Those blues!!!!!
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Those blues!!!!!
Interresting article about the Appalachain Trail in the WaPo that goes into some detail about not only the history, but also the changes to the route that have happened over the years for various reasons. Interestingly, at 2,200 miles it's almost 150 miles longer than it was when it was supposedly "completed".
I will probably never hike it. If I ever decide to tackle any sort of long distance through hike it would likely be part of the Pacific Crest Trail instead.
https://wapo.st/46Usz8t
Today was the first day since April that we got an appreciable amount of rain. I actually like going out hiking in the rain as long as it's not pouring because when everything's wet the colors of the forest totally pop. Here are a couple of pics from the "Big Trees" trail, my favorite hike here in town.
When it's dry the little salamanders don't come out. I had to be careful today not to step on any of them. Unlike the geckos these guys move pretty slow so it would be super easy to just squish them.
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Pretty!
jp1, I can totally see why that would be your favorite local hike. So serene-looking! Thank you for the pics!
Beautiful! I never see salamanders anymore.
That does look like a wonderful place to hike. Thanks for sharing pics!
Found an awesome new trail today. Out near the coast so it'll be another good option on super hot days in the summer. The trail goes across private land that is used as a cow pasture so I got to see a whole bunch of happy California cows (not sure if that's a national marketing pitch, but some california dairy association has been running ads for years about the happy cows here that don't live in feedlots). And I recognized Mt. Wittenberg. I've hiked along the section of Mt Wittenberg where there's the odd stretch of a single row of trees that you can see in the second photo.
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Very pretty, jp1. It looks like it was a beautiful day!
Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
My uncle and cousin hiked the trail all the way from Georgia to Maine. So I learned a lot from them. Then we just watched the Robert Redford movie about the trail--recommend it for people my age, btw, and I have concluded that some day I want to go to that hotel in Georgia and spend three days or so and do little day hikes to and from the lodge. Then I can honestly say "I've hiked the Appalachian Trail" and the lodge looked so cool and enjoyable.
Nice to see all that green! I'm still hiking with ice traction devices on my shoes here.
My friend is hiking the trail in bits and pieces. Never will I do it! She's done 700 miles. All of PA,MD, WV and about half of Virginia, then some in MA,CT, NC, TN. I admire anyone who hikes!! Myself, give me boardwalks, paved paths, and wide paths!
Yeah, we've had a decent amount of rain, fairly consistent but not overwhelming, since October. This is definitely the most beautiful time of the year here. I've always been a summer person and really do enjoy that time of year here but it's just not as pretty as the green during rainy season. And summer/fall is also fire season, so there's that...Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogar
I actually found this trail in a book about dog hikes in northern california that I stumbled on at the library and then went on the AllTrails app and found that they only had it as a 22 mile one way trail so I did like 2.5 miles in/2.5 miles back which was lovely. Next weekend the weather is also supposed to be nice so I'm thinking I'll get an early start and do like 4-5 miles in and then come back. That would be 3-4 hours so I'd need to take lunch but totally doable for a day hike. There are no roads cutting through the entire 22 miles so the further in I go the less people I will run into since most people probably do like I do and turn around at some point. (not that I ran into a ton of people anyway. Maybe 10 people groups the entire time I was out there?)Quote:
Originally Posted by happystuff
LOL. You remind of a friend that I used to work with. She lives in San Francisco and her idea of a nice walk is strolling down the street at a slow speed and looking in the windows of shops. I told her that SO would probably enjoy a walk with her more than me since the only reason I take a walk is to get exercise or get to where I'm going. Another friend of mine calls my style of city walking "forced marches".Quote:
Originally Posted by nswef
LOL. Forced marches is how I used to walk when I lived in Chicago 20 years ago, before my knees went to hell.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
JP You made me laugh! I am going tomorrow on a wee walk around the park...paved path, flat but with a stream. Oh, and my hiking friend did 7 1/2 miles in the woods yesterday!
Went on a naturalist-led hike last weekend and my DH was amused that the only pics I came home with was bark and lichen. To each his/her own, I say!Attachment 5744
Nothing wrong with that, Kay!
Bark and lichen pics are good! I have a friend who hikes and takes pics of the different mushrooms along the way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KayLR
those are always interesting subjects for photography, I like, looking at them.
Everyone has their own interests for sure, which is perfectly normal. One of the trails near us is popular with bird watchers because of the massive wetlands next to it. Their idea of fun is to spend hours at one spot, usually with an expensive looking camera and a long lens on a tripod, hoping to snap a picture of an unusual bird. I quietly continue past them with a polite nod so as not to scare any birds that may be nearby because birdwatching just isn't my thing. Though I imagine they'd let me look through the viewfinder if I asked.Quote:
Originally Posted by KayLR
Personally rather than birds I'm more interested in the wrecked '60s Mercury that sits on the side of the hill near the birdwatchers. It's been there for at least the 3 1/2 years we've lived here and will presumably be there for the forseeable future. Every time I pass it I wonder how the hell it got there and why it wasn't removed. There are no roads anywhere near and I'm not one to go digging through old newspapers to try and find a resolution so it'll just be a weird thing I briefly ponder every time I go on that trail.
