Late Spring Hiking & Exploring

Some photos from this past week.   This morning we started our hike from Muir Woods.  We saw a mama deer and 2 fawns trotting down the stream – yes, in the middle of the stream that winds thru Muir Woods.  The photos are lousy – but if you click to enlarge, you’ll see that they’re actually IN the stream.  We also saw a turkey in the trail gobbling at us.  The glowing Paintbrush below is our Coastal variety and the color is from the sunshine.  None of my photos are ever touched up, WYSIWYG.

		Click any photo to enlarge.Click the back button to return to post.

The columbines were from my Sawyer Camp Bike Ride.   The first photo (Tidytips) are from Mori Point which is also the scenic photo.  Right now, Mori Point, in Pacifica, is bursting with color.

Spring Flowers, April 2012

Spectacular year for irises, literally hillsides full of flowers – the best year I’ve ever seen!  We’ve been enjoying the abundance from recent rains.

…and others – vetch, mallow & manzanita bells (the ground was so white with bells, it looked like snow).

It’s so much easier to look around and enjoy this abundance when we hike with poles.    As always, click on any picture to enlarge, click back button to return to post.  Enjoy!

Spring Hiking in Northern CA

Spring Hiking is HERE!   Interesting phenomenon this year.  More varieties, less abundance.  Lack of rain delayed our usual suspects.  Big rains came and everyone is HAPPY!   Here’s a sampling from our Easter Sunday morning hike on Mt. Diablo:   Larkspur, Paintbrush & Western Wallflower (remember Pinnacles?):

followed by a study in Henderson Shooting Stars, which would normally be completely dried out by now.

From last week’s foray on Mt. Tam  (does any AdventureBuddy not know that I’m OBSESSED with newts?):

Also from Mt. Diablo:   These next 2 photos show the wild Clematis single flower as well as the large bushes that are in full and glorious bloom.

AdventureBuddies UNITE, get outside and check for ticks!

Yosemite Conservancy’s Spring Forum

AdventureBuddies Jayah and Bob traveled to Yosemite for Spring Forum, a yearly event hosted by the Yosemite Conservancy.   Spring Forum is a day of adventures, lectures, hikes and Yosemite experiences.  We taught 3 classes:

• Using POLES for Hiking & Outdoor Exercise – with a hike to Lower Yosemite Falls
• Fitness for the Trail (keeping people OUTSIDE)
• Using POLES for Balance & Mobility

Here are some photos of the day:  (be sure to click on the first one especially, then hit the back button to return to post)

On the way up we were in awe at the orange hillsides covered with California Golden Poppies.  We got up there a day early and hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls.    This is a hike where we DEEPLY appreciate our trekking poles.  Hiking up the rocky terrain we were able to get WAY more power.  Plus, being at sea level the day before, we needed all the help we could get    The downhill was significantly easier with our “extra legs.”   We were careful to put our feet, when possible, on flat surfaces as that type of terrain is real ankle twister.

The day of Spring Forum was unique for me.  Growing up in Florida and living in CA, I’ve not seen much snow.  That day went from bright to overcast to sunny to windy to gentle rain to FULL ON SNOW that blanketed everything in sight.  Roads were closed.  People were either putting on chains or wondering what to do.  We were playing   Hope to see you OTT (on the trail)!

Welcoming Spring at Pinnacles, with Hiking Poles of course!

Happy Spring!  A gorgeous day at Pinnacles National Monument.  Recent rains brought out the flowers, the moss and the lichen.  The trails were in PERFECT condition.

Arriving almost as the gates opened, we were able to be hiking by 8.   We had the entire West side to ourselves and did not see another hiker until we were OUT of the Bear Gulch Caves.  Being alone in the caves was a magical experience.  Contrast this with the hoards of people on the weekend.

The weather could not have been better.   Two of us drove down on Tuesday – the first day of Spring and stayed at the Motel 8 in Soledad.  This is a very clean and nice motel.  Another buddy drove down the next morning, but she left the Bay Area around 5.  We hiked from 8 to about 1 and were on the road in time to miss the traffic.  A perfect way to welcome Spring!

Photos  (click on any to enlarge, click back button to return to post):

• A trail on the way to Balconies Caves
• Cream Cups – my favorites
• Lichen on rock
• Pine Cone Perspective
• Purple flower (maybe a dark baby blue eyes?)
• Heart shaped rock
• Steven in Bear Gulch Caves (lit by Cindy’s headlamp – clever, huh?)
• Western Wallflower
• Reservoir
• Gazing in wonder
• Rock with moss & lichen
• Me
• Steven walking in Balconies Caves

He brought water shoes – how prepared is THAT?    I took my socks and insoles off and walked with my hiking boots.   My boots were wet, but my feet were safe.  Plus it was at the very end of our short hike that afternoon AND I had another pair of hiking boots for the next day.

In the caves, I used BOTH my headlamp and my powerful small flashlight.  I wished I had a string on my flashlight.

I suppose if you went on the weekend and had 200 other people with headlamps, you might not need the extra light, but as we were all by ourselves (sublime), the extra light was helpful.  Also, in Balconies, it helped to have a powerful light to figure out which way not to go.  Once eliminating every possibility, what was left was obviously the way (a la Sherlock Holmes).

