Henninger Flats
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Andrey, Elena and I went on an adventurous hike to Henninger Flats, a camping area accessible by fireroad and trails just a few miles up from the Eaton Canyon Nature Area in Pasadena.

I snapped a quick "before" picture of Elena and Andrey before the ordeal started. Look at Elena's optimistic smile. She didn't know what she was in for.
Along the way you pass some of these ancient electrical towers. These have been standing a long time and look nothing like the more modern ones we usually see nowadays.
You can read another account of the Flats here at this link from Roy Randall. He's done a lot of hiking and has a terrific website if you're even remotely interested in this kind of thing.
Up at the flats they have reconstructed an old fire lookout tower.
Here's the plaque that describes the original location of the lookout tower.
There's a nature center at the flats that has a topographical model of the surrounding area. Andrey, Elena and I inspected it carefully...
Elena scopes out some bug charts at the nature center.
They have a lot of other interesting exhibits at the center. Besides stuffed animals (note the beaver on top of this pole), there's a collection of glass insulators accompanied by a little explanatory booklet. If you don't know what a glass insulator is then you should hike a seven mile round trip so you can find out.
Elena and Andrey dangle their legs over the side and ponder the expansive view from the flats. Though there's often a haze, I'm told that occasionally it's clear enough that one can see all the way out to the ocean.
My bunny and her brother at the end of the day. Notice Andrey's stalewart posture compared to Elena's "God, get me to a hot bath to soak" look. What a contrast to how the day started. As a side note, this trip took us perhaps 3 and 1/2  hours. I've hiked it alone in 1 hour and 40 minutes (included a 7 minute rest at the top).
On another night I snapped this picture of Andrey and Peter (another hiking buddy) against a February sunset. It's gorgeous up there at night.
The valley floor is ablaze with a glittering carpet of diamonds and gold. There's no way this picture can do it justice.
Here's another of our hiking buddies. We often find froggies hopping across the trail, both high up near Henninger Flats, as well as down near the bottom, at the creek bed. I wonder how they survive at the upper elevations so far from water.
 

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