Outdoors
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Onward and Upward! La Jolla's Muirlands Middle-school pals complete 5-Peak Challenge
From mid-January to Feb. 23, Muirlands Middle School studnets Danielle Davis and Luke Lansky trekked at least one of the Mission Trails Regional Park’s five hikes per weekend as part of the challenge (one weekend, they completed two in one day).
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County of San Diego picks 10 prime trails for 2019: From easy to moderate or hard, take a walk on the wildside!
San Diego County park rangers have selected 10 trails to try this year. The picks are scattered from the coast to the mountains and deserts, and they're a mix of some of the most popular and least traveled. Before hitting the trail, consider the difficulty of the hike, the weather and your physical...
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DOWNHILL FROM HERE: Meet La Jolla High's international skateboarding champ
He’s the junior world titleholder in stand-up downhill skateboarding. He has been clocked at a top speed of 71 mph. Yet there’s a spot on Black’s Beach Road where La Jolla High School sophomore Nick Broms always slows down. Five years after this steeply sloping beach access tore most of the skin...
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Saving Sunset Cliffs: City-Community partnership protecting peninsula treasure in Point Loma/San Diego
If you've lived in San Diego longer than oh, about a week, you've probably come to discover that San Diegans share a love for a few specific things: dogs, surfing, organic food, Taco Tuesdays and, for many, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. But if you've taken a stroll along Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in...
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La Jolla Newcomers Club announces January events
For an outstanding way to become acquainted with people and places that make La Jolla such a great place to live, join the La Jolla Newcomers Club, which welcomes residents who have moved to the 92037 ZIP code within the last three years. Members engage in a variety of activities, including morning...
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Mission Bay wetlands plan to be reviewed at Dec. 6 workshop in San Diego
ReWild Mission Bay (a project of San Diego Audubon and its partners to enhance and restore wetlands in the northeast corner of Mission Bay) released its final conceptual plans for how the wetlands can be restored to protect wildlife and local communities. The three plans include expanded public...
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REALLY LOCALLY GROWN: Urban farming is alive and well in La Jolla
A maverick few dozen La Jollans — those with larger houses and income streams — pour dozens of hours of hard and dirty work and hundreds of dollars a month into food they’re proud to grow themselves.
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PROVING HIS METAL: Detectorist demonstrates the art of the beach dig in La Jolla
A veteran metal detectorist teaches 'La Jolla Light' reporter Corey Levitan how to get rich quick by combing La Jolla's beaches.
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HOME SURF: How La Jolla and Pacific Beach surf clubs survived ... but could still wipe out
The same three surf clubs have dominated La Jolla beaches since forming in the ‘60s. But WindanSea Surf Club, Pacific Beach Surf Club and the La Jolla Shores Surfing Association all face an uncertain future.
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FLOATSAM AND JETSAM: San Diego boater fights losing battle against ocean garbage
Lee Pearce, owner of Learn to Sail San Diego, is fishing for garbage, not dinner. His school is one of six in San Diego that have answered the American Sailing Association’s call to clean up the ocean as part of its Operation Plastic Pollution Purge summer initiative.
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The Couple That Namastes Together
It’s rare to see a married couple taking a yoga class together; one teaching one together is nearly unheard of. But Martyn and Astrid Castens teach together at Sol Yoga in La Jolla and Mission Beach Yoga, and host free Sunday-morning yoga Meetups in Scripps Park.
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ON A MISSION: Rediscovering the original El Camino Real through La Jolla
A mission to a long-abandoned slab of California's original road, El Camino Real, leads to a journey of discovery about life.
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Summer Fun Guide: Lots to do in La Jolla and San Diego after a day at the beach!
A look at fun summer activities across La Jolla, including art exhibits, concerts, film screenings, community parties, educational events, theatrical productions and more.
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BRAIN WAVE: La Jolla High surfer narrowly dodges death
Chuck Davey was shooting photos of his son surfing when he noticed something weird. The board’s fiberglass tip was jutting out of the back of his head. Later that day, Mick Davey underwent life-saving brain surgery to remove the shard of fiberglass that punctured the vein it now held together.
