Living
Have you ever thought about how many plastic bottles you go through each year for your shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body wash, etc? You can recycle the cleaned out bottles, but if the brand you buy doesn’t use recycled packaging materials, you are still buying new plastics with each...
I get this question a lot: “How did you get into wildlife medicine?” The truth is, it’s a highly competitive field, and there’s no one right way to break into the field. A lot of...
I never got around to writing about my hike from last Saturday, but better late than never! Last weekend I hiked in Edgewood Park in San...
I’ve tried a variety of group fitness classes recently in the hopes of finding one that I love enough to motivate me to go back. I decided to switch it up this week and try a more...
One of my favorite summer time activities after a stressful week of work is to get out in the woods and go for a hike. The weather was very pleasant this...
It’s safe to say my love of succulents has grown into a bit of an obsession. My collection started with a few plants when we were deciding on flowers for...
I’m sure many of you have heard of this glorious thing called goat yoga. If you haven’t, allow me to clue you in. Goat yoga is exactly what it...
Hiking Huddart Park: Crystal Springs Trail to Chaparral Trail to Richards Rd Trail to Bay Tree Trail
Spent my Sunday morning doing this lovely hike! It only took just over an hour to complete the 2.83 mile loop at Huddart County Park (part of the San Mateo County Park system). The trail is predominantly wooded and pretty level. There are a few uphill/downhill sections but none too long or too steep. While there were other people on the trail, it wasn’t as crowded as some other hikes I’ve been on. Parking is pretty easy right by the trailhead. There is a $6 fee to enter the park at the gate. Unfortunately, no dogs allowed.
Yesterday, we went on another short hike in Rancho San Antonio County Park in Los Altos, CA. There is plenty of parking around and a lot of trails. We didn’t really plan this one out like the last one. We just kind of went to the park and started off down some trails until we decided we were done and turned back. We started at one of the parking lots and went down the Permanente Creek Trail, then onto the Lower Meadow Trail, then onto the Farm Bypass Trail until it connected to the Coyote Trail, then we followed that to the Wildcat Loop Trail. We basically started out just following the signs that directed us to the Wildcat Loop Trail. I’m not sure the exact milage of our hike but going out and back took about an hour and 45 minutes. Some parts were more wooded than others and there weren’t too many hills. We saw a couple of lizards and several squirrels. There were also little bridges along the trail crossing over some creeks. It was definitely a nice leisurely hike and I would like to go back to the park and explore some of the other many trails sometime, too!
My boyfriend and I are trying to start doing a Sunday Funday hiking routine. Every Sunday, or most, we are going to try to go on a short hike. Today’s hike was in Castle Rock State Park in Cupertino, CA. There were some rockier areas but the views were fantastic! I definitely recommend it. We took the Saratoga Gap Trail to Castle Rock Falls (we didn’t see the falls though, maybe dry this time of year?) and then switched to the Ridge Trail where they intersect to loop back around. It is about a 2.8 mile loop and with occasional stops for pictures, took us about an hour and 40 minutes to complete. The route is partially wooded with some exposed areas. In areas, the trail might be harder to traverse for people with mobility issues, but at the same time, you don’t need to be in incredible shape or anything to complete this and there are clearly marked trail posts along the way.Parking can be a bit challenging, or at least it was today. There is a parking lot with an $8 parking fee, cash only. Or there is some street parking for no fee. Be sure not to park past the “no parking signs”. We saw a park ranger writing tickets for this. There is a bathroom of sorts at the parking lot but it isn’t anything fancy. Bring plenty of water!
