Mary Forgione covers outdoors and travel for the Los Angeles Times. She's also editor of The Wild, a newsletter that covers essential outdoor content for Southern Californians. She loves running, hiking, camping and backpacking, and doing anything outdoors -- and always looks for new ways to experience destinations in California and beyond. Mary also is a trained volunteer Sierra Club outings leader who leads free hikes open to all. She hikes to the top of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous U.S., every year. She recently spearheaded the L.A. Times 24-page Hiking Guide, with 50 of the best SoCal hikes. latimes.com/hiking.   Sign up for THE WILD: https://www.latimes.com/newsletters/the-wild   Destination Tips:  Gary – Castle Mountains National Monument Jen – Walla Walla Hiking in Oregon, https://www.wallawalla.org/hiking/  Mary – Amboy Crater Hike, late fall or winter in Mojave     Travel tips of the week: Gary – The Brave Browser for blocking ads, third-party cookies. It brings in your history and extensions from Chrome. More secure and less server issues.  Jen – ENO hammock at REI https://www.rei.com/product/875843/eno-pacific-crest-trail-association-doublenest-hammock Mary – Two apps that people should download - All Trails and Gaia GPS. https://www.alltrails.com/