Category: hiking

Science Travel 2014: A Year in Review

I figured I needed to write this post before we were too far down our 2015 paths to really justify reflecting on 2014.  As readers of this blog know, I’m all about conservation, but I’m also adamant about getting out there and enjoying nature and engaging in science for fun.  Life is busy, and making time for these sorts of experiences can be a challenge, but it’s so worth it.  We owe it to ourselves.  


“The mountains are calling, and I must go.” ― John Muir


Off the road on Beartooth Scenic Highway – Sept. 2014
In 2014, I hiked, swam, ran, and learned.  Interested in where I went and what I saw?  Read on!  Fair warning, this is a photo heavy post, which is really what I’m most interested when “reading” about nature.



Me and Mer and our boos.  Lake Michigan – Jan 2014


Meridith and I have mentioned our yearly New Year’s Eve get together with our college besties on numerous occasions.  We rang in 2014 with that group of lovely friends from a cabin on the shores of Lake Michigan.  In the afternoon, on the first day of the year, we took a snowy hike down to the shores of the lake.  We went sledding, threw snowballs, and marveled at the vast, frozen body of water. It might have been a little chillier than a new year’s day walk in sunny CA, but I still think it was well worth it!  Walking out of doors is, by far, the best way to ring in the new year.


You can see the ice piling up at the lake shore behind him!

The core NYE crew – Lake Michigan Jan 2014



Napa Tri Crew – April 2014
I think fieldwork ate the rest of January, February, and March.  I was outside and all up in science literally all the time.  This was my first field season, so I hope you’ll excuse the lack of recreational activities.   


In April, I ran my second sprint triathlon with some of my favorite ecologists (and friends!). The Napa HITS Triathlon series begins with a swim in Lake Berryessa, followed by a bike ride beside some beautiful vineyards, and ends with a run through the rolling hills.  I love this race because whenever you start to think “Oh dang, I’m really tired!” you can just look around at the gorgeous surroundings and get energized again.   
During May, Daniel and I traveled a little bit north and west to see his cousin graduate from Sonoma State University (we are so proud of her!).  Point Reyes National Seashore is only a little bit away, and we had never visited the park, despite it basically being in our back yard.  This was part of our effort to hike once a week, which we were still going pretty strong on up until this point.  We had a great time, but I made my classic National Park visiting mistake.  I always forget National Parks are huge!  We were aiming to visit the lighthouse and attempt some whale watching, but when we got to the nearest ranger station, the lighthouse was another 45 minute drive up the coast.  We decided to maximize our outside-of-the-car time and just hike from where we found ourselves (Bear Valley Visitor’s Center).  I did feel like a bit of a liar, I had totally brought Daniel out with the promise of charismatic megafauna.

The meadow along Bear Valley Trail – Point Reyes National Seashore May 2014
Bear Valley Trail – Point Reyes NS May 2014

Either way a really nice park ranger gave us all the options and highlighted the map.  Obviously, Mer and I love park rangers.  We ended up choosing the Bear Valley Trail, which lead to the coast, though we didn’t have time to get all the way to the water.  The trail did pass through several different ecosystems, including a Douglas Fir forest, a riparian zone, and an open meadow (looked like a dry meadow, but not sure).


June was a busy month for me.  I was starting the bulk of my summer fieldwork in July, so while I was prepping for that effort, I was also trying to pack in some fun outings.  We spent one awesome Saturday at a local you-pick place called Clover Leaf Farm.  Cheap, organic, and very pollinator friendly!      


Somewhere around the middle of the month, our local chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB-Davis) sponsored a hike down to the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area.  One of my friends, a bat ecologist, lead the hike, and right around dusk we watched thousands of Mexican free tailed bats leave their roost under the bypass to forage.  It was really amazing and the pictures 100% do not do it justice.  

