tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86259046689908838152012-01-27T12:20:06.103-08:00A mostly hiking blog, though sometimes the connection is nebulousTimecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.comBlogger1101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-35738169710905066912011-12-26T18:29:00.000-08:002011-12-26T18:29:41.559-08:00

That was my response to a Facebook friend's poll for 2012 goals.  Colored perhaps, by our immediate condition of aiding, abetting, instigating Susan's 100 (101 in Jan) year old mother's move from independent living to emergency, to rehab, and as we speak, to a assisted living facility, all over a few days time where we had no expectations other than the usual goodwill and conflict of our seasonal

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-62118002167510912572011-11-28T12:23:00.000-08:002011-11-28T12:23:19.984-08:00

California Newt - Taricha torosa, unless it is Taricha granulosa The comfort of our home has been keeping us close these days, as the fall rains roll through the area. Our walking has been curtailed, and our legs are getting more and more restless. Finally we just wrote "long walk" on the calendar, and when that day arrived, "manned up", "womaned up", put on our rain gear and went out the door,

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-73573043392302512432011-10-11T17:50:00.000-07:002011-10-11T17:50:23.606-07:00

I didn't expect my next post would lead with an image of Cunard Line's Queen Elisabeth, but there she is in Quebec City. We rearranged our Appalachian Trail backpack at the last minute to give flood waters from Hurricane Irene time to recede. The plan was first drive to Quebec City and Montreal and then back to Connecticut to hike its section of the AT. That part worked. This was my first visit

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-49403372248996067802011-09-21T17:00:00.000-07:002011-09-21T17:00:58.060-07:00

This has been the year of weather impacted trips for us. In the spring in Spain; rain and high water forced us to cut our trip short. In August late opening trails in Glacier National Park caused a reroute which we ultimately decided was unfeasible. OK, maybe the prevalence of grizzly bears in that part of the country had something to do with it. Not to worry. There were still relatives back east

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-1503580681966144652011-07-26T19:23:00.000-07:002011-07-27T09:31:05.497-07:00

You have a couple of choices for a southbound CDT route through Glacier. The first starts in Waterton Lakes National a Park in Canada, crosses the border at Goat Haunt, and follows the Highline trail through Glacier. This route is open at the earliest around Aug 1, as it depends on snow conditions and the Ahern Drift trail segment being blasted out. The second starts at the Chief Mountain

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-33098909451547077432011-07-24T16:10:00.000-07:002011-07-24T21:28:44.712-07:00

Just back from a road trip to Glacier National Park. It is in Montana and borders Canada for my European readers. The plan was to start the Continental Divide Trail. We didn't put a foot on the ground with a backpack on, but that's another story. Nowadays we Google our route options, and then use a navigation device in the car to keep us on track. Google said from Oakland, CA, go north through

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-86210259018289728152011-06-17T18:32:00.000-07:002011-06-21T18:13:39.284-07:00

I forget (block out?),  over time, the more trying aspects of a trip. Unless, of course, it was so terrible that I have a story to tell at appropriate occasions. We have a story to tell for part of this route, that I will hold for another time, or possibly never tell. However.... We are blessed (that word has religious overtones, but I just mean an earlier, intelligent set of voters), with a

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-19145420801720868272011-05-24T15:05:00.000-07:002011-05-27T15:22:15.082-07:00

The name was exotic, and southern Spain was unknown and beckoning. We didn't quite throw a dart at a map, but similar. It was a pilgrimage route in Europe, the length was right, we had the time. If we could deal with the heat we could do it, so number one priority was to start early enough in the year. I documented the planning in an earlier blog entry: Camino Mozárabe - Planning - a work in

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-81814645542292771372011-04-19T17:02:00.000-07:002011-04-19T17:02:50.693-07:00

I often find myself photographing the old and broken down, but it requires a number of years of aging to get the proper amount of rust, enough broken windows, or whatever symbolizes the conquest of nature over our small efforts. We are in that cautious hiking stage where a trip is soon enough that we don't have time to heal if we do serious hurt to ourselves through improvident exertions. A

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-80651131178789654262011-01-27T17:50:00.000-08:002011-05-27T15:32:27.556-07:00

May 24, 2011 - update. We finished trip early at Córdoba due to knee problems. I did a trip report blog: Camino Mozárabe Images and Moments 2011. Also, I'll add some comments below as to the reality of the trip. A running chronology of my planning process might help others. I am still doing this, so can't guarantee results. We don't have photos yet, so courtesy of Wikipedia, here is one of

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-10865465552944682052011-01-11T18:42:00.000-08:002011-01-19T18:16:49.754-08:00

Friday evening, we walked a few yards with friends, sat on a bench, sipped hot beverages from our insulated cups, and watched the sun go down over San Francisco Bay. The still of the evening seemed to mute the city noises, and it was just the flat bay, ducks in the foreground, in the far distance a freighter. For a few moments the peace brought me back to memories of sitting by lagoons in Baja

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-91193562871826255752011-01-05T17:51:00.000-08:002011-01-06T09:30:35.633-08:00

This tattered, yellowed newspaper clipping has been my possession for many years, but it's been several years since I made scones. Today it seemed a good task to share with seven year old granddaughter, so searched for the recipe, and searched, and searched. We are always clipping and saving recipes, and somehow the scone recipe had vanished, displaced by some untried upstart. Susan fortunately

