Digital Photo Walk – a new Adventures with Nature (AWN) activity
This material can be found from a link at photomorrobay.com

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Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
hikemorrobay group:

This poll is optional.  If you would like to signal to others
that you will attend this hike, please vote "yes" here.

Please join us on this vigorous/Strenuous docent-led hike
in beautiful Montana de Oro State Park.

May 27, 2006 Sat 9:00AM - 1:30PM, Barranca Loop in Montana
de Oro State Park, led by State Park volunteer docents Anita
Zehnder & Mike Baird.  Meet at Ridge Trail parking lot
2.3 miles south of park entrance.  Optional return along
the East Boundary Trial instead of Barranca Loop

   o YES, I will come
   o NO, I can not come


To vote, please visit the following web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hikemorrobay/surveys?id=12319320

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Please join us on this vigorous/Strenuous docent-led hike in beautiful Montana
de Oro State Park.

May 27, 2006 Sat 9:00AM - 1:30PM, Barranca Loop in Montana de Oro State Park,
led by State Park volunteer docents Anita Zehnder & Mike Baird.
Meet at Ridge Trail parking lot 2.3 miles south of park entrance.
Optional return along the East Boundary Trial instead of Barranca Loop, in order
to see better wildflowers

See http://morro-bay.com/docents/anitaz/ for hike details. ~8 miles, 1000 foot
elevation change.
Minor stops for rest or optional interpretation.  Short 15 minute lunch at
half-way point.
Wear boots, weather gear, have water and food.

http://morro-bay.com/docents/anitaz/ says

Summary: (as approved 1-28-04)
Hike Barranca Loop: Great exercise, great companionship, and spectacular ocean,
mountain and canyon views.  On this vigorous hike, you will view Montaña de Oro
and Morro Bay from the Ridge and Barranca trails while enjoying wildflowers,
birds, and native vegetation.  Bring water and lunch.  Wear hiking boots.  Meet
at Ridge Trail parking lot 2.3 miles south of park entrance.  1000 foot
elevation change, 8 mi., 4.5 - 5 hrs.

Outline/Plan -- longer description (rev. 2-25-04, 4-12-04)   Docents: Anita
Zehnder, Mike Baird
Hike Barranca Loop: Great exercise, great companionship, and spectacular ocean,
mountain and canyon views.  On this vigorous hike, you will view Montaña de Oro
and Morro Bay from the Ridge and Barranca trails while enjoying wildflowers,
birds, and native vegetation.  Bring water and lunch.  Wear hiking boots.  Meet
at Ridge Trail parking lot 2.3 miles south of park entrance.  1000 foot
elevation change, 8 mi., 4.5 - 5 hrs.

Category: (H) "Hike -- Active to strenuous, no interpretation." (Strenuous)

Theme:  We gain inspiration and fully appreciate nature by pooling insights with
like-minded companions on active hikes.

Hike along a well-defined but at times steep single-track path, crossing over
several 1000 foot peaks on the Ridge and Barranca loop trials.  In these coastal
scrub and chaparral  environments,  you will discover many native shrubs, trees,
and beautiful seasonal wild flowers.  Optionally bring binoculars to better view
birds and the magnificent distance views of the mountains, sea, and bay.  By
briskly hiking with other outdoor-loving companions, you will find that your
knowledge and curiosity will mix with that of the others, and the expert
training of qualified State Park docents, to provide an enriched unique
experience, satisfying to both your body and your soul.  You may well meet
others on this hike that you will run across again and again on other docent-led
walks, making the outdoor experience even more enjoyable and valued.  When you
are hiking and see something interesting in nature, you can appreciate it more
if you can share and discuss your experience with others.  Some guests may take
photos and share them with others after these walks using Internet web sites and
e-mail.

The docents will be prepared to discuss natural history topics as they come up,
or may choose to give one or more short talks depending on the guests'
interests.  However, the hike will generally proceed with only a few brief rest
or interpretation stops to make sure we maintain an aerobic and healthy
experience.  At the one-third way point on top of Hazard Peak, and/or at the
two-thirds-way point, as we transition from the Ridge Trail to the Barranca Loop
Trail, we will rest for a snack for about 15 minutes, before continuing on to
the Islay Creek Road leading back to our starting point.  The hike will be paced
to meet the needs and abilities of the participants.  This hike is conducted by
two docents... one leading, and one following.  In this way, if any hikers need
to proceed at a slower pace, or need to return without completing the loop, the
follow-docent is available to assist those guests.  We invite suggestions for
improving our hikes and walks, and we encourage your feedback and evaluation
during and after the event.  Our objective is to make sure that you thoroughly
enjoy and benefit from the natural beauty of our State Parks, and learn the
importance of, and your role in, preserving these precious resources.