Clover Leaf You-Pick Farm – June 2014
Mexican Free-tailed bat population under they bypass – Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area June 2014

YOLO

Finally, at the very end of the month, Daniel and I took his cousins (the one who graduated college and her brother who just graduated high school) on a camping trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park.  I had never been to this park, so it totally counts toward my big goal!  We tried to listen to the USA world cup game on our drive from Davis to Manzanita Lake Campground.  It was a great campground, with a convenient general store and great access to the beautiful hiking loop around the lake.  We took the lake loop before heading back to set-up camp and make dinner.  I’m proud to say that this was a vegan camping trip save the marshmallows the others ate (I ate these, which are fantastic).  

Manzanita Lake Lassen Volcanic National Park – June 2014


The next day, we took two short-ish hikes.  First, we took the 2.8 mile round trip hike to Paradise Meadows.  I was pretty into wet meadows due to a wetland review paper that I was helping to put together, so I talked everyone’s ear off about these cool ecosystems on the way out, and was super intense about other people who were walking out onto the meadow when we arrived.  Even a little annoyance couldn’t compete with the view though!  Next, we headed to a very unique ecosystem via the Bumpass Hell trail.  This 3 mile round trip hike lead us to a landscape of hydrothermal features.  It’s a volcanic national park after all, and this is one of the main places where steam vents out from all the heat belowground.  I always wonder what was though when people first discovered natural features like this (poor Bumpass must have been freaking out!).  The team called it a day after this and demanded sustenance.  

Paradise Meadow Lassen Volcanic National Park – June 2014

Bumpass Hell Lassen Volcanic National Park – June 2014


On our last day, we started with a 2.4 mile round-trip hike to Kings Creek Falls.  This was by far my favorite hike.  The vistas were out of control!  If you ever take this trail, don’t be faked out by the not-waterfall-waterfall about 2 miles in, keep going!  In the afternoon, we had planned to hike Mount Lassen, but the crew was pretty tuckered out.  Instead, we opted for some lunching by the river and a trip to the main visitor’s center.  This trip was one of my favorite summer memories.       

 Kings Creek Falls Lassen Volcanic National Park – June 2014
Family at Cave Run Lake KY – July 2014


I traveled home to Kentucky in July for my cousin’s wedding.  Maybe you don’t know this, but a summer trip to Kentucky isn’t really complete without a river or lake visit.  Almost my entire immediate family got to spend time out at Cave Run Lake swimming, snacking, and generally goofing around.  It was a super fun time.  

In August, Daniel and I took our NYC Engagement Trip.  You can read all about that in a previous blog post, but suffice it to say much (science related) fun was had!


During September, I took a weekend trip to Montana to visit one of my best friends from high school who was about to move overseas to Spain.  It was a truly great weekend, and I feel so blessed to have been able to spend that time with her before she was gone.  She was staying with her sister and brother-in-law in Bozeman, MT.  If you’ve never been to Bozeman, you should really check into it.  She picked me up at the airport, we got some food at the local co-op, then we headed out on a hike.  Seriously, my kind of town.  

My girl Emily!  Beartooth Scenic Highway – Sept. 2014
Bozeman MT – Sept. 2014

 For the next two days we traveled through northern Yellowstone National Park (near Mammoth) and back up the Beartooth Scenic Highway.  I had been to Yellowstone before when Mer and I visited on our Amazing Besties National Park Roadtrip in 2012, but it was interesting to see the park in a different season.  The geothermal feathers were fascinating, as always.  We also hiked along several rivers and streams with my buddy’s family before we took off on our own.  We took in the great views along Beartooth highway, and even pulled off the road for a quick hike through the alpine tundra (my crush of an ecosystem) to a high elevation lake.  It was a great send-off for a friendship that has lasted 14 years.

A high elevation lake off Beartooth Scenic Highway – Sept. 2014


For the rest of September and all of October and November I prepared for my qualifying exams.  I studied, ate my weight in cookies, did enough yoga to keep me from chewing my fingers off, and was otherwise completely sessile.  I think I only ventured outside to tend my garden, and I think I even neglected that in November.


