Susan and I have different walking paces. We enjoy walking together, but one day a week I get to a long hike (six hours or so). I've got many options, local quasi wilderness trails on dirt paths, or city or neighborhood streets to a coffee shop at the appropriate distance. Rain generally sends me out on paved streets routes. But Friday was different.
Last Thursday night weathercasters were having a field day. Nothing excites them more than a big storm coming. And what was coming this time was the Pineapple Express, an atmospheric river, direct from Hawaii and going to dump all over Northern California. Many many inches, flood warnings, Yosemite Valley was closed, and on and on.
So, as an intrepid long distance hiker, compelled to hike on in any weather, I felt challenged by this storm. Friday morning at 10:30 the rain was beating on the roof while I donned my
Marmot Precip rain pants and jacket, and stepped out the front door and rigged my umbrella for hands free hiking. The jacket is recent, but pants circa 2004 and inner coating badly worn. Both of my
poles clacking away on the city streets, I headed for nearby Redwood Regional Park
ebparks.org/parks/redwood#trailmap, where we had done a local pilgrim group hike a few months ago. My route was similar, south on the East Ridge Trail, down to the parking area and up to the West Ridge Trail and back home. All in all about 18 kilometers. There is a narrow dirt path of about 1/2 mile before Redwood Park.
I had barely started up it when I encountered an insurmountable obstacle. It takes a lot to stop me. I'll ford a sift flowing river, scramble around a washed away trail, crawl under or over a fallen tree. In this case however, no way. Poison Oak stops me dead. I'd rather dash through fire.
poison-ivy.org/pacific-poison-oak
A careful retreat and big detour got me around it and back on the trail. In a few minutes I was off of the no bikes access trail and on the broad track of the East Ridge Trail
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Contrary to what you might think, I am having fun. A selfie of your narrator
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The umbrella you can find by Googling for hiking umbrella, or on Amazon
Liteflex Trekking Umbrella
The rain is continuing to pour, running down the trail in rivulets and making the footing a little treacherous.
If you should want to leave Redwood and get on trails heading east, about an hour down the trail, this gate leads into East Bay Municipal Water District lands. They require a permit (annual or multiyear) but it is easy to get.
ebmud.com/recreation/buy-trail-permit/
By this time my feet are fairly wet, but not sloshing. I am wearing my
Altra Lone Peak trail runners. They drain quickly, but no way to stay dry under these conditions. I have waterproof socks which I'd use for day after day rain. The Altras are zero drop - the heal is same height as ball of the foot, and the bottoms are very soft, so sort of like going barefoot. I really like them, but it takes about a month to get used to them. Before this I wore
Asics Gel Nimbus. Used them all the way thru the 2600+ mile Pacific Crest Trail. They are better ventilated than the Altras and drain better, but the feel of the Altras is better. For socks I wear the REI liner socks by themselves.
Lunch
Redwood Creek fish ladder in full use
I started out wearing a smartwool long sleeved tee shirt and a hiking shirt under my rain jacket. That worked until coming back on the West Ridge trail, the wind was fierce enough to start sucking the heat from my body. I stopped at first opportunity and put on my fleece jacket under the rain jacket. That kept me cozy until I got home.
Back at Skyline gate. A few cars in the lot. I met 3 dog walkers, one dog with a raincoat, one jogger going the opposite way who I saw on both East and West Ridge trails, and one jobber who passed me. Everyone was smiling to see someone else out in this weather.
I got back home at 4:30, so a full six hour day. Was satisfied.
I've added links to some of my gear in case you want to shop on Amazon and add a bit of change to our bank account. (We get a small commission on purchases)/
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