Tuolumne Meadows’ Cutest Squirrel: The Belding’s Ground Squirrel
This summer two of my good friends, Jane and Lin, came to visit for a couple days. We hit up the park, seeing the Yosemite sights in short bursts – The Mist Trail, Tuolumne Grove of Sequoias, and Tuolumne Meadows – which is a pretty solid variety! While we were hiking in Tuolumne Meadows I noticed these little guy pop up in grass… and I was baffled My first thought: “We…
When You Don’t Reach Your Destination – Preston Falls, Stanislaus NF
Hiking with a destination in mind it sort of my thing. I like goals – or at least a solid turnaround point/time. I don’t like it when I can’t reach my planned destination. I hate it when I miss my destination without even knowing. That is what happened today on my hike to Preston Falls – I walked 4.4 miles, like All Trails said, and I did reach a fall. I…
Little Golden Trail, Groveland CA: Little, but is it Golden?
Earlier this month Curtis and I abandoned ship on an expedition to Hobron Hill (the hill next to Smith Peak with a different radio tower on it. The obvious road up is blocked by a gate on a tiny private parcel of land before the road becomes forest service. I just wanted to go because of the crazy website!) – Anyhow we decided not to completely give up on at least…
Sweet Creek Falls: Florence, Oregon #ThrowbackThursday
Throwing back today to a great hike that I did in 2012 while visiting Curtis’s college friend Chris in Eugene, Oregon – Sweet Creek Falls. Our whole visit to Eugene was awesome, I remember thinking “I should blog about this” but for some reason never got around to it. There was so much good beer, good vegetarian food, and the Eugene farmers market is really top notch. Looking back that…
How Many Pictures are Too Many?
Everytime I go for a hike I take too many pictures. Obviously since everything is digital this isn’t a big deal, plus it allows me take a bunch crappy pictures in the hopes that I will get one gem. Plus, now that I have been doing NaBloPoMo I have been using some really random unpublished pics because, why not? (Thanks to Kris & RMNP, for being the subject of today’s cover photo,…
Foraging like Gold Miners: Miner’s Lettuce
There is a really cool community of hikers and hiking bloggers on Twitter. On Fridays at 9am PST they do this awesome little session called #hikerchat. Since I have started at my new job I have been unable to tweet in for #hikerchat, but since I wasn’t feeling very ambitious today I decided to take this week’s conversation topic and run with it – Foraging. I don’t do much foraging,…
Take a Groveland Hike! – Smith Peak, Stanislaus
Did you know today is “Take a Hike Day”? Neither did I until Trails’ Guide informed me! To celebrate I am posting about my favorite “local” Groveland hike – Smith Peak! Smith Peak Fire Lookout, Stanislaus National Forest/Groveland, CA Trailhead: I park at the Pines Campground then hike up to the peak along the dirt road. I think at certain times of year this road open to vehicles, but doesn’t that…
Brews & Hiking Boots: Western States Trail & Auburn Ale House
This weekend Curtis and I helped a friend transport his car up to Foresthill – both out of the kindness of our hearts and out of the hope that we would be able to make a return visit to the Auburn Ale House. Not only did we manage to hit up the ale house, but hike a small spur of the Western States trail near his house. And yes, I…
Foresthill Park: Best Use of Chainsaw Art in a Public Park
Last weekend I visited Foresthill, CA – a small little town near the American River. It is a small little remnant of a Gold Rush town with a hidden treasure: The Foresthill Memorial Park. Or more specifically, the chainsaw bear art located within the Foresthill Memorial Park. It appears that instead of cutting down trees the park instead has someone carve the trunks into whimsical bears (and one eagle). Have…
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
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