I’ll be spending the day hiking here:

The photo is a 2009 picture I took from the same trail. New photos to come after the hike!

Tags: hiking, hiking trail, north bay, San Francisco

This photo was taken last month at a place where I went hiking. Those two little structures are the bathrooms that are located at the head of the hiking trail. They’re different from what you usually see aren’t they?

Tags: bathroom, hiking, kathryn vercillo, outhouse, Photos, pictures, smartchick, trailhead

So I have to confess that today’s photo was actually taken by my sister. We went out hiking in the East Bay at this remote trail that was unlike anything else I’ve ever explored in the Bay Area. On the hike we saw these trees that I see now and then around here. They have this strange smooth bark. I’ve often wondered if it’s some kind of tree illness that causes this. If it is, it’s rather pretty anyway.

Tags: branches, hiking, kathryn vercillo, nature, photo, pictures, tree

I got the chance to spend some time hiking yesterday. It was beautiful out and I had a great time. But going out hiking brought up a problem that’s been plaguing me for literally years now. The problem is that I don’t have good hiking gear even though I hike frequently. Every single time I go out, I say that I’m going to get hiking boots and a good hiking backpack. And then I never actually go get either of them so the next time I go hiking I find myself once again trekking around in my tennies with a school backpack weighing me down.

I’ve finally started looking into different pairs of hiking shoes. I haven’t decided on any yet but am kind of intrigued by the Berghaus brand available through Webtogs. One of the things that caught my attention was their YouTube videos that describe their shoes really well (see the one below to get an idea of what I mean). This seems really helpful since it tells me what to look for in a hiking shoe, something that I’m not really entire sure of.

From the video below, I learned that leather is a good choice for hiking shoes since it’s durable and all-season-friendly. I learned that I want a waterproof hiking shoes (which I supposed I could’ve figured out on my own if I’d thought about it since it does seem like common sense). I want shoes that have good traction so I don’t fall when climbing. And I want a lightweight shoe that’s not going to feel heavy on my feet as I walk.

The coolest thing about this shoe is its advanced lacing system. I’m sure the video describes it better than I can so I’ll just let you watch it but suffice to say that it highlights the fact that there are a lot of great hiking shoe features that I need to take into consideration before I buy my pair. No wonder it’s taken me so long to make a decision on this!

Tags: berghaus, hiking, hiking shoes, kathryn vercillo, shoes, shopping, webtogs

One of the things that I have been meaning to do since I moved to California but haven’t yet gotten around to doing is checking out Yosemite National Park. It seems like I always miss out on the best times of the year to go and then I end up putting it off until some later date that never comes around. It’s definitely on the list of things to do this year.

There are also some California state parks on that list. I recently got the chance to visit Alamere Falls (pictured above) which is one of only two waterfalls in California that fall into the ocean. The other one, McWay Falls, is located in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Although the park itself doesn’t look terribly impressive, I’d like to get the chance to compare that falls to the one I visited. Plus I like the Monterrey area where the park is located.

I’d also really like to check out some of the parks that are part of the Redwoods National and State Parks group. I’ve seen the redwoods but it was a long time ago and I was just driving through on my way to somewhere else. I’d like to take the time to actually hike through there and explore their beauty. Hopefully I’ll get to do at least a couple of these trips sometime this year!

What else should I see in California during my travels?

Tags: california, california state parks, hiking, hubpages, kathryn vercillo, national parks, Travel, yosemite