December 4th was judgement day, and I passed!  I spent the following day (Friday) in my PJs in my bed, glorious.  But by Saturday afternoon, Daniel and I were on the road for Santa Cruz and some time to reset in nature.  If you’ll recall my previous post about the novel Flight Behavior, you’ll know I was super excited about the idea of viewing one of the migrating monarch butterfly populations.  Lucky me, just a little bit over an hour down the road at Natural Bridges State Park there was a monarch roost.  We walked along the wooded path to the population, and while it was really beautiful, it was impossible to photograph with my little point-and-click camera.  There were only a few small remaining clusters of butterflies as the rain earlier in the week had dispersed many of the individuals.  We oohh-ed and aahh-ed, and this elderly park ranger let us check out the colony through his spotting scope!  We then took the path up and around, through a freshwater tidal and a salt marsh, then out to the coast.  The water was cold, but you always have to put your toes in, right?  The day was still young, so we got some coffee and took a 30 minute drive up the road to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Parks.  You can never go wrong with coastal redwoods, and I’ll just leave it at that.

Natural Bridge’s State Park CA – Dec 2014
Natural Bridge’s State Park CA – Dec 2014


I love recap posts like this, because I really didn’t think I did that many fun outdoor things this year, but I obviously did.  I also discovered a ton of pictures when I was reviewing from hikes and walks in the local Davis area.  What a year!  I cannot wait to see what adventures 2015 (20Upgrade!) has in store.

What about you?  What fun science/nature adventures did 2014 bring you?  Any big plans for the new year?

Henry Cowell State Park CA – Dec. 2014

Bison, and Mosquitoes, and Shriners, Oh My!

Lost Lake
Day 14
Yellowstone National Park
Miles Hiked: 10 (80.7 overall)


Nearing the completion of their Master’s theses, two young, wild women struck out on the adventure of a lifetime. Meridith and Rachel’s 2012 Besties National Park Roadtrip was a transformative journey around the Western US National Parks. 10 states. 9 National Parks and 1 National Monument. One summer of fun!


Ecologist in action
After a day of full on touristing, it was time to get serious.  Our alarms went off at 4am, and we slithered out of our sleeping bags.  We dressed and washed up in a bleary haze before piling in the car with blankets and binoculars.  As per the recommendations of Jim and Dot (the adorable park ranger couple), we drove the 35 miles from Bay Bridge to Tower Falls and hung a left.  Along the stretch of road between Tower-Roosevelt and Mammoth, we found a pull off parking spot and were in position just as dawn broke over the sagebrush and meadows.  Wolf watching.  The wolves of Yellowstone get my scientists imagination running.  During the mid-90s the National Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced wolves (mostly from the Canadian population) to Yellowstone, and the ecological impacts we are seeing appear to be profound.  For an excellent look at why top predators are important, check out this piece by Estes and colleagues.  Beyond the science, I think the mythos of these carnivores really plays on some of our most basic, primal thoughts.  What I really want to say, is I’m a stereotypical, hippie wolf-lover.  Seriously, wolves, wolves, wolves.  
Swimming Lost Lake

So, we arrive at our spot, we ate some granola.  We chatted about how hard core we were.  We covered up with blankets, because it was still cold, even inside our car.  More snacks.  And then…I totally fell asleep!  I know, it’s potentially the lamest thing I’ve ever done.  Lucky for me, Meridith is not so easily deterred and kept a keen eye out for any sort of non-Bison esque animal.  In spite of Mer’s proven ability to manifest rare wildlife, no dice.  Around 5:30, I was reanimated and we watched the frosty Bison graze as more people appeared to enjoy some wildlife watching.  A beautiful, if slightly disappointing morning.  But you know what soothes such situations?  Doughnuts.  We gassed up the car, consumed some well deserved sugar, and headed toward Roosevelt Lodge.
Sage and Skirts

We met up with the Lost Lake trail head behind the Lodge and began our first hike of the day.  This trail was a 4 mile loop, which doubled as a horse trail.  We wound up through trees, sage, and wildflowers until we came to Lost Lake.  This is a really beautiful little lake, at about 6,700 ft above sea level.  Little known fact about me, when I see a (clean) body of water, I generally want to be in it.  Meridith hung out on the shore, writing and enjoying the flowers, while I waded out past the lily-pads for a morning swim.  Shortly, we continued on around the loop and soon came upon one of Yellowstone’s petrified trees.  This ancient redwood signals just how different the plant communities and climate conditions once were in this area of the world.  An art student was also on hand with an antique camera, attempting to recreate period photographs from around the park.  Yellowstone.  It really attracts everyone.  Back around the hill and we were down at the Lodge again where we took a few moments to enjoy our afternoon sammies on some rocking chairs on the front porch.


