Coast Walk

After consuming some pretty fab ice cream and touring the lovely Stansbury House (see blog entry below), my friends Fran, John and I received a bonus (sometimes it pays to be latecomers!) and enjoyed chatting with a few of the volunteers on the back porch. (What a GREAT ice cream social those volunteers put on every year!) Thanks to Ron (an avid fellow outdoorsperson), we learned about "COASTWALK," an organization which sponsors hikes along the California coast. As their web site boasts: "Twice the fun of the average camping trip...and half the work!" Throw in the "gourmet" food and camaraderie, and it sounds like my kind of adventure! So often I think about how fortunate I am to live in Northern California, with its diverse and astounding beauty.

The Green Gate

Pictured: Laura, Kelly & Doug Guererro, John & Andy Burghardt...

Wow! What a great hike we had this morning! Discovering some of the great trails around Chico is becoming a pre-4th-of-July-family-reunion tradition. This year we decided to do the Upper Bidwell Park "Green Gate" hike, which begins off Hwy 32 about half way to Forest Ranch. The good news: it's mostly downhill and shady during early morning hours (we started at 6:30 a.m.). The bad news: POISON OAK! Gobs of it. Watch for it on both sides of the trail, ranging from dark green to vibrant red. (Stay tuned for the itch update...hopefully we all avoided contact.)

The views were gorgeous, and the total time was 3 1/2 hours, with several rest breaks. The trail ends in a level trail along a rock wall overlooking the creek, exiting next to the Falcon's Point gated community on Chico Canyon Rd.

This is truly one of the nicest hikes I've taken. Just watch out for that treacherous 3-leafed devil plant!

Feather Falls Hike

Bro John and I recently did the 7 mile round trip hike to the beautiful Feather Falls in Oroville (Plumas National Forest), reportedly the 6th or 7th tallest falls in the country. (Click here for a few photos taken during our hike, and here for a 14 second video.) I hadn't done this particular hike in about 20 years. It was even more beautiful (and pretty much just as strenuous) as I remembered. The weather was PERFECT, and there were happy hikers of all ages enjoying the day. Like most others, we saved our lunch to enjoy on the lookout deck, enjoying the view of the fabulous waterfall, complete with rainbow toward the bottom. Something unexpected was the proliferation of wildflowers--so many different types and colors; they were gorgeous! And something I definitely did NOT miss were the swarms of ladybugs we encountered on our last visit. (Did you know ladybugs sometimes bite?)

There is a path that leads to the top of the falls, which I understand is also lovely. I'll have to save THAT view for another trip--maybe after I've increased my hiking endurance. Hey--I hear the recently-rediscovered Whiskeytown Falls (near Redding, CA) is just a 3.4 mile round-trip hike. And you can check out the amazing Sundial Bridge while you're in the area!