Join Peaks and Professors for a special guest - Secular Humanist Ryan Bell! Together we will hike 5.6 miles roundtrip through Echo Mountain. Once the site of a luxury resort and the Mount Lowe Railway, this moderate trail features as much history as it does views of Pasadena. Learn more about the “Iconic Los Angeles Hotel That Never Was” here! If you enjoy evaluating your worldviews, values, and place in the universe this hike is especially for you.
SECULAR HUMANIST: Ryan Bell
DEPARTMENT: Office of Religious and Spiritual Life
After nearly 20 years in congregational pastoral ministry Ryan left his church in 2013 and shortly thereafter began an exploration of atheism and humanism and wrote about his experience at the Year Without God blog. Since leaving his faith behind, Ryan has been a writer and speaker on the subjects of religion, humanism and justice.
Ryan is currently the National Organizing Manager at the Secular Student Alliance where he helps hundreds of student groups define their secular humanist values and put them into action. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. As an adjunct professor he has taught subjects ranging from intercultural communication to bioethics.
PEAK: Echo Mountain
DIFFICULTY: 3/5
SCENERY: This scenic and historic hike gives views of “incredible vistas, forested mountain canyons, and the ruins of a turn-of-the-century mountaintop resort.”
FUN FACT: Echo Mountain got its name from the sick echoes you can make into Castle Canyon. In the late 1800’s, “ecophones” were placed in the sweet spots.
