Strategies for Prevention

Week Thirteen: Rodeo Beach

htpotter — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 03:00:16 +0000

On Sunday, April 1, Ethan and I were on our own. After a torrential downpour on Saturday, when I spotted blue sky on Sunday morning, I was anxious to get out and take advantage of the weather.

Ethan and I hopped into the car and drove over to the Marin Headlands. Fortunately the weather held and we were treated to a lovely morning out at Rodeo Beach. We wandered around Rodeo Lagoon, played on the beach for a bit and then checked out the Marin Headlands visitors center. Following the storm on Saturday, the surf at the beach was rough. You could see the waves breaking not just on shore, but out at sea. I was happy to be on the beach and not in the water.

Week Twelve: Cal Campus

htpotter — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:41:45 +0000

On Sunday, March 25 after spotting some blue sky, I rushed Jeff and Jane out of the house and we drove up to the Cal Campus to explore. I found a great little walking map (pdf) that provided a one-hour loop tour of some of the major spots on campus. I figured we could get a good walk in before the next downpour.

Since I had recently explored Cambridge and the Harvard campus, I figured it was worth spending some time to check out the campus in my backyard. It was a very pleasant walk and I’m always surprised by what can be found. As far as highlights go, I was excited that the Life Sciences Building was open and I got to show Jeff and Jane the T-Rex (picture below).

Week Eleven: I Flaked

htpotter — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:39:36 +0000

So it was bound to happen and I think I get to give myself at least one pass for the year. Over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, I couldn’t bring myself to get out and hike, instead I spent the weekend cleaning out my closet and doing a really thorough cleaning in the hopes that spring will come.

Week Ten: Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area

htpotter — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:14:18 +0000

So, on Sunday, March 11, the family got in the car, picked up sandwiches and headed out to El Sobrante to check out Kennedy Grove. We had a great picnic at the park and then embarked on our hike. Off we went onto the Laurel Loop trail, took a wrong turn, and managed to reach a dead end. Once we turned around and found the trail we had actually planned to take, we started up a beautifully wooded trail.

By that time we had reached that moment that all parents know too well. Both kids were as distracted as a cats playing with a ball of yarn. There was nothing we could do to get them focused on actually making it up the hill, so we gave up. Headed back to the picnic area and let them play on the playground. The kids were happy and our sanity restored.

Week Nine: Exploring Cambridge

htpotter — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:13:39 +0000

On Saturday, March 3, I was not home, but in Cambridge MA. I am at Harvard for a two-week stint studying at Harvard Business School. I did not really get a change to get away from the city, but did spend about three hours on Saturday afternoon exploring Cambridge.

I met up with a friend of my sister’s and he took me all over Cambridge — from Harvard Yard to Radcliffe to Cambridge Common. We explored buildings and cemetaries as we came across them. The highlight of our wandering was stumbling upon Longfellow House/Washington’s Headquarters. I was surprised to learn that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had selected the home that George Washington selected as his headquarters and home in July 1775 as he began to build the Continentental Army.

Sadly, the house was closed for renovations, but we did get to wander through the grounds and the brochure shared this lovely Longfellow quotation:

Once, ah, once within these walls,

One whom memory oft recalls,

The Father of his Country dwelt.

And yonder meadows broad and damp

the fires of the besieging camp

Encircled with a burning belt

-from To a Child by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1845

Lovely day and a great reminder for this California girl of just how tangible US history in the east.

Tagged: Cambridge, explore, Harvard, Hike, Longfellow, walk, walking, Washington

Week Eight: A Suburban Hike

htpotter — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:55:31 +0000

So, my eighth weekend became over scheduled.

On Sunday I was scheduled to fly to Boston to participate in a two-week training program. As a result, my Saturday got filled with family obligations, including Girl Scout cookie deliveries, before I left town.

By the time we got to my sister’s house (our last stop) Saturday afternoon it was getting dark. As I expressed my disappointment that I had not gotten my hike in, she lit up and said she’d go for a walk with me. Both the dog and the kids were excited to join us.

We went on a 45-minute walk through her neighborhood on well-lit streets. Though we may not have communed with nature, I certainly was reminded how grateful I am to live where I live and to have my family so close by.