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-69247132291255998532010-12-20T17:37:00.000-08:002010-12-20T17:37:46.433-08:00

A bearing of about 99 degrees from Oakland, and a distance on that southeast path for 207 kilometers, puts you in the foothills of the Sierras, at a spot that we have visited biannually for at least twenty years now. Once in late fall to plant daffodil bulbs, and once in the spring to view the results. This property is much loved and little tended. Trees fall, creatures make little paths,

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-88835091310489071032010-11-10T20:13:00.000-08:002010-11-10T22:17:01.665-08:00

I have a vast appetite for avoiding doing the things at the top of my list, so when Susan got lodging discount tickets for joining Yosemite Association, and suggested a mid week weekend getaway, I was ready. My brain was Kindled out from digging into details about converting a book to Kindle. Off we went in the Subaru, expecting that we might need four wheel drive, based on snow forecasts. About

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-84799480163776430492010-11-05T10:49:00.000-07:002010-11-05T10:51:36.451-07:00

One dark day near Halloween, we took our grandson south, hoping for better weather. We are surrounded by regional parks, most with hiking trails, but some with historic value. Our destination was Ardenwood, a working farm from 100 years ago, now farmed by the park district. Blacksmiths, horses, cows, corn, pigs and pumpkins all are kid worthy attractions. Since Halloween was upon us, we expected

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-46681974118502909232010-11-02T10:01:00.000-07:002011-04-22T07:36:46.333-07:00

This is an as it happens log of my efforts to convert our print book We're in the Mountains, Not Over the Hill to Kindle. In the process I hope to clarify my own thinking about how to do this. The book has about 20 b&w photos and a lot of carefully crafted layout. Several fonts, use of bold, italics, multiple paragraph formats, all to make the book look well done to the reader. The intent is to

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-84919353556322971982010-10-12T18:11:00.000-07:002010-10-12T18:11:42.581-07:00

Who knew. I took part in an urban hiking event Sunday, little knowing that I was participating in a pedestrian critical mass. For those of you in my extended audience, Critical Mass is an anarchist sort of bicycle gathering monthly in San Francisco. Through sheer volume, they take over streets, roll through stop signs and red lights, causing consternation and curses in the unaware motoring public

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-75307217198086358422010-09-24T18:31:00.000-07:002010-09-24T18:31:57.519-07:00

There is one serious hiking issue that is unique to two people hiking together. This is the accidental passing. You think the other person is ahead when he/she is really behind. Your attempts to catch up only worsen the problem. I have seen this happen once to another couple in Europe, and on the isolated environs of the PCT it is much more serious. We are serious about safety and attempt to be

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-18511515721011357642010-09-21T18:31:00.000-07:002010-09-21T18:32:12.588-07:00

The Dinsmores, and the pct-l forum report lots of rain. Fortunately the resupply points are five to seven days apart for strong hikers, so if everything is wet by the fifth day, just a day or two more till you reach civilization. I've already sent off my Stephenson's Warmlite to get endliners, which will reduce condensation in the front and back of the tent, should we ever be so foolish as to

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-83067111990476528762010-09-14T15:17:00.000-07:002010-09-14T15:17:44.500-07:00

A long time coming, but we finally reached the monument marking the Canada-US border. Our first segment of the trail was in 1989, but we have done the majority of it since 2004, in a couple of 200 to 300 mile trips each year. This year we decided we didn't know how long we could keep doing this, so did the last 470 miles in one 5 1/2 week trip. It's way too much stuff to put in a single blog post

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-69378215218664529202010-07-29T17:56:00.000-07:002010-07-29T17:56:20.460-07:00

You would think I Photoshopped it if I just showed you the image, so I took a picture of the camera screen as proof. Abuse does not go unpunished. I  have never anticipated divine retribution, but after many months of point and shoot abuse, the Canon gods have caught up with me, opening a portal through my LCD screen to a strange new world. I presume the next step will be to physically transport

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-65536220748156159212010-07-13T19:37:00.000-07:002010-07-13T19:37:01.827-07:00

I blogged before on Bedouin Weaving of Saudi Arabia and its Neighbours by Joy Hilden, after seeing the first copy she got from the publisher. I have always had a love for the craft of hand weaving, after being exposed to Navajo rugs as a child. Finally, she has received a shipment of books, and held a book announcement party at her house. We went with great anticipation, knowing that she had

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-32936857854502716882010-07-11T12:40:00.000-07:002010-07-11T17:30:32.870-07:00

We are in our annual throes of packing and shipping off resupply food for our PCT hike. This is something I put off and put off, finally having a spending frenzy, getting all the materials, and sorting it out by days for each segment. I wrote about the resupply process last year. In the past we have always had a breakfast bag with all the breakfasts for the segment, a lunch bag, and a supper bag

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-34327007727212399932010-06-30T14:18:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:45:53.448-07:00

This was the final leg on our three year effort to complete the Arles Route pilgrimage path to Spain. Last year was sort of difficult - not enough stimulation to warrant the physical effort. This year everything worked. There was a lot of rain, but that made for stunning skies, and in Spain, every few hours there is a cafe or bar where you can take a break and a snack. That made all the

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-41903234598446402892010-05-23T11:19:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:06:15.461-07:00

