Over the years, I have written about rooting around for mushrooms, long walks around the bay or along the coast, cycling the Avenue of the Giants, tidepooling, ziplining and wrestling bears (OK, I didn’t write that one). But I overlooked something that takes no planning, no preparation and no special skills or knowledge — the […]
Get Out
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Pretty Fly
You may have noticed those giant kites in the sky above Clam Beach and wondered what’s going on out there. It’s kiteboarding, also known as kitesurfing. It’s similar to wakeboarding or waterskiing, but instead of being towed by a boat, you are pulled along by a giant, steerable, wind-borne kite. “Kiting is like rubbing your […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Bay Walk
My feet felt like tenderized beef and there was still a layer of sweat salt on my forehead. I had several new rips in my hiking pants and ritual scarification from aggressive blackberry canes. But, nine hours and some 16 miles later, we had arrived back where we started. Circumnavigating the northern portion of Humboldt […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Foraging
If you know what to look for, the world is your kitchen cabinet. Foraging in the spring can be a hungry affair compared to fall’s bounty of fruit, mushrooms and assorted edibles in full fruition. No worries — spring rains mean new growth and some tender sprouts that are only edible this time of year. […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Road Not (Yet) Taken
In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a veritable tsunami of public-access improvements sweeping Humboldt County: the Arcata Ridge, Humboldt Bay and Hikshari’ trails; the McKay Tract; the Eel River Estuary Preserve — wait, the what? The delta of the Eel River, extending from Table Bluff to Loleta, Fernbridge and Centerville, is a subtly beautiful agricultural […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Bushwhacking
Let me preface this with a demand: Don’t bushwhack in your local park. City, state or national, I don’t care. Note that I use the word demand, not request. Stay on the trail your tax dollars paid for. Stamping trails over delicate flora will endear you to no one. I’m talking to you, Community-Forest-hollow-stump hotboxers. […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Where the Wild Things Are
I recently wrote a column for the Journal about the river otter, one of the many adorable, cuddly denizens of the North Coast. “They’re so cute,” several readers commented, seeing the photo in the story. Then the April issue of National Geographic arrived in our mailbox with an article about our desire to bring wild […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Hiking for Three
When I found out I was pregnant with twins, my doctor suggested that I stick to “gentle stretching,” walking and swimming for exercise. That sounded like the most boring nine months ever. During my first trimester, the only time I didn’t feel nauseous was when I was eating or being active, so I ran, biked […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Otter Spotter
While hiking the King Range, I saw a flash of brown just up Cooksie Creek. Then a splash. The small, slicked head of a Lontra canadensis created a gentle wake as it spiraled upstream away from me. The river otter kept a wary eye but never stopped its aquabatics until I entered the creek to […]
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King of the World
Stands of manzanita and groves of knobcone and sugar pine grow within sight of the ocean. Redwoods are nearly absent. Golden eagles ride the thermals along the ridges, and you can find rattlesnakes right down to the edge of the beach. All this makes exploring the King Range National Conservation Area a unique experience in […]
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Humboldt’s Hidden Treasures
Over an after-work round of brews, healthcare worker Jessica Davis pipes up, “Well, I’m a treasure hunter,” she says, “I look for GPS locations with hidden treasure caches.” She slips out of the room and proudly returns moments later with two jewelry box-sized treasure chests. One contains a miniature mountain lion, smooth chunks of colored […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
A Home in a Redwood
Maybe you’re feeling low, a little too close to the ground. You want a place of retreat to elevate, inspire and get you floating again. For Humboldt County resident Crystal Miller, a longtime lover of great trees, that meant a treehouse in a redwood in her backyard. Miller and her fiancé Arif Malik bought their […]