Tagged: Pleasant Hill

Week Seven: Mt. Tamalpais

htpotter — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:29:10 +0000

On Saturday, Jeff and I took a day hike on Mt. Tamalpais. It was a great day to try out the Matt Davis-Steep Ravine Loop. Starting at Pantoll Ranger Station, we took the Matt Davis trail over to Stinson Beach (where we had a late lunch) and then took the Dipsea Trail over to the Steep Ravine trail.

To say the scenery was beautiful would be an understatement. When a day includes both sweeping views of the Pacific and secluded redwood groves, it’s easy to be grateful to live here in the Bay Area.

The only downside of the day was when I misstepped and twisted my ankle. That wouldn’t have been so bad if I didn’t have another mile and a half to go. Despite my whining, I survived and by the next day, my ankle was doing fine.

Weather: Sunny, but with an ocean breeze and a bit chilly in the shaded areas.
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 5 hours (including an hour for lunch in Stinson Beach)
Highlights: Amazing views of the Pacific. Waterfalls. Lush redwood forest.

Tagged: Dipsea, health, healthy eating active living, Hike, Marin, Matt Davis Trail, Mt. Tam, Pantoll, Steep-Ravine Trail, Stinson Beach, walk, walking

Week Six: Point Pinole

htpotter — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:01:14 +0000

Today Jeff, Ethan, Jane and I completed our first hike from the 2012 East Bay Regional Parks Trails Challenge. We went out to Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. We followed the Bay View Trail, then went down onto the beach and followed the shoreline all the way out to the point. Coming back we came back through the Woods Trail and spotted a number of bunkers, as well a few Monarch butterflies that are known to hang out in the woods during this time of the year.

I never would have imagined such a great park tucked between Richmond and Pinole. The park was expansive and absent of crowds. My only complaint: The park is not far from the Richmond Rod & Gun Club and we spent much of the time listening to the sound of gunshots echoing. That made it a little hard to just relax and enjoy the beauty around us. I’d recommend checking out the shooting schedule before planning a trip.

Weather: Yet another beautiful, Spring-like day.
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 2 hours
Highlights: Pilings from original pier that was used to load dynamite onto ships at the turn of last century. Monarch butterflies.

Tagged: east bay regional parks, health, Hike, monarch butterflies, regional shoreline, walk

Week Five: Lafayette Reservoir

htpotter — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:41:54 +0000

Yesterday was lovely. Met my sister, Tracy, for lunch and then we walked the lakeside trail at the Lafayette Reservoir. The weather was beautiful, though both of us lamented the fact that it’s Winter and there has not seemed to be Winter weather. I suspect that come Spring, when we’ll be expecting the Spring-like weather, the Winter weather is going hit. After our walk, we went to visit our parents. All-in-all, a really nice and relaxing day.

Weather: Another beautiful, Spring-like day
Distance: 2.7 miles
Time: 1 hour
Highlights: Time to catch up with my sister.

Tagged: health, Hike, walk

Week Four: Panoramic Ridge/Claremont Firetrail

htpotter — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:58:22 +0000

Today, we went looking for Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve. After reading about it, I was intrigued to learn of a regional park behind the Claremont Hotel. We followed the road up the hill and I was so distracted by discovering the environment above the hotel, I completely missed the turnoff to get to the park.

We kept driving up hill on Claremont and made it up to Grizzly Peak before we confirmed we’d messed up. Coming back down the hill, we spotted turnout and the entrance to a firetrail and decided to park and start climbing. Once we were done and found a map, we discovered we were hiking on University of California land, rather than East Bay Regional Parks land, and we ended up on the Panoramic Ridge.

We didn’t have too much time to explore, but we found some sweeping views of Oakland and spotted a number of trails worth exploring. On the way back down the hill, we did actually find the turn-off to Claremont Canyon. At some point, we’ll go back to where we intended to begin and see if we can make our way up to where we ended up.

Weather: Beautiful day, you’d think it was spring.
Distance: Unknown
Time: 30 minutes
Highlights: Quiet, peaceful, no one around. All you could hear (besides our kids) was the creaking of the eucalyptus in the wind. Reminder of how easy it is to “get away” without even leaving town.

Tagged: health, Hike, walk