This was a rare opportunity to once more see Green Valley Falls, tucked away in a Vallejo watershed,  gated, locked, signed and unavailable unless you can get into one of the seldom let Doris Klein hikes into the area;, through the auspices of Bay Area Ridge Trail. Doris is 84, and amazingly fit and spry, and at the present, the only person allowed to lead hikes in this area. It also requires

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-26453889129902737252010-05-19T10:58:00.000-07:002010-05-19T10:58:26.172-07:00

harsh or discordant sound : dissonance 2; specifically : harshness in the sound of words or phrases. A week or so ago I saw it used in an article, and last night, when we had dinner with my niece and her husband, I heard it spoken for the first time ever, when she was describing time with their nine year old daughter and friends. Now I am having an absolute cacophonic experience as the old roof

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-55498546996065375492010-05-16T16:59:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:02:30.609-07:00

At our gathering of friends last night, one happened to mention the Bay to Breakers race today, from the San Francisco Embarcadero to the ocean. Susan had Long Walk written on the calendar for today, and that sounded like a good fit. Only problem was that we should be at the start around 8:30, and the last guest left shortly before 11pm. We left it as a maybe, so this am I nudged Susan about 6:30

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-91383183671260961802010-05-15T11:24:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:10:02.606-07:00

Jon is a San Francisco columnist of some renown, and in the ancient past, (he is almost as old as I am), he wrote about those tasks you do that are necessary and important, in place of those tasks requiring immediate completion. i.e. you have company coming in two hours, and you decide that this is the perfect time to finally clean out the garage. Ever since that column, we have called such

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-19969710172129483272010-04-25T11:14:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:09:02.732-07:00

Yesterday I was feeling the pressure of planning, but this morning we dropped everything and went to Briones Regional Park to do one of their trail challenges - a short loop,  less than five miles, but for a couple of hours there was no computer, no distractions, just enjoying California spring, lush grass, cows and cow pies, poppies popping out everywhere. A coyote cruising through the tall

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-7914322965327091812010-04-23T16:23:00.000-07:002010-04-23T17:28:13.898-07:00

This is a big year for us. Finally completed the Torres del Paine circuit in March, in June do the last segment of the Arles Route over the Pyrenees into Spain, and in Aug-Sept complete the 2600 mile Pacific Crest Trail, starting near the southern border of Washington state and reaching Manning Park in Canada about 40 days later. Along with that we are trying to keep up our connections with

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-56950887484217910632010-04-11T15:35:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:07:21.841-07:00

Warning, totally unrelated to hiking, other than hikers are lovers of beauty. We just came back from a birthday party which we have been attending for at least fifteen years. Normally it is on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. Everyone brings potluck food, and we eat, the kids play, and everyone hikes all over the island to work off the food consumed. Today, rain, so we descended on the birthday

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-32907687397796165862010-04-01T17:13:00.000-07:002010-04-01T17:13:38.789-07:00

In my heart of hearts, I credit my some of my relative contentment with where life has put me to my upbringing and choices I have made, but mostly to a long string of fortunate rolls of the dice. I come to this particular thought via an accidental car radio button sending me to rant radio. As for Godde, well, I follow Claire Bangasser's thoughtful struggles with Catholicism, and her Godde is a

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-65101973970256118342010-03-22T17:55:00.000-07:002012-01-01T18:41:41.379-08:00

I've been quiet most of Feb and March. A sprained ankle slowed down my local hiking activity, and then got wrapped up with the trip to Torres del Paine. A side note re the sprained ankle. I was doing a training hike, with a 30 pound pack, hiking poles and a gps. I was holding both hiking poles in one hand, while looking at the gps in the other hand, all while walking down a muddy bank to a stream

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-24185068146517890812010-02-01T15:21:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:00:59.273-07:00

Warning - local interest only. If you are one of my out of the area readers then this is definitely more than you want to know. On the other hand, if you are going to walk this route, better read it. Synopsis: You really need to carry a map on this trip, and review it before the walk. When you get to the bench with no back, less than a mile down the trail, take the small dirt track going down to

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-9904998601172586582010-01-27T19:37:00.000-08:002010-07-12T05:43:36.170-07:00

I've been scanning the slides for our April-May 2004 walk from Le Puy to Figeac. This is a long process. One slide at a time, I place into the flatbed scanner with a slide adaptor. There is a prescan, then a scan, it goes into Photoshop and I have to adjust the lighting and name the slide. Maybe three minutes per slide. You would think this is a tedious process, but as I go through the slides I

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-7383335123772116322010-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:002010-01-26T13:57:10.430-08:00

I try not to let wind and rain stop me from hiking. If I am prepared, it is actually sort of fun. The plants are dripping with water droplets. Rainwater paths give an education in delta formation, in miniaturized fashion. Some creatures appear only in the rain. I've been doing some local training hikes during rainy conditions, some days raining when I start, some rain starts later. I am

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-57858803286831636642010-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:31:08.552-07:00

As I write this we are having a brief respite from the flash-boom thunderstorm right overhead. I know this is common for many of you, but for we in the Oakland Hills on the east side of San Francisco Bay, a few times a year occurrence. A smattering of hail on the ground, and no birds in sight. Earlier, when it was just windy and raining, birds were all over the place, a dozen or so trying to get

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-49771250272726516022010-01-14T16:13:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:13:48.625-07:00