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La Jollans asked to join City’s Nature Challenge
Between birds soaring overhead, critters living in tidepools and pinnipeds lounging on the beach, a day at La Jolla’s coastline provides expansive glimpses of nature. Not to mention the landscapes and treescapes that vegetate town and La Jolla’s biodiverse hillsides. That’s why the City of San...
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Natural La Jolla: Pocket gophers spend time digging intricate burrows
NATURAL LA JOLLA: Last week, I spotted a little furry creature poking out of its burrow in the middle of a manicured lawn — it was a pocket gopher! Botta's pocket gophers (Thomomys bottae) are native to California and are mainly nocturnal rodents related to beavers, squirrels, chipmunks and rats....
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Natural La Jolla: Brandt's cormorants now nesting at La Jolla Cove
NATURAL LA JOLLA: Birding could not be better than at La Jolla Cove right now. If you peek over the edge of the fence on the north side of the lifeguard tower, you'll be able to see a Brandt's cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) nesting rookery in mid-season. Over the past couple of months,...
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Bird Rock athlete amputates her limitations
Bird Rock resident Tara Butcher has conquered a life-threatening injury — two at once, actually — to become an inspirational challenged athlete.
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Natural La Jolla: Do early blooms signal an early spring?
NATURAL LA JOLLA: It was an exceptionally warm fall here in La Jolla, with record high temperatures being observed day after day. Temperatures on Thanksgiving Day tied the previous high record for that late in November (87 degrees F). Now that we are into winter, many of the flowering shrubs and...
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La Jolla off-leash dog beach near SIO vetoed: Scientists say Area of Biological Significance is a poor fit
Although La Jolla Country Day School student Navid Massarat is researching all options for an off-leash dog beach, the possibility of the area north of Scripps Pier has been effectively nixed. And, according to Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) lab researchers, it is for the best. “We are...
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POLAR DISORDER: 'Cub' reporter finds La Jolla plunge un-BEAR-able
I wade slowly out into the Pacific from La Jolla Shores, my eyes on La Jolla Cove to the south. I have come to swim the mile there and back today, returning triumphant — like many of the real men around me at the 2018 Polar Bear Plunge. The first hint I may be in over my head came earlier this...
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TOMBSTONES UNTURNED: Diving into La Jolla's offshore 'graveyard'
In 2001, Carlsbad resident Volker Hoehne says he was approached by “an old guy in a wheelchair” who asked him to place a tombstone underwater for himself. Hoehne had no idea what Wally Potts was talking about, but he was the adventurous type, so he agreed. After all, they were both attending a...
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La Jollan believed to be youngest to climb Mt. Whitney
At age 5, La Jolla resident and Bird Rock Elementary School kindergartener Fletcher Flynn may be the youngest person to have summited Mount Whitney — the highest summit in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of 14,505 feet. He and his father, Justin, completed...
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Natural La Jolla: Summer fun in La Jolla as days wind down to fall
NATURAL LA JOLLA: Summer is slowly drawing to an end as many kids are already heading back to school. It will still be a while before our temperatures dip down and we return to the cool breezy days of the fall, so there are plenty of things to see and do in La Jolla before summer fades away. Snorkeling...
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Natural La Jolla: Risso's dolphins are playful pests to other cetaceans
NATURAL LA JOLLA: The Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is a species that is fairly commonly seen off La Jolla, and they are widely distributed throughout the world's oceans. However, they are inconsistent in their distribution or reliability of being spotted. Risso's like deep water, where they...
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Wave-Wrecking Wear
Superhero suit enhances body surfing
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A snorkeling guide to La Jolla Shores
The morning of Thursday, July 14 was gray and foggy when I met with Chris FitzSimmons, educational instructor at Birch Aquarium, for a taste of snorkeling in La Jolla Shores. The 29-year-old has been working at the local facility for three years, and among other responsibilities he guides “Snorkel...
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Know your lifeguards: David Dupont
Know Your Lifeguards: La Jolla Light series spotlights La Jolla's lifeguards
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Know your La Jolla lifeguards — Rodger Eales: Born to rule the sea!
Know Your Lifeguards: La Jolla Light series spotlights La Jolla's lifeguards
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Women’s Dive Day returns to La Jolla Shores
Free event encourages SCUBA certification
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Natural La Jolla: Sun-loving succulents thrive in La Jolla and San Diego
• NATURAL LA JOLLA: Many visitors comment and ask about the beautiful succulent plants that are abundant here in town. We have literally hundreds of varieties and species of these drought-tolerant, easy to grow plants. There are so many hybrids that it can be difficult to correctly identify them....
