This rather lurid report from the local NBC affiliate has the most details on the passing of hiker Linda Fradkin, 57, of San Mateo, who died yesterday at Santa Theresa County Park. Condolences to her family and friends.
Monthly Archives: June 2009
In praise of coyotes
by tom • June 29, 2009 • 1 Comment
Bay Nature has an excellent short video on the virtues of coyotes. Bottom line: the presence of large predators in an ecosystem proves it’s working at all levels.
Where do you hike when it’s really hot?
by tom • June 26, 2009 • 8 Comments
It’s supposed to be in the 90s or worse in the South Bay this weekend. Finding some Redwoods is an obvious choice: a few summers back I hiked at Big Basin with a Chinese gent and we found it north…
Cool, hiking as euphemism for hanky-panky
by tom • June 26, 2009 • 5 Comments
Credit: Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gambolin Man does Vasco Caves
by tom • June 24, 2009 • 1 Comment
Only way to see the Vasco Caves is via guided tour — Ol’ Tom from Berkeley provides the next best thing. According to our affable guide, Mike Moran, a naturalist with the East Bay Regional Park District, “a lot comes…
Latest hike: Phleger Estate
by tom • June 22, 2009 • 1 Comment
You have to earn the privilege of enjoying a Phleger Estate hike. Just getting to the best part of it — a sublime grove of redwoods along the Raymundo and Mount Redondo trails — requires a two-mile out-and-back, either from…
Transit and Trails site up and running
by tom • June 19, 2009 • 4 Comments
Finally, you can leave your fossil-fuel-depleting, climate-change-causing automobile at home and travel to your favorite trail head with a clear conscience: Transit and Trails can get you to hiking destinations all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Ryan Branciforte, director…
Where to take your autistic child hiking in the Bay Area
by tom • June 19, 2009 • 0 Comments
Shannon Des Roches Rocha, keeper of the excellent Squidalicious blog, has a son named Leo who is autistic, which means he a) doesn’t like crowds or noise; and b) has oodles of boyish energy that must be burned off productively.…
What was your most awe-inspiring nature moment?
by tom • June 17, 2009 • 13 Comments
Think about your images Five-star camera bags at rei.com A thread at the Backpacker magazine board asks for folks to contribute the experiences that most filled them with slack-jawed amazement. Many mentioned such things as childbirth and awaking next to…