View Oakland Hills Walk 5 - from North Oakland Sports Center in a larger map The Caldecott Tunnel through the east bay hills is a critical commute corridor for those east of the hills. Initially roads wound over the hills. In 1903 a tunnel was built above the current tunnel location, and when this walk takes you on Old Tunnel Road, that's the origin of the name. The current tunnel started with

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-43291608309048374712010-01-10T21:24:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:42:57.189-07:00

I saw someone's blog posting re Kilimanjaro training a couple of days ago, and realized that we had never posted anything on our Kilimanjaro experience. I guess that is because it was a guided trip (mandatory), and we normally write on hiking/backpacking experiences that we have done entirely on our own. In retrospect, the training we did for Kilimanjaro, and our physical experiences while doing

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-16283024320658839732010-01-08T12:12:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:52:21.821-07:00

I was booted out of the house last night, as there was a small female only gathering happening, so off I went to the Freight to hear whatever they had going. It turned out to be a collection of three different roots type bands, each having their own set, and each from Indiana, though I don't know if that is significant. The first two sets were ok, some talented individuals, but the overall sound

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-8146189710991463432009-12-30T10:07:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:19:00.817-07:00

Stumbled across this while searching for more info on some of the Oakland neighborhoods that I walk through. Its really cool - shows the public stairways and paths as well as the streets. It also color codes the streets to show degree of steepness. 4th edition came out in Sept 2009. It is published by the Oakland Department of Public Works and is widely available in Oakland http://

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-65403796295010210522009-12-29T18:34:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:15:48.887-07:00

When I was eighteen, I found myself on a fire crew with three other guys, in the fire crew quarters with cots, a stove, and some pots and pans. There was a tiny market nearby, but the nearest full service grocery store was at least 150 miles and four hours away. I came from a traditional family with a full time mom, who did all the cooking. I had some dish washing skills, but zero culinary

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-53101155324311409652009-12-21T17:31:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:37:44.657-07:00

HH&PRR is about half way along this loop if you start at Lodge and Hemlock, but it is one of the highlights. I'll talk more about it and carofthefuture.org later. One of our frequent hikes is north along Skyline to Sibley, and from there onto regional park trails. In Jan 2008 there were severe storms, and a slide blocked Skyline Blvd to all traffic, including pedestrians. In searching for an

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-85625544900023457522009-12-21T13:05:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:39:29.374-07:00

Just to set the scene, we have backpacking Santa - too heavy for the tree, so hanging on the first hook within reach. Beneath him, and within his gaze is Christmas Chaos. The gradual accumulation of wrapping paper, gifts to be wrapped, completed presents to go elsewhere, starts taking over the room. Out comes the card table for more space. Eventually the gifts are all in hand, the critical mass

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-27344990606278474342009-12-19T18:17:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:47:54.840-07:00

I read Malcom Gladwell's Outliers recently, and enjoyed it immensely - went on to read Tipping Point. Now I propose that he write a third book titled "Critical Mass". As an example, I will relate my recent experience with "Pocket Critical Mass". You see on the right, my left pocket - car 1 keys, car 2 keys, comb, and handkerchief. Also, my spare battery and memory card case that I have started

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-45724178036533769722009-12-18T17:39:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:25:23.000-07:00

This is longest stretch of interconnected steps that I know of in Oakland. About 400 steps and a climb/drop of two hundred plus feet in about a third of a mile. It makes a good workout, particularly when you do two steps at a time on the steep sections. These steps were restored in 2003, so they are in good shape. View Oakland Hills - Merriewood Steps - the figure 8 in a larger map Thirty to

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-51284391378509945892009-12-15T11:34:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:29:42.336-07:00

My GPS says 9.8 miles, my cleaned up Google track says 8.7 miles. Total ascent about 1040 feet. If you start near the top like I do, it is a nice stroll down through the hills and secluded streets to BART and then a fairly good workout back by Lake Temescal and up through the Thornhill Canyon. I look for one of a kinds and the sort of strange as I walk, and this route offers a few, mixed in with

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-19880856802081523592009-12-12T15:54:00.000-08:002010-07-12T06:12:50.017-07:00

It's pouring down rain outside. A few days ago it snowed. Wonderful aromas are floating around the house. I have this craving for a beer, but we have to go out to a party tonight, so I will have to defer the beer. Each year around this time we have a Cajun theme Christmas party. I make a giant batch of red beans and rice on Saturday, Susan does a giant batch of jambalaya on Sunday, and I

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-89817705913513472272009-12-05T17:07:00.000-08:002009-12-11T13:24:24.982-08:00

View Oakland Walk 1 Saroni - Montclair Village Steps Loop in a larger mapWhen I got up this morning, there was a slight smattering of snow on the ground, but trust me, this route is usually a very pleasant walk.Sometimes I need a walking workout and am pressed for time, so just go out of my door and do some neighborhood walks. It is hilly so you can get a good workout. The only caution is that it

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-39517939433127578402009-11-11T09:48:00.000-08:002009-11-11T10:04:25.937-08:00

In one year circumvent the Alaska - Yukon wilderness. 4500 miles. No trails. Seven months.Andrew Skurka's webpage on this tripThere was a local Camino de Santiago gathering of pilgrims recently. A lot of sharing of stories and exchange of experiences, and a couple of presentations. One was by Phil Cousineau, author of the Art of Pilgrimage. He was a good speaker, and I took a bunch of notes which

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-46113642748617767432009-11-08T15:34:00.000-08:002009-11-08T16:12:19.239-08:00