Mike Baird  mike at mikebaird dot com

Five of us (Anita, Randy, Sylvia, Nick, Mike) assembled at the
trailhead at 8:50 and agreed to cancel this hike as the rain was
coming down upon us.  Please join us on the next hike, which will be
Sat. April 22, 2006  Sat., 9:00 AM- Noon, Coon Creek. Montana de Oro
State Park.

Howdy!   hope you guys have a great time!   can't wait to join you on the
next one.   glad to be back home on the central coast.   beautiful,
beautiful, beautiful!!!    mandy


>From: "Baird, Michael" <mike@...>
>Reply-To: hikemorrobay@yahoogroups.com
>To: <hikemorrobay@yahoogroups.com>
>Subject: [hikemorrobay] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hikemorrobay  As of
>7:45 AM. 3-25-06, the hike today will be attempted.
>Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2006 10:48:23 -0500
>
>As of 7:45 AM. 3-25-06, the hike today will be attempted.  The weather
>in Los Osos looks favorable.  At least five people have committed to
>come.  Please be aware that the hike may still have to be cancelled at
>the trailhead if the weather turns suddenly.  We will likely take the
>East Boundary branch on the back loop instead of the Barranca branch
>because the decline is less severe and the wildflowers are better.
>Cheers, Mike Baird
>
>Re: Join us Sat. March 25, 2006, 9:00 am Barranca Loop Zehnder & Baird
>http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/hikemorrobay/message/90
>
>Note:  Rain (or very wet trails) cancels the hike. If this hike is
>cancelled due to weather, it will be so noted at
>http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/hikemorrobay/ by 7-8 AM on the day
>of the hike.  Check your e-mail or the web messages there to be sure.
>
>Mike Baird  mike at mikebaird dot com   http://morro-bay.com
><http://morro-bay.com/>   http://mikebaird.com <http://mikebaird.com/>
>http://eysu.org <http://eysu.org/>   http://DigitalChocolate.org
><http://digitalchocolate.org/>   http://StealThisPicture.com
><http://stealthispicture.com/>   Morro Bay, CA   (805) 772-2044  To
>assure I receive your e-mail, add "must read" to the subject line.
>

Excursion Club is a 501 C non profit organization that seeks to
connect outdoor enthusiasts all across the globe.  We are now
launching an outdoor chapter in the San Luis Obispo Region.

Excursions Network uses an online messageboard, similar to this one,
so people can meet
others in the slo area that like to do the same outdoor activities.

Sign up is free.  Membership is open to all ages.  Check us out at
www.excursionclub.org, and register now.


www.excursionclub.org

hiking
backpacking
skydiving
rock climbing
mountain biking
skiing/snowboarding
camping
and much more

Sat. Nov. 19, 2005, 9AM sharp,  I (Mike Baird) will be co-leading with Anita
Zehnder, a nice brisk hike up Coon Creek in Montaña de Oro, called "A Streamside
Walk"
This is a hike in which many of you have participated before with our
HikeMorroBay Yahoo! Group. The CA State Park endorsing organization --
http://www.ccnha.org/descrip.html#041 describes this event as follows:
Coon Creek - A Streamside Walk Much of the trail follows the creek where you can
enjoy the coolness and shade of this riparian plant community. Coastal sage
scrub, oak woodlands and pine groves are on the steep slopes to either side.
There are still some wildflowers. Bring water and lunch. Wear strong shoes, and
clothing that covers arms and legs. Meet in parking lot at very far south end of
Montaña de Oro State Park. (This walk is rated Active) ~5 mi., ~4.5-5 hr. 
Remember, this walk is billed as a non-interpreted walk, unlike most others in
the ccnha.org offerings.  This means that while we may stop and examine
nature-related things along the way, our main emphasis will be to get good
cardiac exercise while enjoying the great outdoors with like-minded companions. 
The weather has been simply outstanding and we expect Saturday's hike to be in
optimum conditions.

Please come and renew old friendships, and make new friends.

