When planning the shopping for our camp menu at Pinnacles National Monument last weekend, I felt it only prudent to return a bottle of Chalone Pinot Noir to its origin, if somewhat figuratively. After all, the limestone hills surrounding the volcanic upthrust that is Pinnacles have created the soils that produce, together with Monterey County’s cool nights and warm summers, some of the best Pinot grapes in California.

So, under the watchful gaze of Chalone Peak, we enjoyed the fruity crispness of a 2004 Pinot Noir from Chalone Vineyard. I only wish I had not eaten spicy food prior to tasting this wine, because the wine didn’t stand up to my distorted palate’s interpretation of it. So, I decided to give the wine another chance after returning home.

Oh, what a difference a clean palate makes! In the confines of my own bar, this Pinot delivered a much richer aroma, with black cherries and spicy undertones. With a nice depth and rich structure, I was quite happy to give this wine a second chance. And tonight, it might just get a third chance!

On a side note: while in camp, we winehikers were lucky to have Oakland’s Gary Fox in our presence not only as a fellow hiker, but also as an amateur grape-grower and winemaker. I had been looking forward to tasting Gary’s wares, and I was not disappointed! Gary’s patience and gentle personality have definitely influenced his approach to winemaking, allowing his Sangiovese blend (75% Sangiovese, 22% Syrah, 3% Merlot) to be remarkably lively and fruity, with surprisingly great finish; a fine complement to the mildly spicy Mexican dinner we enjoyed. Gary’s Merlot was no less exceptional, either, having a smooth, pure quality that I wanted to enjoy more of.

And when the wine makes everyone sing around the campfire, you don’t have to sing if you’re the winemaker. Thank you from the soles of our winehiking boots, Gary! You sure made our weekend.

~winehiker

This past weekend, I led a group of hikers over the singularly unique trails of Pinnacles National Monument. There’s something about this place that attracted me - really gripped me - right from the start. Could it be the Spring wildflowers? Could it be the bat caves? Or, possibly, the chance to see California Condors on the wing? Maybe the wildlife, the chiseled trails, the far-off vistas? The tunnels, coves, grottoes and groves? Perhaps the rock itself?

It is difficult to pick out any one thing about Pinnacles that makes it so attractive, but in combination, a weekend camping and hiking experience at Pinnacles is so magnetic to me that I can’t ever resist wanting to bring other people there to share the experience with me. And you really do need at least two days to experience the full magic of Pinnacles. So, for the 5th straight year, I reserved two contiguous campsites at Pinnacles Campground for a weekend of outdoor fun and frolic in this uncanny, holy place among the hoodoo rock.

The end of March is a fine time to be at Pinnacles, too, when the wildflower blooms are beginning to peak and before the heat of Summer arrives, which it always does at Pinnacles well before it hits the San Francisco Bay Area. Having chosen the last weekend of March each of these past five years, it has been interesting to note the differences in wildflower blooms from year to year. This year, the weather has been much wetter than normal, and as a result, the wildflowers at Pinnacles haven’t quite cranked up to their full showy potential.

That doesn’t mean we didn’t see them! In fact, many species of wildflowers were popping out there on the trails, beckoning to us to take a look as we passed by them. From buttercups to blue dicks, bush poppies to golden poppies, indian paintbrush to indian warrior, and purple lupines to purple witch nightshade, there were quite a variety of wildflowers to see - just not as many of them as I’m used to seeing.

But it’s only going to get better as the rains taper away and Spring gets more than just a foot in the door. I hope to return to Pinnacles in the next few weeks just to note the difference. If you can, dear reader, snag yourself a campsite and go there for a weekend, before the 90-degree days of late April begin to fade Pinnacles’ many blossoms.

~winehiker

I’ve been meaning to follow up on last Sunday’s monster hike at Ohlone Regional Wilderness (see the earlier post below). Somehow, sandwiched in between a series of wet and windy storms, we managed to find a most exquisitely bright and sunny Spring day that made for tremendously clear views of an immense spread of green hills, the Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay, and Mt. Tamalpais. We even saw, albeit dimly, a range of snow-capped Sierra Peaks nearly 80 miles away to the east.

I was delightfully surprised by the sprightliness of our group of 9 intrepid hikers. Considering that this out-and-back hike to Murietta Falls is over 12 miles in length, and with 4300 feet of elevation gain, it can be one of the toughest hikes around. But we found ourselves back at the trailhead at 3:00 that afternoon, having taken only 5 hours to complete the hike, including time for lunch at the Falls.