The Sibley Labyrinth is one of the sacred spots in our east bay hills. Hills block the freeway sounds to the east and the west.A good spot to take grandchildren for a moment with nature.BEFOREWe've been gone most of the summer, hiking on the long distance trails, so it has been months since we have been to the Sibley Labyrinth. Finally a couple of friends stop by for a hike, and we include the

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-78115413748456000192009-10-24T09:46:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:56:09.125-07:00

I consider ourselves chronic walkers, possibly obsessed, but once in a while I run across someone who gives us a reality check. On the bell shaped curve, we are far from the outliers. This morning a Google Alert on Camino de Santiago popped up about our friend and walker, Sue Kenney, so I checked it out. She is picking up some friends in Ontario (Canada) who have walked from Paso Robles,

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-30419284997969415172009-10-21T13:27:00.001-07:002009-10-23T11:33:49.222-07:00

It's been a long time since we've subscribed to the Oakland Tribune, and I had forgotten the adventures with customer service.A promotion came in the mail a couple of weeks ago that seemed so good that we decided to try the Trib again. This was 52 weeks of the print edition for $49.95.I filled out and submitted the order online www.bayareanewsgroup.info/DMOT0909 on Oct 10 and expected to see the

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-145426089308675812009-10-18T11:46:00.000-07:002009-10-29T10:59:34.402-07:00

For a music backed overview, check out our YouTube video of the Dourgne to Oloron walk.In spite of the video appearances this was a somewhat difficult and stressful trip for us. Our seventh walk on a pilgrimage trail, we were looking at it as more of a vacation adventure, than as a serious trek. Our plan was 20 to 25k per day and to use B&Bs and hotels when possible, not using scarce pilgrim

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-80340539182358815712009-10-13T10:43:00.000-07:002009-10-13T14:23:33.829-07:00

I've been a Ray Jardine fan ever since I read his first book, The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker's Handbook, back around 1995. When he came out with Beyond Backpacking in 1999, I snatched it up and again devoured his tips.This time though, I resisted. I'd been following his tips for 10 years or more - used a tarp in the Sierras, trekked 500 miles in a lightweight pack with no waist belt. What more

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-45805194518804560402009-10-05T12:31:00.000-07:002009-10-12T12:43:26.905-07:00

We just got back from walking three weeks on the GR653 in France a couple of days ago. In some ways it was a difficult trip for us, but I am still digesting it and will write about it later. However, as I do the chores of home, I find that I'm still in that altered state common to finishing long walks, even though the walk was stressful.In that frame of mind, I am in the kitchen peacefully

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-76680242430759727952009-09-04T09:42:00.000-07:002009-09-04T10:53:03.781-07:00

As we water impoverished Californians followed the PCT into Oregon, and a week or so ago into Washington, we were stunned by the shades of green. First of all, plants covered everything, nothing at all like the sands of the Mojave or the granite of the high Sierra.One of the first things we saw was the bat winged plant. That is my name. It always has three leaves, each one lobed like the wings of

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-24048574508451839372009-08-30T13:43:00.000-07:002009-09-02T17:28:52.898-07:00

I've thought this was true for some time, but decided to do some checking with the wayback machine, etc. After some poking around, decided to expand this to a short history of the online/internet English language sources of Camino de Santiago information.2000, when I was searching for information, I found two sources. The GoCamino listserv was the best, but the Online Telegraph provided good

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-11728781557637297432009-08-29T16:05:00.000-07:002009-09-02T17:28:06.119-07:00

Toads, slugs, volcanos. People say that Oregon is just a fast long green break on the way to Canada, but that is not the way we found it. Some truly spectacular mountain wilderness areas - The Sisters, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood, to mention the main ones. It might have been 100 degrees down in Bend, but we had about a week of hiking most of the day in below 40 weather. Still, the

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-59514648943141873432009-07-30T12:19:00.000-07:002009-10-29T11:09:08.283-07:00

We've been taking digital for five years now, and I finally got back to scanning in a 2004 PCT trip that was originally slides. As I wiled away a few hours doing this, I realized a couple of things. First, how few slides we took on a backpack trip, compared to what we do now. We had to ration ourselves to something like six slides a day. It just cost too much to to more than that, so we missed

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-3330849908833686002009-07-22T16:30:00.000-07:002009-07-22T17:58:12.665-07:00

There have been some tragic hiking deaths this last week. Nine seniors died of hypothermia on a guided mountain climbing trip in Japan. The same week two hikers in separate incidents died of hypothermia while hiking in extreme heat near Palm Springs. There were the usual unthinking comments about candidates for the Darwin Awards.I'm not as harsh on those commenters as some might be. Sometimes in

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-12633656307180467402009-07-17T18:43:00.000-07:002010-07-12T05:58:34.971-07:00

As long as I'm on a cooking roll, let me pass on this recipe from an old roommate, from whom I learned a fair amount of cooking. One of his more important rules, at least for the single guy trying to make an impression: "If you cook with booze, you can't lose". No booze in this recipe, but its still a winner. For about six people. Leftovers taste good hot or cold. And re the booze; you can

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-71435277693587248502009-07-16T13:23:00.000-07:002010-07-12T05:59:51.687-07:00

