The Hiking Rule I Break Most Often
Plus, California fall foliage hikes, the return of wraparounds, a new FKT for the PCT, good news for animals, and lots more
howdy
One of the most well-established, oft-repeated pieces of advice for hikers is “don’t hike alone.” It’s something I almost always say at author’s events and presentations or when someone who’s just starting out wants to know how they can get into “this whole hiking thing.” It’s also the hiking rule I break most regularly.
Although I did start my own hiking journey hiking fairly exclusively with a much more experienced friend (forever indebted, Will!), I lucked out big time when we discovered we had pretty much the same pace, same interests, and same comfort level with hiking long stretches in silence to soak in all the sounds of nature we didn’t get down in the city.
A lot has been written about how even taking a distraction-free neighborhood walk can help you work out some life problems that have been vexing you, or even offer up a creative breakthrough or two. When I was first getting into hiking, this mental state was as much of a draw for me as the scenery and exploration—and because it’s tough to get those when you’re hiking and chatting with a group, I found that more often than not I would set my own solo hiking plans instead of inviting friends to join.
The result was a lot of quiet, restorative solo hikes at my own pace but perhaps not as robust of a trail community as I could have had otherwise. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle, and I think that goes for both directions. For anyone who loves hiking in big, social groups, try going solo once in a while (once you’re comfortable doing that, of course!). And for my fellow introverts inclined to being more of a trail hermit, carve out a trip or two that’s exclusively for connecting with friends or making some new ones. Both types of hikes are worthy, and I think both types are also important.
As for me, last week I went to an open house for a Portland group called the Mazamas. They were founded in 1894 and converted an old church into their meeting house, complete with huge climbing walls and an extensive outdoor library in the basement. On a whim, I went to their Southern California section to see what was on the shelves, and came face to face with an early edition of John W. Robinson’s Trails of the Angeles, one of the first books that got me into the outdoors and a huge influence on my own outdoor writing.
Taking this as a good omen, I joined the group that evening and am looking forward to my first group hike. Yes, even though we’re getting into the wet weather (I’m working on that too!).
Modern Hiking
Good stuff from the Modern Hiker site
Sierra Foliage Hikes
The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, and if you haven’t started planning your fall foliage trips to the Eastern Sierra yet, now’s a great time to get moving. I’ve pinned some of my favorite, reliable hikes to the front page of the site and also included what is absolutely hands-down the BEST source of information for foliage in California there, too. You can check it out right here.
I was on deadline and traveling last week, which means I’m a little bit behind with new posts but we did get two great new trail guides posted. Melissa Ozbek has a spectacular route for birdwatchers along the Pacific Flyway in the Baylands and Shoreline Birding Loop, and Andrew Shults took us to a historic Nike Missile Defense System site in the Santa Susana Mountains on the Oat Mountain Trail.
Welcome New Readers!
Hello and welcome to the 61 new free subscribers who’ve joined since the last issue went out!
Also, huge thank you to Kyle and Anonymous for their generous caffeine donations via Buy Me A Coffee.
Your Parks
Your Places
New PCT Solo FKT SoBo
For those that don’t speak Long-Distance Trail, that’s “new Pacific Crest Trail solo Fastest Known Time for the Southbound Route from Canada to Mexico.” That title now belongs to a 35-year old from Oklahoma named Nick Fowler, who just completed the 2,650-mile route without the backing of a crew in 52 days, 9 hours, and 18 minutes. Fowler covered an average of 51 miles per day, and that includes a few days he was holed up in a cave in the Sierra Nevada while the remnants of Hurricane Hilary soaked the range. As you might expect, that feat took its toll on Fowler’s body, and you can read all about it at the San Francisco Chronicle. FKTs are really impressive but remember, you can hike whatever trail you want at whatever speed you want to!
No No Norovirus
I don’t know if there’s necessarily a GOOD place to come down with norovirus, but I do know that one place you definitely do not want to come down with the norovirus is while you’re backpacking on the Pacific Crest Trail. Unfortunately, that’s what kept happening to hikers on a stretch of the trail in central Washington last year. Nearby hostels and trail angels shut down some of the more popular rest stops to help contain the spread, and the CDC even got involved, eventually tracking down the outbreak to a remote log cabin with a pit latrine. Read about how they tracked down the source at NPR (and get some tips on making sure you can dodge noro on your next hike, too).
Tech Talk
Gadgets, Technology, and Hype
Are Wraparounds Worth It?
As an Elder Millennial, I already went through a few years where everyone was wearing those enormous day-glo wraparound Oakley sunglasses. If you’re like me, you’ve probably seen them making an unlikely comeback on runners, cyclists, and even just people walking around like we learned nothing from 80s fashion. Outside’s Lisa Jhung shares my fashion-related concerns about this recent development, but admits the lenses are actually kind of great in the outdoors in this recent review of a pair of Smith Very PivLoks. She also notes that younger people don’t care that they look awful. Do you rock these? How?
Wildlife Crossing
Wildlife and the Outdoors
Wildlife Underpass
These days, we’re probably more likely to pay attention when some big wildlife crossing is being built for charismatic megafauna like mountain lions (hello again, Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing!). But sometimes it’s the little slimy guys that need some help, too. In Portland’s Forest Park, red legged frogs migrate from the woods to the Willamette River each winter to lay eggs. But right now, they have to cross four lanes of high-speed traffic on U.S. 30 and two sets of railroad tracks, and many of the critters are crushed by cars. In 2013, a group of volunteers organized a season-long project called the Harborton Frog Shuttle, affectionally known as the ‘Frog Taxi,” which has volunteers move the frogs across the road by hand during their migrations. Now, there are plans to restore wetlands in Forest Park as well as build an underpass beneath U.S. 30 so the frogs can make it on their own. The project is still in the planning phase, so the more than 100 frog taxi volunteers who help out each winter will still have plenty of opportunities to get their hands dirty.
Welcome Back, Beavers!
For the first time in decades—and possibly more than a century—the North American beaver has been spotted in the southern San Francisco Bay area. A wildlife camera in Palo Alto caught a beaver pup scampering across the screen at night recently, becoming the first concrete evidence of the return of nature’s cutest dam-builders. Beavers were previously hunted for their fur and chased off because they were considered a nuisance species, but now they are recognized as a keystone species that can foster biodiversity, restore wetlands, and engineer productive ecosystems that can fight drought and wildfire while welcoming other species like birds and river otters back into their old habitat.
One More Thing
Oh yeah, before I go …
This is from a little while back, but the New York Times had a great essay on the science behind how owls are able to fly silently, which it calls “an act of biomechanical stealth.” It’s a terrific example of science writing that’s engaging and fascinating, even if you’ve never really thought about owls flying before. I’ve unlocked the article for you, so you can read it even if you’re not a NYT subscriber.
Happy Oktoberfest to anyone who’s still squeezing it in (I’ll be celebrating this weekend!). I should have some new trails up from Mount Rainier soon, but until then, happy trails.
