Читать книгу 101 Hikes in Southern California. Exploring Mountains, Seashore, and Desert онлайн

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All the mountain ranges rimming San Diego have been hard-hit recently by both drought and catastrophic wildfire. The 300,000-acre Cedar Fire, which blazed an elongated path across central San Diego County in October 2003, burned through primarily chaparral and oak woodland, and secondarily through prime oak and coniferous forest, mostly in the Cuyamaca Mountains. The chaparral and oak woodlands of lower elevation, adapted to periodic fires, have largely recovered. The formerly lush Cuyamaca Mountains may never look quite the same, however, unless the climate shifts back to a wetter regime.

Health, Safety, and Courtesy

GOOD PREPARATION is always important for any kind of recreational pursuit. Hiking the Southern California backcountry is no exception. Although most of the Southland’s natural environments are seldom hostile or dangerous to life and limb, there are some pitfalls to be aware of.

Preparation and Equipment

An obvious safety requirement is being in good health. Some degree of physical conditioning is always desirable, even for the trips in this book designated as easy or moderate. The more challenging trips require increasing amounts of stamina and technical expertise. Running, bicycling, swimming, aerobics, or any similar exercise that develops both your leg muscles and the aerobic capacity of your whole body are recommended as preparatory exercise.