Hiking Hints (Learned the Hard Way)

*Always tell someone where you will be hiking, in case you don't come back!
*Always carry a cell phone. Most areas get cell coverage because many trails go along mountain tops.
*Always have a trail map of the hiking area. Many trails are very poorly marked.
*Don't wander off the trail. There is likely to be poison oak in the brush. Learn to recognize it, but remember it is still active in the winter when all it is a stick.
*Use a walking stick for steep trails. It saves strain on the knees and can double as a weapon if you encounter mountain lions or wild boar. (Which you most likely won't)
*Always take water with you.
*Use sunblock or you will end up looking like a piece of rawhide.
*Keep granola bars or other non-perishable snacks in your pocket or backpack.
*Have a jacket with you that can be tied around your waist in case of chilly weather.
*Ibuprofen is an essential item for your pocket also.
*In cold weather kleenex comes in handy for your nose. It's an essential for women too on long hikes with small bladders.
*A pedometer is a fun item to use so you can brag to your friends about how far you walked!
*Leave enough time so that you will not be caught with the sun setting and you're still out on the trail.
*Avoid walking through tall grass. Ticks love to wait on a stalk of grass and jump on your leg as you pass. Ticks infected with Lyme disease have been found in the Santa Cruz Mountains and other areas of California. Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease. (A tick remover is a handy device for your backpack.)
*If you do encounter a Mountain Lion, calmly repeat "nice kitty, kitty" while backing away slowly.
*Be careful where you sit and put your hands, especially around sunny rocks. Rattlesnakes like to sunbathe there and will resent your intrusion. (A snake bite kit is another handy item to carry.) By the way, you probably won't die if you get bit by a rattlesnake.
*One of the most important items to carry is Chapstick. Huffing and puffing uphill can really dry out your lips.
*Sucking on hard candy can help with a dry mouth from all that huffing and puffing too.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Loma Prieta Epicenter Hike

This time of year the Forest of Nissene Marks is pretty dusty. This wasn't a particularly pretty hike. Unfortunately this park was so heavily logged that it has no first growth trees and is nothing like Big Basin. It was late in the day, there wasn't much light, but we mainly wanted to see the site of the epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. The hike was 4.2 miles round trip. You have to cross the creek on boulders twice up and twice back. The trail is called the Aptos Creek Trail, but parts of it I have renamed the Poison Oak Trail.
I came this close!

Trail to the Epicenter

More Aptos Creek Trail

I kind of expected to see a big gash in the earth at the Epicenter, but it's not nearly that dramatic.

Many redwoods were broken off at the tops during the quake due to the violent swaying of the trees. This is a pile of broken trees that had washed down the creek.

Janeen at the Epicenter.

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