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La Jolla’s Menehune Surf contest to turn Sweet 16
Celebrating its own “Sweet 16,” anniversary, the Menehune Surf Contest for children and teens returns to La Jolla Shores 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday May 7. But over the years, the contest has evolved to become more inclusive and do more to give back. The event now includes divisions for parents...
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Natural La Jolla: Flowering trees and shrubs brighten spring days in La Jolla and San Diego County
• NATURAL LA JOLLA: It was very hot this February. It seems that the flowering trees are blooming a bit earlier than usual, maybe because of the rain we’ve had. We are sure to have a spectacular spring bloom. Evergreen pear trees (Pyrus kawakamii) graced our streets in early February with daydream-like...
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Natural La Jolla: Acrobatic dolphins delight by sheer number
• NATURAL LA JOLLA: A favorite of ocean enthusiasts everywhere is the dolphin. We tend to think of them as happy creatures, because they appear to wear a permanent smile. Dolphins do have strong social structure in which they are very playful, care for their sick, and attend to family members. ...
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Tots meet tidepool creatures at library
As part of the monthly “Big Science for Little People” presentations at La Jolla’s Riford Library, Living Coast Discovery center brought some visitors from tidepools, Sept. 18. The young explorers got to see and touch sea stars, sea snails and hermit crabs, as well as shells and coral, and learn...
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14,505 Feet of Fun? 10-year-old La Jollan and her family climb Mount Whitney
Just in time to wrap up an eventful summer and continue celebrating her 10th birthday, Bird Rock Elementary School fifth-grader Jenna Jaffe successfully scaled Mount Whitney in late August. Mount Whitney, located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, is the highest summit in the continental United...
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Slacklining prohibited in La Jolla’s shoreline parks
Now that summer is in high gear, lifeguards along La Jolla’s beaches and shoreline parks want to warn locals and visitors alike that the practice of “slacklining” is prohibited. Having gained in popularity in San Diego over the last four or five years, slacklining involves the use of a rope (typically...
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Ready for a La Jolla Natural Park hike? Here’s the inside scoop!
The horizon ascends to meet your eye and the ocean, expanding, kisses the sky. The rooftops shrink smaller as the summit draws near while the coastline widens from Bird Rock to the pier. Though the cliffs are initially all you can see, the hilltop draws back and reveals the buildings are rust and...
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Free for the Taking: La Jollan offers Cove swim tutorials
When Adriana Issakov opened La Jolla Swim and Sport at 1008 Torrey Pines Road in March 2014, she completed the décor by hanging a sign out front. It read: Free Guided Cove Swims. “It’s remarkable what has happened since I hung that silly sign,” she said. “The response has been amazing and has...
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Barber Tract neighbors kick off Fourth of July with parade in La Jolla
La Jolla’s Barber Tract residents kicked off the morning of Fourth of July by filling the streets with red, white and blue, when residents came out en masse to partake in the annual parade. Residents walked up and down the Barber Tract streets in their Independence Day finest, greeting neighbors...
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LOLA supporters linkup to clean La Jolla beaches
Twenty-seven supporters of Limited Off-Leash Access at the Beach (LOLA), ages 3-78, assembled to clean South Casa, Cuvier and other La Jolla beaches as part of the California Coastal Commission’s Adopt-A-Beach program Saturday, June 20. The program permits people to adopt a beach by committing...
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A Gracious Host: La Jollan plants milkweed for monarch butterflies
In an effort to attract and provide a breeding place for the fiery-colored monarch butterfly, La Jollan Mary Ellen Morgan has dedicated a part of her garden to planting milkweed. Considered a “host plant” for the monarchs, milkweed provides a place for monarch caterpillars to grow and thrive before...
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Natural La Jolla: Jurassic connections, ancient plants and World Turtle Day
• NATURAL LA JOLLA It was a busy May for me, but I still made time as much as I could to walk and enjoy the weather and sunny days — many mornings though we had a lot of gray and chill in the early hours. I found a couple beautiful sago palms (Cycas revoluta) along Coast Boulevard. Sago palms are...