Pescadero’s the biggest of the three San Mateo County parks bunched together on the west side of the Santa Cruz Mountains north of Butano and Big Basin (the other two are Memorial and Sam McDonald.) Pescadero is hard to get…
Hiking
National Trails Day on Saturday — get out and do it in the dirt
by tom • June 5, 2008 • 2 Comments
National Trails Day, sponsored by the American Hiking Society (which still shows me no love despite 1,762 posts and 27 pages promoting the cause they hold dearest), has oodles of trail happenings in the Bay Area. Among the highlights: Bay…
Glitch fixed (I’m pretty sure)
by tom • June 4, 2008 • 1 Comment
Should be hunky dory now. Say something in the comments if you have any issues.
China quake outcome: Tent-factory takeovers
by tom • June 4, 2008 • 0 Comments
The outdoor blogosphere is gaga over this story: SNEWS reporting that the Chinese government has “seized control of all Chinese-owned tent factories,” presumably to help the millions left homeless by the massive earthquake (one can never be sure of the…
The bad news on backpack straps
by tom • June 3, 2008 • 3 Comments
Outdoor Tech blogger Clyde Soles notes a study which says pack straps decrease circulation in hands and fingers. Using ultrasound and a pulse oximeter, the scientists measured brachial artery pressure as well as capillary flow in the finger tips. After…
Wanted: wildflower links
by tom • May 30, 2008 • 5 Comments
I have a Flickr album the ones I’ve posted this season. Frequent commenter Randy52 has a bunch, too. Calipidder also has a nice growing collection. Add links to yours in the comments if you’ve got ’em.
Admit it, you want a hand-carved hiking stick
by tom • May 30, 2008 • 3 Comments
A guy named Mike from up Dunsmuir way (Mount Shasta neighborhood) asked if I’d be so kind as to add a link for his little wood-carving business. Among his wares: Hand-carved hiking sticks. From his prices page: Custom Hand Carved…
Namesake trails: they really rock
by tom • May 30, 2008 • 7 Comments
The idea is simple: they’d never create a bad trail in somebody’s honor. Most obvious example is the Matt Davis Trail at Mount Tamalpais State Park. I have no idea who Matt Davis was, but he must’ve had something on…
Eyeglasses for gram weenies
by tom • May 29, 2008 • 2 Comments
I just got these new spectacles — had to bow to advancing decrepitude and switch to bi-focals (nothing like walking around feeling like you’re on hallucinogens all day) — and one thing I noticed was how surpassingly light they are.…