Oh, the Falls! — the first carrot on the stick. This was my third time visiting the Falls, yet I previously had witnessed merely a trickle from tiny Murietta Creek. Not so this time! It was rushing fast and well, actually inhibiting conversation in the small cove at its bottom where we settled for lunch. With the sun gently radiating off the rocks below the Falls, and the sound of the Falls roaring in our ears, we were content to linger awhile and just soak it in.

But with six tough miles to go, we knew we had to hitch up our courage despite protesting legs, shoulder our packs, and continue on. Easy enough to do, of course, when sudden talk of cold beer — Carrot #2 — quickens your step. That, and the fact that I spotted fresh cougar tracks in the mud, suggesting that the big cat was not far ahead of us.

If you haven’t yet seen Murietta Falls, and you have the stones to do this monstrous hike, the time is now, while the Falls are flowing so well. In the meantime, you might enjoy a few photos.

~winehiker

Have you observed that most children, by nature, are naturalists? When I’ve watched children, I’ve often noticed that they will pay close attention to the details of the natural world: a little plant or animal, a dandelion, or an ant hill. We adults might say, “Look, an ant hill,” and by naming it, we walk on - we dismiss it from our thoughts.

What would a child do?

There seems to be a trend today that allows people to believe that scientists will give us all the facts we need to know about Nature. Much of our “environmental” education involves no contact with plants and animals. Students may watch videos, memorize how many legs a spider has, or learn that biological diversity is being lost in some remote rainforest. I know some kids - and no doubt, so do you - who spend more time in front of a computer monitor than in direct contact with Nature. Not to mention adults!

I know, I know - I’m sometimes guilty of it too.

But the spontaneity and unpredictability of the natural world are never communicated to us in this “virtual environment.” What we get is Nature being sold to us as an economic system, as part of a great machine. Regrettably, our links to the land, and to our childhood, become disconnected.

Each of us is capable of making valid observations about how the natural world works. We have all, at one time or another, been inquisitive children. It’s been said by contemporary anthropologists that we need everyone to behave as naturalists, to observe and judge whether the ecological processes around us are working. I have read of Mark Plotkin, an ethnobotanist, who has said, “conservation is too important to leave to scientists alone.”

Our environment is wherever we choose to live. It is not an isolated scientific topic, but a unifying and fundamental theme across all disciplines - from botany to winemaking, from manufacturing to consumer purchase habits. To be aware of how the environment underpins all human pursuits is to learn how the world works and how there are wonderful lives being lived very near us, and all around us, even in our own backyards. It’s time we stepped back outside, into Nature’s living room.

Taking a walk in the wild - even our own backyards - can enrich our lives. It costs very little for the well-being that is gained. Those moments can provide an escape from the craven virtual environment - an escape that can further enrich us when accompanied by an awareness of the place we choose to live. It’s more than knowing the names we give to things - it’s bearing witness to the relationships those things have to us and to each other. In microcosm, it’s about living in, and recognizing our effect on, the present moment in the natural world. In macrocosm, it’s about the legacy our human society will leave to the future.

Our thoughtful stewardship of the land, this Earth we call home, is often perceived to be our fundamental obligation as humans. Why? For the sake of ourselves and our children. And our children’s children.

It is not outside the realm of possibility and imagination to believe that we have the power, collectively, to sustain and perpetuate the quality of life on our planet - our only home - to enrich the lives of our children, and of all species yet unlived.

Take a moment to think about that. How important is it to you?

Be daring! Vow to take the rest of your lifetime to rediscover the child within, and to rediscover your role in the life of Planet Earth. Take that first step to connect, or reconnect, with the wild lands. Take a hike!

~winehiker

I’ve often remarked, “Eat to hike, hike to eat!” on the trail. Goodness knows, there’s nothing quite like a good hike to rev your metabolism and make you want to scarf down anything that isn’t moving or nailed down - which pretty much means “anything.”

The following photo of me was taken along Whitney Portal Road in early September, 2002; that’s California’s tallest peak, 14,505-foot Mt. Whitney, in the background under cloud shadow. The signboard I’m holding used to say “Will Sherpa For Food.”

Thanks to enterprising PhotoShop artist and fellow winehiker Jim Gross for recently doctoring this pic.

~winehiker

This Sunday I plan to take a small group of intrepid hikers into the hills south of the Livermore Valley in search of an ephemeral gem: Murietta Falls, billed as the tallest waterfall in the San Francisco Bay Area. With roughly 100 feet of fall, Murietta Falls is much taller than the popular Berry Creek Falls at Big Basin State Park. Often by the end of March, the Falls dries up for the season, so right now is the time to discover this diabolical diamond in the rough.

