Arlene, a local hiker, asked me about the stone walls at Ed Levin County Park. She said she’s been to the park but hasn’t seen the walls. Perhaps she’s among the sane folks who avoid hiking to the heights behind…
Bay Area hiking clubs
Club: Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Association
by tmangan • July 17, 2007 • 0 Comments
The SCMTA maintains trails at Big Basin and Castle Rock state parks, plus the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail. They also have hikes most Sundays — scroll down to the bottom of the page to find links to photos from their hikes; somebody…
Best Bay Area Hikes, Faves
Best of the best in Bay Area trails
by tmangan • July 16, 2007 • 7 Comments
These are my favorite hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve done them all a few times. Berry Creek Falls Loop, Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Twelve miles though one of the most amazing stands of ancient redwoods on…
Photography
Ever had your rechargeable AA batteries overheat?
by tom • July 16, 2007 • 5 Comments
… while they were in your pants pocket? Yesterday on our road trip I started feeling this burning sensation in my pocket … I thought at first it was the sun coming through the car window, but it kept getting…
Angel Island State Park
Latest hike: Angel Island State Park
by tmangan • July 15, 2007 • 2 Comments
Summary of the price tag for Sunday’s jaunt to Angel Island State Park: Parking in Tiburon: $11 Ferry to the island: $13 Golden Gate Bridge toll: $5 Five gallons of gas for 120-mile round trip: $16.25 (Note to self: find…
Fitness
Hyponatremia: Losing your water balance
by tmangan • July 13, 2007 • 11 Comments
Cynthia Leeder sent me this link yesterday: A description of “hyponatremia,” which happens when the body has too much water and not enough salt. An excerpt: Ultra endurance events including marathons, triathlons and even the popular “eco-challenges” are seeing an…
Trail Center
Essential site: Trail Center
by tmangan • July 12, 2007 • 0 Comments
Trailcenter.org is the place to go to sign up for trail maintenance outings, but there’s tons more at this site, including: Outdoor recreation guide Trail Companion newsletter List of Bay Area outdoor-related links. Next time you get in good-deed-doing mode,…
Mount Madonna County Park
Mount Madonna County Park profiled
by tmangan • July 11, 2007 • 0 Comments
Bay Nature magazine has an excellent in-depth look at Mount Madonna County Park, which gets lots of campers but not nearly so many hikers. The park is at the peak of the southern end of the Santa Cruz Mountains and…
Don Edwards National Wildlife Sanctuary
Watching some waterfowl at Don Edwards National Wildlife Sanctuary
by tmangan • July 10, 2007 • 2 Comments
When the folks at work said I’d get to keep my job, there was a catch: Sundays and Mondays off rather than Saturdays and Sundays. There was one upside: a three-day weekend when the new schedule kicked in, which gave…