Dear LA Trail Hikers,
Every year, I like to close the season with a year-end thanks to all who make this group the amazing force it is. Everyone, from our LATH Hike Leads to our LATH Digital Team to you! It takes the efforts of all our designated volunteers and hikers to give vitality to group. I often mention to our hikers, while on the trail, that everyone in our group is an important contributor to the success of the LA Trail Hikers. Any, new or beginner, hiker is no less important than someone who has been with our group for years. You, the group, welcome these new hikers into our little group and provide them a warm welcome and wonderful atmosphere that ignites their passion for hiking. You are all essentially changing the lives of others simply by giving them the right type of encouragement and advice to have a successful hike. So yes, everyone makes a difference here. Isn’t that so cool?
Of course, there a few amazing individuals that do play a bigger role in our group. Our LATH Hike Leads and LATH Digital Team are the volunteers that take time out of their personal schedule to lead you on guided hikes, or make sure you get the latest updates regarding upcoming hikes via our social accounts. These volunteers deserve a great deal of credit making sure LATH runs as smoothly as possible and for all their passion to make this an awesome activity for everyone. Special thanks to our LATH Volunteers:
| LATH Hike Leads | LATH Digital Team |
| Irma Padilla | Peter Flanigan |
| Sylvia Quinteros | Catherine Salgado |
| Diana Herrera | Linh Le |
| Tony Ramos | Maria Crawford |
| Janiece Cordova | Caesar Estrada |
| Carol Martinez | Cindy Pena |
| Luis Salazar | Harvey Fiji |
| Jason Bazalar | Justine Orantes |
| Jason Bazalar |
We even have words from a few of them just for you:
“Thanks to all the hikers who have been out hiking with me throughout the year. It makes the year fly by.”
– Sylvia Quinteros (LATH Hike Lead)
“Thanks to all the hikers who have been out hiking with me throughout the year. It makes the year fly by.”“This year was a tough one for me personally however with the support of my LATH family on and off the trails I was able to get thru it. I truly enjoy leading hikes and introducing hikers to some of my favorite trails. I also enjoy meeting and talking to new hikers and seeing regular hikers on our hikes, makes it that much more fun. I think the highlight for me this year was our road trip to Zion National Park in Utah. It was great seeing so many of our hikers enjoying this beautiful park. I hope to see you on the trails in 2016. I wish you all a healthy and happy New Year!”
– Diana Herrera (LATH Hike Lead)
– Janiece Cordova (LATH Hike Lead)
“Thank you LA Trail Hikers for bringing such joy and so many laughs to the trails throughout the year!! Looking forward to exploring many more trails and having lots of laughs in 2016 with you all!! Cheers to another great hiking year!!”And, although we really like our volunteers, life does happen. This year, a few of our LATH Digital Team members departed to pursue, or focus on, other great personal responsibilities.
- Laura Sardisco
- Alisa Barraza
- Patty Guerra
- Chris Lockett
- Lia Wong
Thank you departing volunteers for being great supporters of the group!
As the year comes to a close, I can’t help but think of the adventures the group has had. This year marked the completion of our 5th season and the start of our 6th year as a Los Angeles hiking group. This year alone, we had over just over 165 hikes! We started and ended the season on a Wednesday night hike. We celebrated National Trails Day with a hike to the Hollywood Sign. For our road trip hikes, we traveled to Mt. Charleston, NV (near Las Vegas) in April and Zion National Park, UT in October. In August, a few of us were able to participate as volunteers for NatureBridge in Yosemite National Park! We enjoyed our annual beach party in August. A few of our hikers conquered the SoCal Six Pack of Peaks by attending our hikes. Many friendships have been created, and our little hiking family has grown bigger with everyone’s ongoing support.
We’re currently on our LATH Winter Break, but we’ll soon be back on the trails. During this time, I hope your holidays are full of great stories, funny laughs, and beautiful smiles with your loved ones. On behalf of all the LATH Volunteers, thank you for being part of our hiking family. There is a full year ahead of adventure waiting for us to explore. And, we’ll be there in 2016, together, as the LA Trail Hikers!
My best to you,
Jason Bazalar
Founder | Organizer | Hike Lead | Digital Team
LA Trail Hikers
