus on each step or run the risk of stumbling or losing one's way.
“You have to be super present and that’s what meditation is," she explained. "It’s being in the moment. It’s not being somewhere else. It’s not being in yesterday or tomorrow. It’s being in the right now.”
Of course, with COVID-19 numbers going up, she’s concerned about the possibility that trails may close again, she said. Which is why she’s encouraging everyone to follow their local guidelines and maintain social distance. That means, for instance, avoiding popular trails or peak times.
Normally, a popular destination, Solstice Canyon was practically empty at 6 o'clock on a weeknight.
"We pretty much have had this trail all to ourselves for the most part," Amador said. "So you can’t go wrong going super early or later on in the evening.”
She is seeing a lot of masks out on the trails, she said, particularly buffs that can be pulled up over the face quickly if another hiker approaches.
In terms of location, she suggests looking for wider trails like fire roads, which make it easier to stay socially distanced. She pointed out that on single track trails, "you could potentially have some sort of contact with someone that’s a lot closer than the six feet distance."
In that case, be respectful and step to the side as much as you can, she said, with the person heading downhill yielding to the hiker that's ascending.
“Let them pass you," she said. "Usually what I do is I try to turn the other way just so they have their own breathing space.”
She also recommends checking websites or apps such as All Trails for the latest information about closures or crowds. She’s thrilled that for the most part, the trails are open again, she said, and she wants to keep it that way. Nature is healing and it belongs to all of us but to continue to enjoy it, she said we need to share it responsibly.