Tag: California

A Few Impressions Of The John Muir Trail In No Real Order

Posted by on October 17, 2016 in Activities, Advice, Destinations

Continued from A Look at My Typical Day of hiking on the John Muir Trail

The JMT is super clean, has no visible trash, and is well maintained (let’s keep it that way, please). Trash used to be an issue in the parks, but a little education goes a long way and patrons now have greater awareness of the environmental impact of litter. I was also impressed by the signage. The signs were so clear that I did not need serious navigation skills for the JMT, though I believe all hikers should possess a map and compass—and the ability to use them.

Etched anodized aluminum signs of the John Muir Trail and Inyo National Forest. Photo credit: Brien Crothers

Etched anodized aluminum signs of the John Muir Trail and Inyo National Forest. Photo credit: Brien Crothers

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Hiking the John Muir Trail – Early Days

Posted by on September 10, 2016 in Activities, Advice, Destinations, Food, Gear

I was freezing! Pondering this notion over and over in my head as I lay in my sleeping bag, I decided: Indeed, I am freezing! And freezing every night for the next two weeks was not going to be much fun. Did I underestimate the cold? Did I not pack the right gear? It was far too late for these questions. (more…)

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An Ambulatory Retreat: Hiking The John Muir Trail

Posted by on September 7, 2016 in Activities, Advice, Destinations, Food, Gear

My blog has been quiet these past couple of weeks, as I’ve been busy hiking the John Muir Trail (JMT). I’d like to spend a few posts sharing my latest adventure with you. These vignettes will, hopefully, inspire you to continue preparing for your own travel adventures.

During a recent hike with like-minded local chapter members of American Pilgrims on the Camino, I first overheard the term ambulatory retreat used to describe walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. An ambulatory retreat, in my mind, can be any trek out in nature. It is a restorative trek, a healing one. I don’t remember the woman’s name who used the term, or I’d give her credit, but perhaps she, too, had heard it elsewhere. Either way, I am quite fond of the term and its intended meaning.

Members of the local chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino, Muir Woods National Monument. Photo credit: Brien Crothers

Members of the local chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino, Muir Woods National Monument. Photo credit: Brien Crothers

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A Perfect Day (a prep series precursor)

Posted by on May 8, 2016 in Activities

It was a perfect day for a 50k. Up with the 5:00 a.m. alarm for a cup of tea and a bowl of oatmeal. Then a warm shower loosening muscles still wishing this was all a joke. (I’m never up at o’dark thirty anymore.) Kathey was up early to drive me to the race start then off to watch grandkids play lacrosse in the rain before returning in time to see me at the finish (ultra-running isn’t (more…)

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Amador County – Wine Tasting in the Rain

Posted by on January 9, 2016 in Destinations

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Northern California’s beauty is found even on a grey dreary day. El Niño’s influence was unmistakable during a recent quiet weekday visit in early January. The weather wet and cold, with periods of heavy downpour, still, undeterred, great friends treated Kathey and me to a wonderful day of wine tasting. What better pastime than to drive about Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley in the Sierra Nevada foothills, sipping classic zinfandels—originally from Croatia—and other varietals from Spain, (more…)

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