I collapsed my poles when I wasn’t using them because they were easier to manage.  If I’d been wearing my back pack (I was wearing my fanny day pack), I would have put on the rubber tips (which I ALWAYS carry with me) and secured them to the pack.

Bring binoculars.  We saw lots of birds, but only THINK we saw Condors.

I hope you welcomed Spring in a lovely way and that you enjoy all the season has to offer!  Happy Trails!

Hiking with Trekking POLES in the desert

2 AdventureBuddies, 2 sets of poles.  Our annual Winter/Spring desert hiking trip this year found us in Sedona.   Our first stop was Phoenix to help some folks learn about using poles via the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center.  Then onto Sedona to enjoy some hiking on terrain that’s very different from our local mountains.   Using poles in the desert is the most powerful and efficient way to navigate rocky, steep terrain.   We especially appreciate our long foam grips &  gloves as we explore this glorious terrain.

Click on any photo to enlarge (esp #1) and press back button to return to post.  See the hole behind me in photo #3?   Look at photo #9.

Above are views from Bear Mountain, Bob negotiating rocky trail and an overhang at Long Canyon.

If you follow this blog, you will know that I LOVE cairns.   I have a new hobby – cairn topping (or cairn enhancing) ha ha!   We explored 3 days – Bear Mountain, Doe Mountain/Fay Canyon & Long Canyon, following Cairns to stay on the trail.

• Bob and me on Bear Mountain
• Cairn on Bear Mountain – the townhouse of all cairns!
• Bob and his trekking poles on the top of a rock cliff at Long Canyon
• A pretty, colorful rock in a creek-bed in Long Canyon
• A canyon wall in Long Canyon
• Bob looking thru the hole of the overhang

At Long Canyon, we got to the “end” and climbed up on a rock for lunch.  Bob went to explore the easiest way down the cliff.  When he returned, I gleefully noticed it was starting to  SNOW.  I was so happy eating my sandwich watching the snowflakes.   Bob said “We’re LEAVING, NOW!”   He knew immediately that we did not want to be walking down on wet rocks.  Good and fast thinking, Bob!

Weather can manage our outdoor experiences.  We knew the forecast and, even with a slight possibility of rain or snow, we were well prepared with gear.  45 degrees and wet is a recipe for hypothermia.  We had full head-to-toe Gortex gear – NO bluejeans for hikers!  On again, off again, gear changes, but we were comfy, dry and safe.

One of our favorite Winter Visitors, the BuffleHEAD!

Thanks to our bird buddy, Len Blumin:

PoleWalking at Lake Merritt in Oakland

Join us on Friday afternoon, March 2, 2012 for a Nordic Walking training around beautiful Lake Merritt in Oakland.  This park has undergone an amazing transformation thanks to the voting citizens of Oakland.   Class is listed with the City of Oakland.

Nordic Walking helps you walk with the attitude of youth.  Click here for a step-by-step tutorial with video.

Photo from our bird-buddy, Len Blumin, with edited comments below.

The Redhead (Aythya americana) is sometimes seen in bays (Tomales Bay, Bodega Bay, etc.) but more often on lakes and ponds. In my limited experience they have been shy birds, always too far for a photo. Imagine our delight when this one joined all the scaups and other Aythya at Lake Merritt yesterday. Swimming with 50 feet of the Redhead were a male Tufted Duck, male Ring-necked Duck, and both sexes of the Canvasback, Lesser Scaup and Greater Scaup.   The Redhead is a pretty duck, and rather unmistakeable.  An old name for the Redhead was “American Pochard”.   If there is a better “natural” spot in the world to view the Aythya, I’d be surprised.

Daily Quote for Inspiration, Motivation & Mindfulness

For several years, I’ve gotten a daily quote from Seasons for Nonviolence.   Most come with a practice which suggests ways to weave the quote into our lives.   I share this with my AdventureBuddies!

“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room,
drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.
Maybe this year,
to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…
not looking for flaws, but for potential.”  ~ Ellen Goodman

Practice
Today I begin a practice of looking out for opportunity, possibility, unactualized potential.   Today I choose to focus on what is good, what is right, what I want to grow more of.

From the website:  A Season for Nonviolence, is a national 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities.

Inspired by the memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
this international event honors their vision for a nonviolent world.

Seasons for Nonviolence …

Daily thought-provoking messages designed to help increase your capacity to:

• honor the dignity and inherent worth of every human being
• understand that all of our words and actions have an impact
• practice compassion with apparent adversaries
• become stewards for the rights of individuals and the environment
• use our talents to empower rather than to exert power
• engage in constructive dialogue with one another to solve conflicts

        No charge, no spam, no gimmick.

WISHING YOU PEACE ON THE INSIDE.

Happy New Year Photo for 2012

From our nature buddies, Len & Patti Blumin, who do so much to help others enjoy the natural world:

Wishing you all the best and brightest for the New Year. May your days be filled with birds and odes (both kinds).

Seems appropriate to end the year with a photo of creature that almost never lives a full year in adult form, but has woven itself so successfully into the web of life that it has survived with little change for hundreds of millions of years, the dragonfly!

Here is the Four-spotted Pennant, taken on a memorable Bob Stewart trip to Texas in April of 2005.

Fondest regards to all,  Len & Patti

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