Ready for dessert? Backpacking has given us a great appreciation for good food. We've been making this all year - fall and winter apples & pears, now peaches, plums, you pick the fruit. Always tastes wonderful. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Don't know who to credit for the recipe - it's on an old yellowed newspaper clipping, don't even know the paper. Turn oven to 375 F, have 8x8 inch baking

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-80537400034411646202009-07-15T13:50:00.000-07:002009-07-15T15:48:00.032-07:00

There's a little positive bias here, and a fleeting personal connection, just so you know that up front, but about the book.I love reading hiker narratives, but I almost never read one that I would recommend to my non-hiking friends. This is one of those rare few. This is a collection of tales from the trail, more or less in time sequence, but not always. There is a large amount of what some may

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-56939503232720607392009-07-09T10:35:00.000-07:002009-07-13T08:53:35.594-07:00

My grandfather raised peaches in Modesto. Back in my high school days, it was my sentence to spend Augusts at the ranch, helping with the peach harvest, in hopes that it might inspire in me a love for the farm. Sadly for my parents and grandfather, but happily for me, that dream never worked out. The experience of being up on a ladder picking peaches in triple digit heat, with sweat running down,

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-72222278738180647932009-07-08T17:34:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:44:12.622-07:00

I've been slow getting to this point, but I've got to ship our resupply boxes soon. Since they have isobutane fuel canisters, they have to go ground usps or ups, so I need to allow a couple of weeks to get to Oregon & Washington. Picked up the freeze dried dinners at REI last night when we did a Camino de Santiago talk (see our backpack45.com camino page if that subject interests you). Today we

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-67218378423233996712009-07-06T10:11:00.000-07:002009-07-31T17:14:36.989-07:00

A cold and foggy July 5th morning and a "long hike day". This by our definition is 7 to 12 miles vs a short hike being an hour or two. Looking for new trails, we looked at the EBMUD map again, and saw that just east of the King Canyon loop we did a few weeks ago there was a trailhead. It would let us get on the Rocky Ridge Trail and continue on to Las Trampas from the east edge of the King Canyon

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-17266869214002547062009-07-01T12:17:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:59:36.664-07:00

Now that summer is here, and we are home for a change during garden season, the summer squash are thriving, and I can see a need for zucchini recipes. This flashed by last fall as a comment on The Solitary Walker's blog by Rebekah of the Moratinos Life blog. Per Rebekah: I grate them up, squeeze out the excess water, beat them together with a couple of eggs, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs, and

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-41787698122505817402009-06-30T18:22:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:44:12.521-07:00

When it comes to duties of office, is Arnold Schwarzenegger a better governor than Mark Sanford?When the Governor Sanford affair popped up recently, I took a contrary point of view to someone's Facebook remarks. My comment:Well, I don't know. Are you looking at your politicians for moral guidance? I'm certainly not. For a pastor, a priest or teachers, yes. From my elected officials, I expect them

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-52730533871464776992009-06-26T16:21:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:45:20.043-07:00

Back on the EBRPD Sibley to Tilden Park trail after a couple of weeks of absence, and noticed that they have done their annual trail maintenance. A twelve foot wide swath cleared and about six feet of it scraped with a small tractor down to Old Tunnel Road. Bikes are allowed on that section. After that it is about six to eight feet cleared, and not total scraping. After Fish Ranch Road, EBMUD has

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-5723495418058581782009-06-25T16:16:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:46:19.725-07:00

Our workflow on Windows XP:Capture the card data into a folder called PhotoStaging (our computer has slots built in for the various memory cards). We put the card in the slot and get a choice of programs Canon for the Canon camera card and Nikon for the Nikon camera card.Rename every image so it starts with date - time - for example: 2007-03-07_11-19-07_1222_SD700 IS.JPGThis is easier than it

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-55606780034474832972009-06-24T13:23:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:47:14.433-07:00

We're trying to start this year's backpacking season with less weight before we put the backpack on. The training regime is not doing it fast enough, so we have resorted to WeightWatchers. If you are not familiar with it, this system gives you points for various kinds of food, and you are limited to a certain number of points per day. The point calculation is a little complex, as the amount of

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-56509518484662980992009-06-21T16:31:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:48:46.202-07:00

We just saw our local production of this play, and while the message re violence still seemed quite relevant, I could not fall into the audience's role and accept Romeo's dialog. Juliet's seemed more realistic.I do remember being in the state of mind where I could think of nothing but the woman I loved, and could not wait to see her again, but in the times away, I certainly did not become a

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-70825313624329128152009-06-21T10:33:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:50:30.044-07:00

I get enough comments-questions about this so that I thought I'd post it. Now I can just say look at my blog entry. I had a 10 foot length of 1/2 inch copper pipe left over from a plumbing project. I drove a piece of rebar into the ground at an angle and put the base of the pipe over it. The pipe also gets support higher up from part of the gate. The bottles are a two liter soda bottle (which we

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-25867171501467060352009-06-16T22:07:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:42:05.471-07:00

I never knew Jennifer Griswold, or her hiking group, but we were of the same age vintage, so I feel a certain kinship. The bench dedicated to her has one of the most beautiful settings I have ever seen for a memorial bench.We've had to defer hiking for a week or so while I did some urgent fence repair, and Susan did some knee healing, but today we were off again. Years ago we had hiked a loop

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-90058193874437442882009-06-09T14:59:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:51:25.072-07:00

