Let's hike!

Hello universe,

This is my first blog! I'm hoping that some fellow outdoor adventurers in the Bay Area will find the information about my local hikes amusing or informational.

I moved to San Francisco in July of 2010. While I love the city, I also love getting outside of it. I can't believe the attitude of some of my friends here in the city.

"I haven't left the city in months."
"We don't visit the East Bay, they visit us."
"Emeryville is much too far."
"It's too cold to go outside."
"You went where??"

Yes, my friends have actually said these things. And these are friends with vehicles. It can be hard for someone without a car to get out of the city and to a pretty hiking location easily, but if you do have access to a vehicle there are many gorgeous places to hike within a 30 minute drive. And take a car-less friend with you!

I have a great book that I "borrowed" from my sister by Foghorn Outdoors entitled 101 Great Hikes of the San Francisco Bay Area. So far I have been very impressed by Foghorn's thorough information and suggestions. I've already hiked a few of the trails, and have decided it would be a great mission to do them all. Some of them are pretty strenuous, so completing this project will be good motivation to work up to those.

I also tend to pick a spot I like and go there regularly. Hiking a specific trail through the seasons can give you a special relationship to it and a better understanding of the ecosystem. However, I think it will be great to keep trying new locations, so this will force me into that habit.

I grew up in the forest of Connecticut, but was living in Tucson for 5.5 years prior to moving to the Bay. As a former desert rat, I'm excited to explore locations with water and trees. And as a redhead, I'm excited about less intense sun exposure. As far as I'm concerned, the climate in the Bay Area is perfect for year-round outdoors exploration.

Join me as I explore the Bay, north, south, east, and west!