Klaus Gerhart Interview

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When did you first start hiking, what prompted you to start, and how did it turn out?
I just started hiking on purpose in June of 09 (lots of incidental hiking before that) .. Joined the Great Outdoors, a gay hiking/camping club to find like-minded guys; have joined several others since; joined the Sierra Club and am taking a Wilderness Training Course (pre mountaineering). Am planning on taking full-on Mountaineering, Canyoneering, Whitewater Rescue and Wilderness First Response Rescue courses this year as well. My New Year's resolution this year is to spend more time Outside than Inside!

What is your one of your favorite hiking places and why?
Wow! .. Well, in the last 6 months, I've been to Yosemite twice, Morro Bay, Lake Cachuma, Pismo Beach, Death Valley, Anza Borrego twice, Topock Gorge, Mojave Nat'l Preserve, Big Bear, Calaveras Big Trees, Zion, Canyonlands, Bryce, Capital Reef, Grand Staircase Escalante, Cedar Breaks, Arches, Bridges (the last 8 places are in southern Utah) all over the Santa Monica Backbone Trail and the Angeles Nat'l Forest. Locally, I'll Say Mt Wilson, Echo Mountain, Sturtevant Falls/Camp .. they're close and have equal amounts of nature and history. The Panorama Mist trail in Yosemite is mind-blowing! The Narrows in Zion (a slot canyon river) was remarkable! And most recently, snowshoeing in Yosemite out to Dewey Point and Crocker Point .. the beauty of those views was breathtaking.

If you could hike with any famous person for a day [dead or alive], who would you pick?
John Muir...he'd know the best places!

Do you shoot pictures with a digital or film camera?
A tiny little digital camera ... the pix are just good enough to remind me of the great images in my head.

Do you prefer to save up for one big yearly trip, or take multiple shorter trips?
I want a lotta BANG for my BUCK! .. So, tons of little ones suits me perfectly.

What's your dream destination?

Hehehe .. I was gonna say a Safari in Africa ... but really ... I'm from Iowa .. my dream vacation would be a Dude Ranch.

Where do you plan to travel next year?

Funny you should ask! .. These are some of the camping trips I've already planned and reserved for 2010 ... with tons of time in between to add to it and to lead hikes! Pismo Beach ATV's & Butterflies, Eastern Sierras snow camping, Canoeing in Topock Gorge, Camping in Joshua Tree, Pendola Hot Springs, Wheeler Gorge, WW Rafting down the Cal Salmon, ZipLining in Big Bear, Spelunking and Rappelling in Moaning Caverns, Tubing down the Kings River, Backpacking in the Western Sierras, WW Rafting down the American River, Gravity Cycling in Mammoth, Whitney Portal, Cuyamaca Rancho, Catalina Two Harbors, Zion, Cleveland Nat'l Forrest car camp, and Death Valley over Halloween. Except for the sport-specific trips, these all include tons of hiking mileage, both horizontally and vertically!

What is your favorite type of lodging?

Tents, Tents, Tents! (...or the back of my truck when I wuss-out!)

What do you do to enhance your outdoor fitness?

Well, I'm a handyman by trade .. so my work's already a bit physical. But I also work-out at the 24-hour fitness in Sherman Oaks.

What is the most significant gear invention?

Nothing specific is jumping to mind. But, what I find amazing is how lightweight and compact everything is nowadays.

Your best advice for the great outdoors is ....

Go camping and hiking someplace warm this summer, with someone sexy; someplace without 'facilities'; let your solar shower bake in the sun all day; make your dinner; relax by an intimate campfire; and when the night has completely fallen, douse your lantern, hang the shower from a branch; grab your camping buddy ... get naked ... get close ... and stare up at the stars as the warm water rinses the days dust and sweat from your bodies.

When you have a long weekend, where do you typically go?

When it's a regular weekend, I draw a 4 hour radius around Los Angeles ... anyplace within that circle is money! .. This weekend it's Anza Borrego; Last week it was Pismo; Next weekend it's Joshua Tree; the next weekend is San Onofre .. get the picture? hehehe .. but my next LONG spring weekend, I'm heading to Havasupai!!