Petrified Redwood Tree
As our day had started at 4am, we were getting a bit sleepy.  We drove the few miles up to Mammoth Village where we napped in the grass, enjoyed some staff internet, and wrote several more adorable postcards.  Apparently, composing haikus recharged our batteries, and we set off for the Beaver Ponds trail.  The initial climb and views were great, but as we neared the ponds themselves, we quickly renamed the trail, Mosquito Ponds.  We tried really hard to appreciate the wetland-pond complexes as we hiked rather quickly along the latter half of the trail.  Still no moose sightings, which had been our secret hope.  


Road Haikus
We took a few minutes to wind down from our speed hike by exploring the terraces around Mammoth Hotsprings.  I often get caught up in the challenge of hiking.  I love to go far and climb high.  So, it’s good for me to explore an accessible, interpretive trail.  It reminds me of the educational mission of the parks, and I always learn a lot from the signs!  By the end of the road trip, we had a running joke when we didn’t know the answer to a question.  “Where’s my interpretive sign?!”  I also really love when the wild and weird things about nature drawn the public in, and Mammoth Hotsprings are certainly something unique.  The smell of sulfur and the strange microbial mats were fascinating.  We couldn’t help but imagine what early visitors to the park must have thought of these crazy thermal features.  


Beaver Ponds Trail
Beaver Ponds Trail 
Early visitors to the park?  That reminded us, we had seen an advertisement for a lecture happening that evening at Mammoth Lodge (nerd alert).  We filled our water bottles and found our seats just as the lights went down before the lecture.  What followed was a delightful trip through early Yellowstone with a family of Shriners. The presenter explained that he found a trip scrapbook in an antique shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and spent a few years tracing the history of the book’s contents.  The Shriner couple had explored the park in horse carts, ate dinner in large dining tents, and sat in bleachers to watch bears feed on the scraps leftover from the kitchens at Mammoth Lodge.  The intersection between personal history and park history was compelling.  I especially loved the pictures of the women’s hiking clothes!  I was about 1000% certain I was going to fall asleep as we walked into the room, but I was happily alert the whole time.  


On the drive back to our campsite, we watched the sun set over the Bison and chatted about the history of the American West.  As we pulled into camp, I set my alarm for 7am.  The theme of day two had been water.  Tomorrow, the theme was mountains.

Mammoth Hotsprings

Making Time for Nature

One of my favorite environmental quotations goes as follows:

“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast… a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive…”  ~Edward Abbey*

These are the words of wisdom I try to remind myself of when I am having a moral crisis over what sort of salad dressing to buy at the grocery store (Plastic vs. Glass??  High Fructose Corn Syrup vs. Palm Oil??  Too many decisions!).  While I absolutely want to work as hard as I can to understand and conserve the natural world, I also want to take time to walk around in the woods!  When I am working out in the field, I try and remind myself to stick my toes in the water or gush over a particularly adorable weevil.  This helps keep the balance in my life.  

Lett Lake, Snow Mt. Wilderness Area, 

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a job that requires as much outdoor time as mine does.  Heck, even for those of us that work outside, having unstructured outdoor play time is really important.  Remember, just because you are playing, doesn’t mean you aren’t learning or growing.  How do you think kids learn?  Through play, naturally.  Playing in nature, whatever play means to you, is a great first step to exploration, questioning, and eventual understanding.  The question becomes, how do we fit hours into our busy schedules for outdoor recreation and soul-feeding fresh air?  I am currently on a quest to answer this question in my own busy life.  In an effort to make it happen, my partner and I (editor’s note: Meridith and her partner, too!) have committed to hiking once a week every week.  The life experiment is set to run for the summer (May thru August).  For us, there are no rules aside from “get outside and walk!”  I’m hoping to see some new places and explore spaces nearby that I have under appreciated or overlooked.  As of today, we have gone on a walk-about all but one of the weeks we intended! Not bad overall, and we are only getting started! Would you like to get your outdoor adventure one?  Here are my strategies for making it happen!

