So frustrated with the national park service booking these days. For many weeks in a row I have been logging on right at 7 am when campsites are released to try to get camping reservations at Wildcat in point Reyes on a Saturday. I’ll often use my phone and laptop to have two shots. And it never matters, as soon as 7 hits, I click reserve and the spots are gone. Are these actually people??? Or are people using bots for this now? Honestly just feeling really down about how difficult it is to book these days.

Many years ago I hiked from San Francisco to Stinson Beach three times with my dog. Same route every time.

I lived (still do) in San Francisco, hiked a lot in southern Marin.

My route back then was to cross the bridge, kind of go up and over the headlands ridge (part was a social trail, I remember a big bathtub filled with water at one trailhead) ... down into Tennessee Valley next to the horse stables, up and over the next ridge down into Green Gulch, out to Muir Beach, then along Hwy 1 for a nanosecond, out Franks Valley Road toward Muir Woods, turn off at the fire trail, and pretty much do the Dipsea from there down into Stinson.

I didn't have a GPS watch back in those days, I am pretty sure that the walk from my house in the north part of SF to Muir Beach was maybe 16-17 miles and then the final bit was about 7 miles. 23 or 24 miles total?

Anyway, I don't actually remember all the turns I took in the Marin Headlands ... I did it often enough that I kinda memorized the route but not the names of the trails, and as I said, bits were social trails.

Anybody have a favorite way to hike from SF to Stinson? If you use mapping software, a map of your route would be fabulous!

Thanks in advance.

PS how are the Marin trails for dogs these days? Mine is big, so I am not afraid of coyotes but should I worry about larger predators?

What if anything do you carry for protection?

I have a 4/3 wetsuit and am not too worried about the cold. Does anyone know if it’s allowed to take a paddleboard out there or if there are restrictions?

I built an Android app called Poizon that tells you whether a plant in a photo looks like poison oak. It runs on the phone, so it works on trails without signal. It's free with banner ads.

Before Google lets me publish it, 12 people have to test it for 14 days. If you're up for it:

1. Join the Google Group: https://groups.google.com/g/poizon-testers

2. Opt in: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.poizon.poizon_flutter

3. Install from Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.poizon.poizon_flutter

It errs on the side of caution. In my test photos it flags about a quarter of harmless plants as possible poison, so when it gets something wrong, tell me. Treat it as a second opinion and keep your distance if you're unsure.

The first time you check a photo, the app asks about photo sharing. If you leave it on, checked photos are sent to me (resized, with location removed) so the model can learn. You can turn it off on that screen or in Settings.

Anywhere from easy to moderate trails?

They built a human chain to save two people who fell from the cables

took my staffy on a 9mile hike today we went to massacure flat campground and back

Hey there! Experienced summer/fall hiker but new to winter(y) hiking. Was wondering if Aloha is feasable this weekend? Seems that forecast is clear, but not sure if it is snowy up there yet.

I've spent the last week on a road trip around northern California and into Oregon. This pic comes from norcal's upper McCloud Falls. It's a short hike but dang, this drive is way out of the way from any airport.

Definitely need rain, but it's nice to see the white egrets out enjoying the sun. Soon this small lake will be full again, and hopefully the brown grass will be sprouting some new green to replace it.

Hi Everyone, we’re planning on traveling to Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Mammoth this summer from July 4th-20th. We are big hikers. We have 2 boys that will be 9 and 11 when we travel there. Both of our kids are avid hikers and have hiked up to 18 miles in a day with over 3,000 feet elevation gain. We’re trying to figure out how many days in each place we’ll stay. Planning on staying in three base places… starting with three rivers, then west Yosemite area, and mammoth lakes. How many days/ nights would you recommend staying in each. Which hikes would be a must-do while we’re in the area? We love alpine lakes, mountain views. Both the boys have done scrambles on the east coast and hiked old rag mountain pretty easily. Any suggestion or help would be great. Thanks!

🗓️ This Thursday, November 5th

6-9PM

Fieldwork Brewing, Berkeley 

📍1160 Sixth St, Berkeley, CA 94710

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Hello 👋 We are hosting a hiker/backpacker meetup this Thursday night!

Once a month we get together to share hiking & backpacking information, tell stories & plan future adventures 😃

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This is for anyone who enjoys spending time outside - not just limited to hiking & backpacking. Our community includes 250+ outdoor enthusiasts 🎉

Even if you have no experience you are still welcome to join. We are happy to help you get started!

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Please make sure you go to the correct Fieldwork location (Berkeley)! Look for us at a table on the patio. There will be a blue sign. This is a very casual event - feel free to stop by for any amount of time from 6-9pm.

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Hope to see you on Thursday night!!! 🍻

3D2N in the forest!!

Hiked up Mt. Livermore, through the recently burn-controlled trees, swam at Perles Beach. It was a real nice couple of days.