I on a whim, put up an off topic post on Jean Quan, our very competent city councilwoman. That provoked a responding comment from someone who clearly didn't share my opinion, laced with conflict laden words. I have no interest in pissing contests, so I rejected the comment, and then on further thought deleted the entire post. My thought though, is that this is one more example of those things

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-35851801526284850212009-05-26T14:41:00.000-07:002009-05-26T16:03:57.550-07:00

Strange things going on in our house. As self publishers, we have piles of boxes with books, stacked in various places in the house, one being directly behind Susan's desk.This image is from Feb 08, when there used to be a double row of boxes. Each pile is six boxes high, and weighs about 170 lbs.Now fast forward to May 09, and we notice big gaps between the stacks of boxes. We are not touching

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-59701467241538551312009-05-25T20:01:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:53:17.030-07:00

We have this budget, and put a fair amount of effort into keeping within budget, contrary to our city, state and federal government. Didn't intend to say that last part. My fingers did it. Anyway, it has a couple of major expense classifications, mandatory expenses and discretionary expenses. Within discretionary is entertainment. For a long time this was broken down further, into Cultural and

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-38121085345511718502009-05-21T19:40:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:54:09.279-07:00

I mostly go from Pinehurst, Huckleberry or Sibley north. (this is in the east bay hills of the San Francisco Bay Area). After talking about this in my prior post, I decided to go south from Pinehurst, to extend the training yoyo a little. My plan was to go thirty minutes south, then return (this was a minimal hiking day). It ended up a little longer than that, and I came to a new starting point

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-68050874066553904782009-05-14T15:53:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:56:24.316-07:00

From our house in the Oakland East bay hills, we walk up past Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, where we join the Bay Area Ridge Trail/East Bay Skyline Trail and walk to the Train Station in Tilden Regional Park. The round trip is about 10 miles for us, about 7 miles if you start from Sibley. You are walking through the Caldecott Wildlife Corridor for most of the way, and a relatively untraveled

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-55725728979302622582009-05-10T16:13:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:55:07.700-07:00

Early this morning, as I was returning to bed after a bathroom visit (I do this more now than when I was younger), the clock showed 4:30, and through the bedroom window, there was just the slightest hint of dawn. The light and the hour gave me a sudden déjà vu. I realized that this was the first time in five years I was not crawling out of a tent somewhere on this date and time. I searched

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-58762818100834174892009-04-25T09:01:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:59:08.136-07:00

I have been watching with dismay as our local newspapers consolidate and/or vanish, local news disappearing with each change. I am seeing all too many last columns from favorite columnists.One of the hiking blogs I follow is Tom Mangan's Two Heel Drive, a local newspaperman, he gives some insider's views of the industry. His travails have prompted some thoughts of my own.Our local papers are the

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-77404508264082281572009-02-19T16:34:00.000-08:002009-07-06T11:57:10.233-07:00

After a very long dry spell, we are finally getting days of rain, beating down, pound on the roof, flashes of lightning, rain. I'm not complaining. The reservoirs are still only 67% of what they should be - rain is good. However, it somewhat complicates our training efforts. Sometimes we don the rain pants, rain jacket, even sometimes waterproof socks, and venture out on our usual trails. Of

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-62511786072434741122009-02-19T16:20:00.000-08:002009-07-06T11:59:50.752-07:00

This was a week or two ago, but I finally captured my photos. Even though digital is so easy compared to film, I still have to read them in, use The Rename to change the filename to date and time, and then Photoshop one copy to my web_sized_photo folder. All I can show is the bench where the following occurred. You have to fill in the birds.I was out doing my usual long distance training hike,

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-78401169278905766512009-01-07T15:53:00.000-08:002009-07-07T15:28:12.277-07:00

We are still working on a few of the EBRPD trail challenge hikes that we didn't get to. So, this last Sunday on a crisp morning we drove east on 580 to N. Livermore Road, and from there along Morgan Territory Road to the trailhead parking lot, about 6 miles. This is a one lane road, so a little exciting meeting other cars. We got to the trailhead at 10:20 am, and temperature was 32 degrees. It

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-76079089340981599652009-01-07T13:36:00.000-08:002009-07-06T11:57:56.971-07:00

This Oakland area park is a perfect winter hike right now. Intense greens, quiet, the dust of summer is gone, the Bay trees are stark against the winter sky, and the huckleberries almost tunnel the trail.Keep walking and you get views to the east of Mt. Diablo and the morning fog filled valleys. An aside, we've been getting some unattributed taking of blog content so inserting © 2009 backpack45.

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-12622398916408422252008-12-23T14:12:00.000-08:002009-07-06T12:00:44.837-07:00

We are out on a slightly rainy Sunday, hiking from Coyote Hills Regional Park to Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. It is an absolutely perfect time to hike this area. Cool and pleasant, the bay waters steel gray, dotted with ducks. Dark and linear clouds overhead, with light streaks. A few ground squirrels around. An egret leaves a muddy track on the shallow bay bottom.The Coyote Hills end

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-16198131371624101632008-12-06T15:50:00.000-08:002012-01-18T09:38:44.902-08:00

Thought it might aid some future trekker if I just list things as we learn them. It is now early Dec 2008, and we have reservations into Santiago, Chile for March, and back home from Buenos Aires. Now we have to fill in the in between. We got the start and end locations from a friend who visited Chile and Argentina last year, though he wasn't trekking Torres del Paine. Some other friends did do