You can read more at http://morro-bay.com/docents/anitaz/ about the purposes,
intent, and history of this particular Coon Creek Walk.

Mike Baird  mike at mikebaird.com  http://morro-bay.com  http://docents.info  
http://DigitalChocolate.org  Morro Bay, CA
To assure I receive your e-mail, add "must read" to the subject line

Hollister Peak is not accessible these days... It is one of the most
private and restricted of the 9 sisters... sorry... I've heard that in
the past trespassers encountered unfriendly armed owners on
horseback...

--- In hikemorrobay@yahoogroups.com, "storms1961" <storms1961@y...>
wrote:
> I am a former resident of Morro Bay moving away in 1992 to Florida.
I
> am planning a trip there in October. Can anyone tell me if I can
hike
> Hollister Peak while there. I've hiked it once before & fell in love
> with the view. I know I was trespassing at the time. Will I be doing
> it again? Also, any ideal trails that will maximize my hiking
> experience that week. Thanks in advance.

I am a former resident of Morro Bay moving away in 1992 to Florida. I
am planning a trip there in October. Can anyone tell me if I can hike
Hollister Peak while there. I've hiked it once before & fell in love
with the view. I know I was trespassing at the time. Will I be doing
it again? Also, any ideal trails that will maximize my hiking
experience that week. Thanks in advance.

Here are a few more Sierra Club hikes open to anybody

Next Tuesday, July 26, the 4:00 hike will again be in Montona de Oro.
This time we will be hiking the beach starting at the Sand Spit
parking lot, just inside the park boundary. Still looking to keep
cool as the heat is bound to stick around next week

Wednesday, El Chorro Regional Park, 5:30 p.m. Come explore the park
with a hike up Pennington Creek, and return via Dairy Creek. Meet at
the Doggy Day use area, at the back of the park. We must be done by
sunset.

Other Hikes.

Sat., July 23, 11:00 a.m. CANOE/KAYAK TO A MOZART CONCERT This
leisurely paddle leads to the Baywood Pier but this time we anchor
off the pier, or run our bows up on the beach, to eat lunch while we
listen to a Brass Ensemble play Mozart. Bring your boat and
equipment, PFDs, windbreaker, warm clothing and a picnic lunch. HIGH
TIDE 1:10 p.m. 4.6' LAUNCH AT MORRO BAY STATE PARK MARINA. Details
call Jack Beigle (773-2147)


Aug. 6, Sat. 8:30 a.m. Hike Salmon Creek Trail and San Carpojo Trail
to Dutra Flat. Join the leader on this 8.4 mile hike to the old Dutra
Flat homestead. This is a wonderful hike in the southern Big Sur area
that goes through riparian and grassy meadow ecosystems. We will
climb about 2200 ft. Bring plenty of water, lunch, appropriate
footwear, and dress for the weather. There is a possibility of ticks
and poison oak. Meet at the Washburn day use area just south of San
Simeon Cambground. We will meet for a debriefing at the Main St Grill
in Cambria following the hike. For information , contact Chuck at 441-
7597 (3D).

Sun., AUG. 7th , 9:30 a.m. BLACK LAKE CANYON: Meet at junction of
Guadalupe Rd and Leguna Nigra. Hike down into the Canyon, oak
woodland, euke problems, biodiversity, wildflowers and maybe some of
the rare flora and fauna of the cyn. Call or e-mail a few days before
for details:929-3647 or BDenneen@...

Aug 13-14, Vicente Flat Trailwork Overnight Trip. Join VWA Trail Crew
leader Mike Heard in the ongoing effort to clear deadfallsfrom the
popular Vicente Flat trail. Camp will be made in the beatiful redwood
glade of Vicente Flat, one of the nicest places on the coastal
slope.Work activities will include preparation of work sites,
ssisting a certified sawyer at one end of a two-person croscut saw,
helping to roll cut trees off the trail, and clean-up of damaged
tread once the trees are gone. All able-bodied folks are most
welcome.For more information or to reserve a place on this trip,
contact Mike Heard at heard@.... (Sponsored by Ventana
Wilderness Alliance)

Sun., Aug. 14th, 9:30 a.m. KAYAK OSO FLACO LAKE: Bring kayak, life
jacket, binos and bird book to tour OFL. An easy paddle. Have an
extra kayak. Must be able to swim. Call or e-mail a few days before
for details:929-3647 or BDenneen@...

Sat, