Borrego Palms Canyon

Ocotillo in bloom

Date:  23 April 2011

Who hiked:  Me, Hubby, Things 1 and 2

Where:  Borrego Palm Canyon, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

When: 1300-1700

Distance:  5.5 miles (according to GPS)

Weather:  sunny, clear, windy; temps in low/mid 80s

The Things had their spring break this week, so we decided to see the desert in the spring.  Our destination?  Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Bolsa Chica #2

GBH at Bolsa Chica

Bad pic of a reddish egret, taken through my binocs

Where: Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach
When: 16 March 2011, 0830-1030

I was on the mainland last month and decided to bird at Bolsa Chica.  I walked a similar route to my previous post, so won't go over that again.

The most exciting find was a reddish egret...

Twelve Months: Twenty-four Hikes

I've been contemplating how to motivate myself to increase my hiking mileage.  I've been reading a lot about how public announcements of resolutions make people more likely to follow through with them.  So here it goes:

Over the next twelve months (April 2011 - April 2012), I will hike 24 times.

That's right, my "spring resolution" is to average two hikes every month. Sounds easy enough.

But then, I remember that I also have to supervise homework for two boys, get both of them to and from Scouts in Avalon, nurture my freelance writing career, continue to pursue a part-time job in science, keep healthy food in our house, make sure we have semi-clean clothes to wear, and not let the Catalina dust bury everything we own.  I have help with this stuff, but still.  It's a tough gig.

So wish me luck and stay tuned for MORE HIKING in 2011-12!!

Shout it out: "I AM A DAY HIKER!"

Tom Mangan, of Two-Heel Drive, has a great post affirming the value of day hiking.  Check it out at his blog.

I am a day hiker, not a backpacker. For years, I've thought that "backpacker" is what I should aspire to be.  That is "real" hiking.  But over time, I've come to accept that I'm not going to make the transition from hiker to backpacker.  And I'm good with that.

I'm lucky to be a hiker at all.