Ok, Humboldt. It’s time to get over it. Enough whining about the frost, your shivering and your wool socks. It’s not that cold out. You know what they call crisp air, blue skies and frosty mornings in most parts of this country? Fall. Most of us don’t even own a real winter coat or a […]
Get Out
Posted inLife + Outdoors
On the Right Tract
The confetti of fallen leaves and needles littering the old logging road dampened our footsteps as we walked parallel to Bob Hill Gulch toward Ryan Creek. The canopy of alder and young conifers filtered the sun. I found it difficult to believe that just a short distance to the west were Cutten’s homes, schools and […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Down for the Count
Normal people look forward to the holidays as a time to indulge in creature comforts that take a back seat the rest of the year. Birders, seldom mistaken for normal people, anticipate the three weeks around Christmas and New Year’s as an endurance test of predawn-to-dusk forays into the outdoors, whatever the weather, in search […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
On the Ridge
Sunny Brae residents Natalia Collier and Adam Brown know this trail. Up Buttermilk Lane, past the middle school and left onto Margaret, where a large army-green water tank marks the trailhead and a concrete staircase on the right rises into the Sunny Brae portion of the Arcata Community Forest. Collier, Brown and their dog Casey […]
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Catching Air
On a blustery, gray Sunday afternoon, a cluster of trucks parked at the Table Bluff overlook. Undaunted by the chilly wind (in fact, cheered by it), several people hoisted awkwardly sized backpacks to the end of the bluff. From these packs, they unfurled yards of ripstop material and strands of Kevlar. They adjusted their gear […]
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Happy Trails
After seemingly endless days of sun, it was one of those bone-chilling, gray mornings that make staying home very attractive. But Jane Stock and Susan Penn, Volunteer Trail Steward coordinators for Eureka’s Hikshari’ trail, had tasks and tools to keep the several dozen volunteers busy and refreshments to take the edge off of the marine […]
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Surfing with Sharks
If you want to learn to surf, you’ll find ideal conditions at Shelter Cove. The small, predictable, mellow waves that meet the crescent sweep of the cove are perfect for beginners, according to longtime surfer John Dowd. Since I’d never surfed before, it seemed like a great place to start. But first, surf conditions: You […]
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Masochist, Meet ‘Peak Fun’
I met my husband on the Deschutes River, where we guided a group of (at-risk/delinquent) teens through rapids for a week. We measured the next four years of our courtship in miles of whitewater rafting, hiking and rock climbing. Initially it seemed so romantic, falling in love against a wilderness backdrop. But eventually, the unfortunate […]
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Next Time I’ll Try Skydiving
I hit 60 this past week, and my youngest daughter turned the ripe old age of 18 on the same day. To celebrate, and in my case, to prove that I was not nearly ready to kick the bucket, I suggested that we take on the zip line in the Arcata Community Forest. To my […]
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Polo for the People
At 6:30 on a warm Wednesday evening, the Humboldt Hard Court Bike Polo crew adjusts helmets, tightens shin guards and makes sure mallets and bikes are tuned for friendly competition atop faded tennis courts in Eureka’s Highland Park. Laughter peppers the crew’s pregame safety check, and the setting sun lights up late-summer clouds punch orange […]
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Paddling with Island Flair
Outrigger paddlers take to Humboldt Bay, aboard a smaller canoe brought up from Shelter Cove (left) and the larger, Humboldt-based outrigger (foreground). It’s 7 p.m. on a cloudless Thursday, and Humboldt Bay shines like liquid silver under blue skies. Luke Besmer, a Hawaiian outrigger canoe enthusiast, has assembled a crew of six other paddlers eager […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Archers, Take Your Mark!
That’s not your grandfather’s bow and arrow – it’s a compound bow, demonstrated by Chris Ghidinelli. Photo by Linda Stansberry Bow season opened Aug. 17, but unless you’ve been practicing since The Hunger Games came out, you would be better off leaving the bucks to more experienced marksmen. “Bow hunting requires so much practice and […]