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-80781830637480814642008-11-17T14:38:00.000-08:002008-11-17T17:34:05.582-08:00

We went to the San Mateo Harvest Festival the other day. As we walked in, we noticed this Model A parked just outside, along with Candelaria and Herman selling books. That's Susan on the right, not Herman. It turns out that they have driven this car from Argentina to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, having a child during the trip. Somehow they found time to write a book about their trip:Spark Your Dreamand

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-40712096107905525212008-10-19T22:38:00.000-07:002008-10-19T23:21:15.277-07:00

A cold and foggy Sunday morning, but we headed for Point Reyes, knowing the elk would be forming harems. About 50 feet before we reached the Pierce Point Ranch parking lot, Susan spotted a skunk about 15 feet from the road, out foraging. We backed up to get a photo, and saw another skunk about 25 feet from the first one. Both were ignoring us, just walking around digging here and there.After a

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-40881641642454487432008-10-17T12:59:00.000-07:002008-10-17T13:16:09.693-07:00

When we backpack and hike, ants are ubiquitous, big, little, all black, red and black, etc. Today we were out walking along a road bordering an East Bay Regional Park, and noticed a cone shaped ant lion trap on the edge of the road. I also saw a few in early spring. However, the only ants we ever see locally are the tiny Argentine ants, not big enough for a respectable ant lion snack. Are the

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-68357928663830023512008-10-11T14:12:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:44:49.671-07:00

I'm just finishing up a planning effort, both polishing up our GR 653 Arles to Toulouse info based on completing that trip, and doing the initial Toulouse to Puenta la Reina planning. In all cases, the key document is the spreadsheet in the bottom center of the image. Normally I will use a Google Documents spreadsheet, as I share the info with others. I gather the appropriate guidebooks, and

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-50438499713354269982008-09-30T07:12:00.000-07:002008-10-06T14:46:31.093-07:00

For hours, and sometimes days, we see no one as we walk. In France, at least we see someone at our lodging place at the end of the day.This is not a bad thing. It helps the transformation to the simple demands of the trail - food, shelter and persuading our body that this is normal, this is to be expected. As we settle into the daily routine, a new voice, the passing of a pilgrim, become major

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-43728728723607055972008-08-29T10:03:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:22:39.141-07:00

We're still plugging away at the East Bay Regional Parks Trail Challenge, trying to stay in shape for our next trip. A week or so ago, we did the Dell Valle suggested 10 mile trip, from the dam up nearly to the marina and back. A long, hot, up and down, and mileage mislabeled trip, as they frequently are (closer to 12 miles). Anyway, near the end of the return trip, I noticed this stick in the

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-79472108083113212532008-07-25T12:00:00.000-07:002008-07-25T18:11:22.981-07:00

We finished the California part of the Pacific Crest Trail with this trip. Nice hike, though the altitude starting at the high end gave me a reaction somewhat like mild hyperthermia - headache the 1st day and sluggish and slow thinking the second.At a PopTart break, I was so beat, I grabbed a 2 minute nap in the trail: The section south from the northernmost crossing of the Kern River could use

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-66880810446555646612008-07-11T16:08:00.000-07:002011-03-04T09:20:05.557-08:00

I've been busy getting our resupply box off to Crater Lake for our Oregon PCT segment in a few weeks. As long as I label it appropriately, I can include isobutane fuel. For the full story on mailing fuel, see Ken Power's writeup. We've also learned a few more tricks on lightening our pack and reducing the volume. For weight, we have replaced dried fruit with the tasty but pricey freeze dried

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-14562457740354051882008-06-30T19:40:00.000-07:002008-07-01T09:20:52.224-07:00

My parents were in the National Park Service, so as part of their heritage they left us umpteen million photographs and a lot of home movies. The thing that struck me about the movies, some 60 years later, is how much I want so see images of people. I look at these unique movies of buffalo, bighorns, deer, moose, etc., but what I want to see is the faces of people I have known. In so many shots,

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-23519024525605222952008-06-26T18:09:00.000-07:002008-06-26T18:20:10.310-07:00

Did another of the East Bay Regional Park Trail Challenge hikes today. A nice route - starts at Little Farm, goes up to Nimitz Way, out for about three miles, down and back via Wildcat Canyon trail. Almost nobody out there due to the smoke warnings. We met one hiker early on, said he had seen a mountain lion a mile back. All we managed to see were cows. At our Pop Tart break, I decided to try

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-65166468169183831602008-06-25T17:52:00.000-07:002008-06-26T18:29:04.439-07:00

Our backpacks were sitting there, ready to go for our now fire canceled 4 day backpack. Water bladders full, etc. With an open schedule, we turned to our East Bay Regional Parks Trail Challenge book for a hike to keep us in condition. Pleasanton Ridge, 7.5 miles, challenging was the description, so we went for it, me with my full backpack, and Susan with a fanny pack.It's a little tedious

Timecheckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03655966328174898998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8625904668990883815.post-40673473966861773722008-06-23T15:18:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:54:51.722-07:00

I'm sitting here thwarted because once again nature has cancelled our attempt to finish the one 50 mile piece of the Pacific Crest Trail that we have yet to complete in California. It's just a short segment from Kennedy Meadows to Cottonwood Pass, and when we finished our 250 mile segment from Agua Dulce to Kennedy Meadows on May 19th, our plan was to come back and do the Cottonwood Pass

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