LOL on the birders, jp1. I have a couple of siblings that are birders. Whenever they suggest going for a walk, I know enough to ask if we will be "walking" or "birding".
Indeed. Those are two distinctly different activities!Quote:
Originally Posted by happystuff
Wow! Beautiful patterns on that tree bark! That's the great thing about nature--there's something for everyone. My uncle and aunt were huge birders, but I'm not much into them, even though I have about 4 birdhouses in my yard. I just put them up and let them do their thing. I don't do census visits. I just listen to them through my open windows, and clean out their seasonal "airBNBs" in the fall.Quote:
Originally Posted by KayLR
I have binoculars and a field guide, but I try to be very vague when my neighbor asks, "Did you see that Northern Goshawk this morning??" I'm like, "oh, yeah. Beautiful! Big!"
Had a lovely hike about ten minutes south of us this weekend. That's downtown San Francisco in the distance (the salesforce tower is the tallest building) and the Bay Bridge off to the left.
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Beautiful, jp!Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
This is not a "hike"--it is a short walk to our lakefront, but because the theme here is beautiful vistas I thought I would share. My DDIL took this the day before the eclipse, when DH took our two NJ grandsons down for a few casts to see what they could get before the sun set.
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That’s gorgeous! I can see why you wanted to move there!
Beautiful views! Makes me want to move! LOL
Got an unexpected fun surprise on my hike today. Went to the trail next to the reclaimed wetlands. The city's general aviation airport is also next to the wetlands and today there was a small airshow with 4 single prop planes! I can't find anything about it online, so I don't think it was announced publicly. (I had a commitment to help a friend with her drip irrigation system afterwards. Otherwise I would've gone out to the airport after my hike to see if they were still there and find out what the story was.) Anyway, first I snapped a couple of pictures and then I got a few videos since they came around three more times. (Imagine the first two pics rotated 90 degrees clockwise to get a better idea of things...)
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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WxiQUG--DQk
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/k1XeXiYGe0o
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DxBxtlegqxQ
Very nice, jp! Surprises like that always add some fun to the day.
okay-----all this stuff you kids have posted is very cool. but yeah-----in THE most crime-ridden city in Zurra, we had an active shooter out on the trail, taking random shots at cyclists. so anyway----the po-lice rounded up the thug who did it, and it was sent away to prison for awhile. sometimes, when i go to the park with the huskees, i get either: some bozo wanting to give the doggs chicken bones, or B: someone with a drone swooping down over us. how do you like that? hope that helps you some.
Since we're in the middle of a major heat wave I went down to the peninsula south of San Francisco for my hike today. Temperatures in the north bay were going to quickly get into the 90's but down on the peninsula highs only in the mid 70's were predicted. Sweney Ridge is the sight where European explorers in October of 1769, led by de Portola, first discovered San Francisco Bay. 200+ sailing expeditions had previously sailed past the Golden gate and not realized there was a bay. To be fair the mouth of the Golden Gate is relatively small, there are a couple of islands just inside the mouth that would make it look like a continuous shoreline from a distance, and depending on the weather fog would make seeing it more difficult. And if it had been foggy the day they climbed to the top of Sweney Ridge they wouldn't have found it that day either. I've been up there numerous times when there is no view on either side because of the fog.
In any case, there was no fog today and the trail along the top of Sweney Ridge has amazing views of both the bay and the ocean.
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Wow. Awesome photos. Thanks for sharing. Nice you have a place to go that’s cooler.
That's beautiful JP, and amazing that there was such a big difference in temperature. We did a beach walk the other day, and although it was a pretty hot and humid day, the ocean breeze at the beach kept it very comfortable there.
Thankfully it’s still been getting down into the50’s at night. So today as soon as I woke up around 6 I went out to a trail nearby and was done by 8:30 when it was still only about 70 out.
This afternoon we spent a couple hours at the hoa pool. Surprisingly no one else was there the entire time. Labor Day 2022 we had six days in a row over 100. A couple of them over 110. We invited friends to the pool that Sunday and it was a mob scene of people trying to stay cool in luke warm water.
Beautiful photos, jp. You have totally re-adjusted my opinion of San Francisco. Not that it was bad - just that it has more beauty surrounding it that I ever imagined. Thank you!
Glad to hear that I’ve convinced at least one person that coastal California is beautiful! Because it is. And the fact that I can go out hiking year round is a major bonus.Quote:
Originally Posted by happystuff
One of the things I noticed when I was down on the peninsula is that the hillsides are still green even though it’s July. Here at home in the north bay we’re in dry, brown season. The microclimates will never cease to be fascinating to me.
Not really related to hiking but two days of no heat wave so we haven’t needed the a/c. It’s so nice to be able to open the windows before bedtime.