Meetup.com has scads of hiking groups, including quite a few in the Bay Area. These are the most promising ones I scouted out this morning: Related links Etiquette for group hikes Hiking clubs of note in the Bay Area Oakland…
Gear
Hiking shoe shopping — a refresher course
by tom • March 17, 2008 • 8 Comments
My REI dividend (all $11 of it — see what a careful consumer I was last year?) was burning a hole in my pocket, and the added incentive of the annual 20 percent off sale was enough to get me…
Don Edwards National Wildlife Sanctuary
Beyond the Alviso slough
by tom • March 17, 2008 • 3 Comments
It would be unfair to call Alviso the armpit of the South Bay because in the real world, people wear deodorant that makes the smell go away, whereas in Alviso, the smell never goes away. On one side there are…
Tom's travels
A vacation plan emerges: Carrizo Plain National Monument
by tom • March 16, 2008 • 5 Comments
4WheelBob mentioned this in a comment the other day: he’s joining some of his pals from Backpacker magazine’s forum for a weekend at Carrizo Plan National Monument in Southern California. They’re going this coming Friday to Sunday. I’ve decided to…
Tom's travels
On vacation for a week
by tom • March 15, 2008 • 0 Comments
I’m not going anywhere special, it’s just a week away from the never-ending newspaper slalom. This tends to cause erratic posting, but if I do anything postworthy, well, I’ll probably post it.
Gear
Backpacks for overnighters: what do you like?
by tom • March 14, 2008 • 8 Comments
I’m fond of my Gregory G Pack — for the fit more than anything else. It’s reasonably light at just under 3 pounds, reasonably affordable, reasonably well built, and reasonably spacious. It has mesh around the exterior that holds oddly-shaped…
Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
Expanded Black Diamond Mines tours
by tom • March 14, 2008 • 0 Comments
East Bay Regional Parks is having an open house April 5-6 for the silica/sand mine tours at Black Diamond Mines Regional Park, where you’ll be able to go 810 feet into the mine rather than a mere 400, which was…
Wildlife
Tunnel View Trees Gone At Long Last!
by tom • March 14, 2008 • 5 Comments
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seethed in impotent rage at having to put up with large Ponderosa pines blocking my inalienable right to soak up all there is to see at Yosemite’s Tunnel View. Finally, this crime…
Hiking
Wanted: Hiker vigilantes
by tom • March 13, 2008 • 8 Comments
Rick at Hike Half Dome mentions getting a sticker on his window from the Fremont cops in the Mission Peak parking lot reminding him not to leave his windows open. He’d left a one-inch gap to let the heat escape.…