Just an hour or so ago I got home from the Berry Creek Falls trip with Jerry.
Quite a nice trip.
I'll write up the hike and post the pics soon, but first impressions for now.
Watch over the next week of so and I'll get some of this stuff posted, and some other stuff, too.
I've got a lot to get up and I'm working on it.
Thanks for your patience.

Item 1) 
I don't think my MapMyHike app is working properly.
I think there is some kind of problem in the 'auto-pause,' where it doesn't record times too well on steep hills.
It tells me that we did slightly over 12 miles in less than 3 hours.
Now come on; flat pavement maybe, but a 'strenuous hike'?
(For that matter it says I did, over 12 miles, and about 1,223', yet the map at the park HQ says this trip is 10.5 miles and 2,100'. That's quite a discrepancy there.)

Well, more on that later.
For now...

We did the Berry Creek Falls loop clockwise this time.
I've always done it counterclockwise before; get the hill climbing done with first, so it's mostly downhill home.
Last time however, with Keith, I spotted a really good view from the other route and wanted to try clockwise.
When you come to the proper bench, (after you are actually ON Berry Creek Falls trail,) there is an excellent view of Berry Creek Falls.

We ate lunch there.

Then you start uphill past Berry Creek Falls, Silver Falls, the Cascades, and finally Golden Falls.
Then you continue out the top side of the loop and back to park HQ.
More detailed instructions are included on the 'Hikes' page.

(There is also a great looking backpack-campsite there at Sunset Camp. 
I would love to stay there for a full moon so I could try some nighttime exposures of the falls.)

Outside the Redwoods it hit 88 degrees, (according to Ranger HQ data when we came out.)
In the Redwoods, we were almost halfway, before I even took off my outer shirt!

Then we get to a 70' waterfall with more to come!

This is a strenuous trip, don't be fooled.
But, it's well worth it.




Berry Creek Falls itself
- 152

The view from the bench before you get there.
-135

They gave me the 4th of July!
I've just sent notice to my boss that I need to apply my October day off and my July day off to the 3rd and the 5th of July so I can do this. This is fantastic! I'll actually get a 4 day weekend this way and get to spend the 4th of July on top of Half Dome.

Now I have to really start training for this!
I have no intention of getting there and being as tired and sore as I am this weekend.
I certainly don't intend to be cramping up even before I get to the top!

Can I do this?
Of course I can.

I've got 2-1/2 months to get ready and I already did Mt. Diablo.
12.5 miles and slightly over 3,000'.
Half Dome is about 15 miles and about 4,800'.
I can do that with some training.

Wish me luck!
Jou Baur

God, that feels good.
I managed to do all of Mt. Diablo today.
I started at Regency Drive.

I got a late start. 
I tried some new rum last night, ('The Kraken').
It was pretty good, but quite dark.
I got a definite hangover to start with, but it went away by the time I got up.
Still, I didn't really feel in top shape.

Got out of here about 8:15, started the hike about 9:15, and got back about 6:30 pm.
12+ miles with about 3,400' of elevation gain.
Picnic lunch along the way.
I did OK.
I'll tell you about 5 miles in, (about a mile before the peak,) I was cramping up.
I haven't done this much hiking and climbing before.
A little bit when I was much younger, but not steady like this.
But I'm really gonna have to get on it.
Monday I should find out if I get Half Dome.

If I get Half Dome, I'll have a minimum of until June 1st to get ready, or a maximum of until July 4th.
Six to twelve weeks to get ready for a 15 mile hike with about 4,800 of elevation gain.
And I don't really plan on struggling, either.
Like today.

Good thing is I already know you can walk through your cramps if you're determined enough.
So I did.
By the time I was a mile or two going back, the cramps were long gone.
It's evening.
I get a twinge here and there, but I expect to sleep just fine.

Oh, and the summit?
It's indoors.
They build a lighthouse sorta thing over it, but they clearly kept the peak. 
(See the photos and the hike for more info.)

This video is also available on the Matt Davis - Steep Ravine hikes page and on Youtube.
I just got it finished and posted a few minutes ago.
Hope you enjoy it.

HIKE!
You know you want to!

I put in my application for a Half Dome permit the other day. 
You have to get in before the end of March in order to get in.
You can put in for as many as seven different possible choices, and I did.
I mostly chose Monday's in June, (4 of them.)
My other 3 choices were all on the Fourth of July weekend, since if I take my two days off and combine them properly I can do a four day weekend. 
In a couple more weeks I should find out if I get one and if so, which one.
Wish me luck.

Well, last week on Friday I did the Devil's Slide trip. 
That was a lot of fun, although quite easy.
No elevation gain whatsoever, (300' doesn't count! That's only about a 30 story building!)
They just opened it Thursday, but I forgot to take my camera to work with me so I had to wait until Friday.

Sunday, Jerry and I went and did the Matt Davis - Steep Ravine Loop Trail up in Marin, on the slopes of Mt. Tam.
It was great!
We went up the Matt Davis trail from Stinson Beach, (see the hike under hikes.)
We went up one ravine with lots of redwoods, oaks, and a creek with tons of waterfalls and then came down another.
Everything was lush and bursting with fresh growth since it was right after a rain.
You follow a creek up, with tons of waterfalls; mostly well under 10', but nice.
Then you turn around at the Pan Toll Ranger station and come back down a different trail, with tons more waterfalls, etc...
You really shouldn't miss it, especially after a rain.

I don't know how the waterfalls will be later in the year, especially since we haven't really had any rain this year, but even if they dry up it should still be quite nice, since it is in the ravine and the shade. We took our time and made a day of it, stopping for lunch on a nice open hillside with a view of the ocean and Stinson Beach.

Today, I'm just sitting at home relaxing for a change. 
Well, not exactly.
I've been working on this site for the last few hours.
I've got a lot done, including rearranging things so they're cleaned up and work better.
I've got a lot more pages up and accessible, as well as cleaned up the menu's and stuff.
It's actually starting to look quite nice. 
Of course, I'm kinda biased since it's mine.

The Dream Machines pages are now open, as well as multiple Superhero Street Fair pages, and How Weird Street Faire pages. More of the SF pages are open, too. 
Please be patient, I'm getting stuff done as fast as I can.

I kinda wanted to do Mt. Diablo today, but I was going to give a friend a ride and so I couldn't.
When she flaked, I decided to stay home and work on this some.
I'll try to get more photo's posted later. 
I have to dig deep to find all of my older stuff and then sort through it to find the ones worth posting.
That's many hours worth of work, no matter how fast I am, and I want to do some other stuff, too.
Then there are hours worth of writing to create and edit hiking posts with directions, mileage, elevation gain, etc...

Plus, I also want to work on my other website:
http://www.secondhandlife.org/ 
It's more important than this one, although I love my photo's and hikes.
It is to help other people who are rebuilding their lives from whatever crash they've lived through.
I don't think I'm very good at that, but, I'm managing, so I should try to help those below me, as should we all.

Well, that's about enough for now.
Y'all have a great day now, you hear?

Jou Baur