Editor’s note: This newsletter is focused on highlighting a variety of inspiring voices from the Southern California outdoor scene. Starting this week, that voice will be Times staff writer Jaclyn Cosgrove, who will be writing The Wild. Jaclyn enjoys hiking in Angeles National Forest, mountain biking on the least scary trails possible and, hopefully, kayaking this year.
This January, I made an ambitious New Year’s resolution to hike exactly 40 miles that month.
It wasn’t because I wanted to lose weight or get healthier for the new year, but rather, January 10th would have been my brother Clinton’s 40th birthday, and I wanted to celebrate and honor it.
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Clinton died of brain cancer in 2018. For the past six years, I’ve struggled with how to honor his life in Los Angeles, a city we share no memories of because he died shortly after I moved there and I was never able to visit. I decided to make my own memories here, mostly in the mountains that surround Los Angeles.
I’m Jacqueline Cosgrove, an outdoors reporter for the Los Angeles Times, currently writing for The Wild. I previously worked as a news reporter for the Times, covering Los Angeles County government, crime, wildfires and a variety of other California news stories.
Jaclyn celebrated her late brother’s 40th birthday in January with a 40-mile hike, which included a hike through Red Box Canyon in Angeles National Forest.
(Jacqueline Cosgrove)
In this first entry, I want to share why I love the outdoors, what guides me on the trail, and what you can expect from my reports.
When my wife and I moved to Los Angeles in 2017, I knew nothing about mountains. I grew up in rural Oklahoma, surrounded by private property, with little time for high altitude recreation. At first, I dabbled in the outdoors, going to Griffith Park and hiking in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. I was intrigued, but I was interested in the mountains.
Then he got sick again. In 2016, doctors found a walnut-sized tumor (glioma) in his right frontal lobe. He told my family the day we had a baby shower for him and his pregnant wife. But then he had surgery, which was successful, my niece was born, and life kept moving forward.
Clinton and Jacqueline attend a family reunion in Ashland, Oklahoma in 2013.
(Courtesy of Jacqueline Cosgrove)
A year and a half later, I returned to the U.S. for a work event. While there, I met my brother and his family at the alumni parade for my alma mater. His daughter was busy snatching candy from passing cars. I stood next to him and asked pointedly, “Are you OK?” Clinton was optimistic. He said the scan came back good and everything seemed fine.
About five weeks later, he was having at least seven seizures a day. About two months later, in late January, he passed away. His neurosurgeon told him it was one of the most aggressive brain tumors he had ever seen.
I was so scared of what would happen if I let my emotions show, so I tried to block them out. I went back to work after two weeks and did as much work as I could to distract myself from my emotions. Inside, I was battling severe depression. A thick fog had taken over my mind.
At home, my wife was very supportive of my grieving process, but I refused help because I felt like no one could understand how it felt to lose my brother and all the history we shared.
At the time, we were living in a tiny apartment in Koreatown. Our upstairs neighbors were loud, and we had nowhere to be alone. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
On the left is Jacqueline at Sawmill Mountain, and on the right is Ontario Peak in December 2022.
(Jacqueline Cosgrove)
In desperation, I went into the mountains. I started hiking more difficult trails with greater elevation changes. I found myself in a remote area, alone on a trail. And in the process, I felt a deep gratitude for what my body could do. Clinton, I thought, had died of a disease he couldn’t control. But I still had a healthy body. And I was going to use it.
During the most difficult parts of the hike, I began yelling, “I am so lucky! We are so lucky!” and began writing simple messages in summit logbooks throughout Angeles National Forest: “In Memory of Clinton Travis Cosgrove.”
Jaclyn regularly leaves this message in her summit logbook as she hikes around Los Angeles County. Their brother died on January 25, 2018, but they struggle to remember or accurately write down the date.
(Jacqueline Cosgrove)
On these hikes, I came to understand the meaning of Clinton’s death, to savor my “one wild and precious life,” as the poet Mary Oliver put it in “A Summer’s Day.”
That’s the energy I bring to The Wild, and I hope you’ll read the newsletter every week because I’m so excited to be here with you and helping you learn all the ways you can enjoy the wild and precious life you have.
We all get out into nature for different reasons, and we look forward to hearing what motivates you to hike, bike, run, or whatever you want to do. We look forward to learning together about how to spend time outdoors and how to respect and protect the land we all love.
We also look forward to bringing diverse opinions, voices, and ideas to your inbox, and best of all, we look forward to surprising you with new magical discoveries in the outdoors every week.
This January, I finished a 40-mile hike at the end of the month — journalists need deadlines — and each mile was a tangible reminder of him, making me feel more alive.
Three things to do
The El Segundo blue, which lives in a nature preserve adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport, is a species of endangered flying wildlife featured in a new exhibit at the Catalina Museum of Art and History called “Sarah Kaiser: Rare Sky.”
(Catalina Museum of Art and History)
1. Learn about Catalina Island’s endangered bird species
Did you know that a nature preserve next to Los Angeles International Airport is home to an endangered butterfly, the El Segundo Blue? It’s one of the endangered flying wildlife species featured in a new exhibit at the Catalina Museum of Art titled “Sarah Kaiser: Rare Air.” Focusing on birds, bats, butterflies and bees, the exhibit runs through September 8 and features scientifically accurate pen-and-ink artwork. It also includes guidance on how visitors can contribute to combating the challenges facing our winged friends. For museum hours and more, visit catalinamuseum.org.
2. Enjoy the West Coast’s biggest Fourth of July celebration in Downtown Los Angeles
Enjoy live music, crafts and games at the Independence Day Block Party at Gloria Molina Grand Park (200 N. Grand Ave) on Thursday from 4pm to 9:30pm (tonight). This free event features hip hop and reggaeton music, a 75-foot-tall Ferris wheel and a 90-foot-long fiberglass “Super Slide.” In lieu of fireworks, there will be a drone light show. Check the Grand Park events page for a complete schedule.
3. Camp at one of five Los Angeles County parks
This summer, families can camp at five Los Angeles County parks in July and August. Cost is $15 per person (children 12 and under are free). Space is limited. To reserve a space for your family, call one of the following parks to check dates and availability: Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, Castaic Lake State Recreation Area in Castaic, Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in El Monte, Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in Los Angeles and Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale. For more information, visit the Parks and Recreation Department’s Instagram page.
Must Read
A recent storm has wreaked havoc on the SS Point Reyes, a lonely ship both loved and hated by the townsfolk of Inverness, California.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
The SS Point Reyes is a beloved, abandoned fishing vessel with a fascinating history that has been stranded on the tidal flats of Inverness in Northern California since the 1990s. Times reporter Haley Branson Potts writes that the ship, affectionately known as the “wreck,” is on National Park Service land and is slated for removal someday. Why? The ship is falling apart. Since 2016, it’s been burned, battered by storms, and destroyed. But as Haley points out, some locals are impressed by the ship’s resilience and don’t want it to leave the shoreline.
If you’d like to explore shipwrecks closer to home, check out the hiking trails along the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Have a nice adventure.
P.S.
As an Oklahoma resident, I have plenty of memories of blowing things up on Independence Day. In Los Angeles County, especially in our wildlands, it’s a whole other story. Fireworks, even those labeled “safe and non-harmful,” are illegal in several cities in Los Angeles and in Angeles National Forest because they pose a serious danger to wildlife and can easily start wildfires. Luckily, you can celebrate Independence Day without starting a fire by watching one of the dozens of fireworks and drone shows taking place around Los Angeles. We guarantee it’ll be just as impressive as doing it yourself!
For more inside information on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past issues of The Wild. Click here to view this newsletter in your browser.