Trails

We admire this sugared peak from our downtown L.A. offices on the clearest winter days, a 10,000-foot postcard of pleasures. Indeed, Mt. Baldy offers challenging (though limited) ski terrain. Serious hikers use it to train for Everest. In short, this SoCal playground offers something for almost everyone. And you don't have to be Marco Polo to get there: Baldy is only an hour's drive - one easy turn off the 210 Freeway. The bed The village's centerpiece is the popular Mt. Baldy Lodge ([909]

In a surprise to no one, Lance Mackey, who has won the race four times (2007-10), is the leader nearing the midpoint of the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Mackey was the first musher to pull into the checkpoint in Ophir, Alaska. Mackey arrived around 5:30 a.m. PST Wednesday and rested for 15 minutes before heading back out on the trail. Jake Berkowitz arrived in Ophir second and Nicolas Petit third. PHOTOS: Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race The lead mushers are a little over 400 miles into the race.

Thunder 122 - Lakers 105 (final) The Lakers fought their way back from 18 down in the third quarter to within five with a little over six minutes left in the game. The Oklahoma City Thunder responded with a knockout blow, scoring the game's final 12 points to defeat the Lakers 122-105. Russell Westbrook scored 37 points with 10 rebounds and five assists.  Kevin Durant had 26 points with nine and five as the Thunder shot 47.9% from the field. Oklahoma City turned the ball over just twice in the game (tying an all-time NBA low)

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race began on Sunday in Alaska, with 65 teams making their way through punishing wilderness toward the finish line in Nome on Alaska's western coast 1,000 miles away. Among the competitors were defending champion Dallas Seavey and four-time winners Lance Mackey, Jeff King and Martin Buser. “I love running the dogs, working with the dogs,” said Cindy Gallea, of Wykoff, Minn., whose best finish  among 10 Iditarods was 33rd. “I love being in Alaska, being around the beauty.” PHOTOS: Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race The Iditarod winner gets a new truck and $50,400.

People travel to the Mojave expecting arid crags, tortured landscapes and vast expanses. But water? Not so much. On a recent winter trip to the Mojave, I stumbled on a new desert lure: bubbling springs, creeks and even a river, the Amargosa. My husband, Barry, and I followed a watery trail through the hamlets of Shoshone and Tecopa Hot Springs, in the seam of desert between Death Valley National Park and the Nevada border. The bed Don't expect turn-down service. First up was the Shoshone Inn, a cinder-block motel on California Highway 127 in Shoshone ([760]

They are two of the best teams in the NBA, two teams shadowing each other in the Western Conference. So when the Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder meet Sunday at Staples Center in a nationally televised game, it will be a game that has significance for both teams. The Clippers have the third-best record in the West at 43-18 and trail the 42-16 Thunder by just half a game for the second best in the conference. "It's a big game," Chris Paul said. "We're trying to catch those guys and the only way you can catch them is to hand them a loss.

This time, it wasn't just a one-goal deficit. It was two. And it wasn't just about trailing after the second period. It was recognizing they finished 2-30-2 in such games last season, and still had to beat their tough former teammate, Colorado's Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Still, the Ducks won again Sunday - for the sixth time in a row overall and at home, improving to 10-1 this month with four overtime and shootout victories as they venture to Staples Center on Monday night versus the Kings.

The Lakers (26-28) host the Portland Trail Blazers (25-29) on Friday night at Staples Center. The two have met two times already this season, both teams winning on their home floors. The Lakers recently climbed into ninth place in the standings, ahead of the Blazers by just half a game. Given the Lakers hope to climb into the top eight to make the playoffs, they'll need to lock in a 2-1 series lead with a win. The two meet a final time in Portland on April 10. Key Matchup The Blazers rely on five players.

Lakers 111 - Blazers 107 (end of regulation) The Lakers got a game they absolutely needed, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 111-107. Kobe Bryant scored 40 points on 15-23 shooting, hitting four clutch free throws down the stretch, but it was a Steve Nash fadeaway with 1:44 left in the game that was the difference. Nash struggled all night, hitting just 2-11 from the field -- missing his only free throw -- but the last two of his four points gave the Lakers a lead they never relinquished.

  VS. PORTLAND. When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: TWC SportsNet, TWC Deportes; Radio: 710, 1330. Records: Lakers 26-29, Trail Blazers 25-29. Record vs. Trail Blazers: 1-1. Update: The Lakers have been awful in Portland, going 4-17 there since 2002, but it's a different story at Staples Center, where they have won 13 of their last 15 against the Trail Blazers. Point guard Damian Lillard is a rookie-of-the-year candidate, but Portland has lost its last six games.