So today was the big expedition. I went to Malibu Creek and hiked for a better part of the day. I wanted to do this for a while now and it just seemed the right thing to do to unwind after the last few days and the past couple of weeks.

Malibu Creek is a favorite spot to film movies or television shows. Planet of the Apes, M*A*S*H, and Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman were all filmed here.

So I went.

I had an early start. Woke up around 5:20 to get ready. I wanted to get there and hike before the heat struck. I got to the park around 6:30 am, but it was closed. They don’t open until 7:30-8:00 am. But anyway, I got in and started my day.

It was a long day.

At first, it was just marvelous. Beautiful scenery, great weather, and it was just a peaceful walk through nature. There were some early campers there. We greeted each other as we pass by on our own hikes.

It was just nice.

Another reason why I wanted to go was to take pictures. I finished class, got some new lenses, and it is about time that I put my camera to work. It was about time that I pick up this hobby again. I did that.

I took 3 rolls of pictures today. I bought these professional film; got everything loaded up and just started to shoot. They are being developed right now. I’ll get them back on Monday. If any of the pictures look good or turn out well, I’m sure I’ll post them up in the next few weeks.

I got some great shots of a blue heron and another white stork. The white stork was eating a fish or a salamander. I couldn’t make it out. I got a picture of it. I tracked the blue heron for about 100 yards. It was just exhilarating. Unfortunately the pictures will not turn out. They will be pitch black when they are developed.

I shot these animal shots with a 500mm mirror lens. It doesn’t meter for light, so I didn’t know how to adjust for this. I did, but i didn’t realize it until well into my third roll. How unfortunate. It was still early when I was tracking the birds. Within the first two hours I believe, so that makes it around 9:00. There was a lot of light, but just not enough for the camera. I shot it at 1/500 of a second. This is way to fast for that early in the morning and especially when I am using a slow film. I should have shot it around 1/90 of a second. That would have been for the best exposure. I was dumb, so most of my pictures will not turn out good.

The only pictures that will turn out good are the scenery ones. I took these with my new 24mm wide angle lens. Now this does meter, and I sort of used the f16 rule to help me figure out the correct exposure.

If none of the pictures turn out, well at least I know what to do and what not to do. So the day was productive. I took pictures of anything that looked interesting to me. But pretty soon, most of the scenery just looked the same, so I stopped shooting.

I would say, I hiked about 10+ miles today. I did it in about 7 hours. I left about 2 pm. The heat was getting to me, I was tired, I aggravated my ankle again, and everything just looked the same. So I got bored.

I just hiked. I wasn’t hiking slow either, I was hiking at a good pace.

I think I lost about 5 pounds from sweating. It was reaching near 100 degrees toward the time I left.

I was a little disappointed that I didn’t see that many different types of animals. There are mountain lions, bob cats, raccoons, owls, coyotes, and many other creatures. I didn’t see any. Only things I saw were some pretty birds, some horses, ducks, turtles, and some lizards.

I went alone of course. It was therapeutic. I got a lot of time by myself just thinking and talking to myself. To sort things out and think about certain things. Things that happened over the past few days and weeks. Thinking about things that is going to happen and things that I think may happen or things that I would like to happen. I just did a lot of thinking today.

Sure I was very lonely and I wouldn’t have mind if I had company, especially if it was someone that I wouldn’t mind spending time with, but it was all right for what it was. I was in the mood to be alone and have my personal space. Been pushing people away lately. It’s something I need to work on, I guess.

I plan on going back again in the late fall or the early winter. When things cool down and the leaves changes. I’ll probably stay longer next time. Come out early to see the birds and stay late to see the wild animals. Maybe next time, someone would like to come along. Who knows.