     
STS Guide to Making Time for Nature

Schedule Your Nature Time
You schedule your classes, your work week, and time to hang out with friends.  As busy people, most of us know that if an activity doesn’t merit a spot in our calendars, it isn’t likely to happen.  So, pick a time and place and pencil in your next outdoor adventure now!  

Multitask (sort of)
Meridith likes to multitask by visiting
 Joshua Tree NP AND looking fabulous.

No, I don’t mean you should be checking your email while you are out on the trail.  I do mean you should make this time do double duty in your life.  Have you been wanting to read that novel, but cannot find the time?  Bring along an audio book and headphones on your next hike. Heck, you can even listen to a sweet science podcast! Have a friend with whom you need to have a life update?  Bring them with you on your evening walk!  Been meaning to find quiet time alone for yourself?  Do a little yoga or meditation by the lake, or, you know, just sit and watch the bugs on the grass.  I think this could be an especially useful tactic for the busy parents in the crowd.  Spend time with your kids and get them tuckered out simultaneously!  Your time in nature can be just nature time, but it can also be friend time, family time, personal development time, or just you time.

Don’t Get Preoccupied with Exercise
I am 100% completely guilty of this sometimes.  I think this is obvious based on my own personal goal to “hike once each week.”  Exercise keeps me centered, and this is often how I multitask my nature time.  And, sure, getting out into nature can be a wonderful way to get some exercise and breath some fresh air.  Is hiking to the top of a mountain superior to driving out to a lake and having a picnic?  I don’t think so.  It really depends on what you like and what you are trying to get out of this time.  Importantly, you can get different things out of nature at different times.  Sometimes it’s a calorie burn and sometimes its a peaceful nap.

Our local spot:  Stebbins Cold Canyon, UC NRS
Think Local
National Parks are amazing, and there is a reason that Ken Burns called them “America’s Best Idea.”  I’m sure Ken would agree that America has had some other really good ideas, like these cookies,(most) of these famous internet cats, and the numerous state and regional parks across the great ol’ US of A.  Just Google “State parks of (your state name here)” and you will be well on your way!  You can also go straight to Google Maps and type in “State Park.”  Don’t forget to do a little internet sleuthing about regional parks, open space areas, land trust zones, wildlife areas, or Bureau of Land Management Areas (BLM Areas).  Meridith and I particularly love finding new BLM areas because these are public lands, meaning when you find one designated for recreation, you can camp for free!  You might find a gem you didn’t even know about within your 20 mile radius.  That is totally within striking distance, even for the most over-committed weekend warrior!    

Expand Your Concept of Nature
Take the suggestion above, and go even further.  Sure, nothing really beats being in a large natural area like a park (national or otherwise).  However, the green belt running through my town is beautiful, and I love walking and running along it.  Does your town have a green belt?  Do you even know what a green belt is?  You can also check out local arboretums and botanical gardens.  Find a local green space and play some Frisbee or lay in the grass!  Don’t get me wrong, if I could, I would be at Olympic National Park every single day, but I can’t.  I can, however, take a walk through the restored riparian area along the local drainage ditch anytime I want.  Even if you live right down the road from some great regional, state, or national parks, I would encourage you to take a little bit of time to explore these non-traditional nature experiences.

Build to Something Bigger
Point Reyes National Seashore, CA

Maybe it’s just my personality, but I am super goal oriented.  For me, setting a goal encourages me to do things I would never have made time for otherwise.  For example my 10-year goal to see all the US National Parks has resulted in numerous adventures that I’m not sure I would have facilitated otherwise.  Just two weeks ago, our household goal to hike once a week this summer lead us to take a short detour to Point Reyes National Seashore after attending a family graduation.  Giving your everyday actions context in the larger picture of you life gets you jazzed and propels you out the door.  And that, really, is what it’s all about.


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So there you have it! What are your plans for getting outside this summer? Any big outdoor oriented goals you want to share?



*Emphasis is my own