Diabolical? Yup. Because if you’re not into the mild masochism (psychosis?) that results in anaerobic arrhythmia, leg of noodle, and collapsed lung, stay far, far away - this hike is brutal. It is both tortuous and torturous. Of all the hikes I’ve done in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’d have to say this one is the most convoluted up-and-down can’t-ever-catch-your-breath rip-snorters; less than 10 percent of the hike occurs on level ground. The rest of the time, it’s either quad-killer climbs or knee-killer descents. The climbing starts immediately - you’ll climb almost 1500 feet in the first hour. And it’s going to take you all day. To climb, climb, climb, descend, descend, descend….

But when you finally do get to Murietta Falls, wave off the rescue copter, for you will behold not only the tallest, but the most remote waterfall in the Bay Area.

If you like to see waterfalls but feel that 12.2 miles and 4300 feet of elevation gain are too much for you, there are dozens of other waterfalls scattered around the San Francisco Bay Area, just beckoning you to feel their cool mists in Spring. If you like a good hike that’ll get you to your waterfall discoveries, no doubt you could visit three or four different Bay Area trails each weekend in the Spring and still not discover them all.

However, if you’re like me and appreciate waterfalls but are also a glutton for punishment, perhaps you’ll perversely enjoy Ohlone Trail to Murietta Falls. And when you’re done hiking, assuming you’re not starving for half a side of beef on a sesame seed bun, you’ve got plenty of great choices in the Livermore Valley for excellent wine tasting. Three of my favorite area wineries are Bent Creek, Murrietta’s Well, and Steven Kent.

See the exciting follow-up trip report titled A fully monstered two-carrot hike, complete with falls photos!

~winehiker

While surfing the other day, I came across the following article excerpt from traveltowellness.com. It does a pretty good job of explaining my own philosophy about active travel, so I feel it is worth sharing. Read on!

Wellness Tourism is about travelling for the primary purpose of achieving, promoting or maintaining maximum health and a sense of well-being. It’s about being proactive in discovering new ways to promote a healthier, less stressful lifestyle. It’s about finding balance in one’s life. Travel on the path to wellness can include spa treatments, healthy eating, activities that involve physical participation (hiking, golf, walking, yoga and many others), inspirational outings and adventures that clear or expand the mind, and educational programs that teach us how to incorporate healthy habits into our everyday lives. It can be as simple as taking off for a wellness weekend to relax, refresh, reenergize and rejuvenate. Think of it as pulling off the road of life to admire a sunset when you’re stuck in a traffic jam, or tearing yourself away from your laptop to water the garden, when you’re up-to-your-eyebrows in deadlines. Wellness Tourism is the pause that reenergizes and rejuvenates.

~winehiker

“A large volume of adventures may be grasped within this little span of life, by him who interests his heart in everything.” -Laurence Sterne

“Adventure is not outside man; it is within.” -David Grayson

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” -G. K. Chesterton

“Adventure: the pursuit of life.” -Daniel Roy Wiarda

“Fortune and love befriend the bold.” -Ovid

“Adventure is worthwhile.” -Aesop

~winehiker

Just had a nice exchange this morning with Tom Mangan, a San Jose Mercury News journalist and avid hiker who has spent a fair amount of time hiking in and blogging about his experiences in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Funny that we haven’t already met out there on the trail somehow.

Says Tom, in his blog, Two-Heel Drive:

Here’s an interesting combination: hiking and wine tasting. A guy named Russ who lives in Sunnyvale got laid off from his tech-writing job last spring so he decided to go the entrepreneur/tour operator route.

His prices range from $65 for a spartan day hike at a park near San Jose to upwards of five grand for a plush five days in the Wine Country. Some hikes are easy hills overlooking Silicon Valley; others are over 9,000 feet in the Sierra. His blog is more about wine than hiking - you need that to show people you know what it means to prefer a wine with a “long finish,” for example.

Hmm, if only I had some expertise I could combine with hiking, like, come back to my house after we’re done and I’ll show you how to burn an afternoon surfing the web and updating my blog. People would pay for that, right?

~winehiker

[Over the past weekend, the following press release found its way to the World Wide Web.]

Capitalizing on the wellness trend, San Francisco Bay Area tour company launches e-commerce website dedicated to active wine country travel.

Sunnyvale, CA (PRWEB) March 4, 2006 — Many travelers to the wine country are finding that the typical group tour falls short when it comes to offering health and wellness. With today’s travelers trending toward more active, wellness-inspired pursuits, the prospect of multiple winery visits without acknowledging the local surroundings is quickly losing its appeal. Fortunately, there is a California-based tour company, California Wine Hikes, that expects to capitalize on the wellness trend.

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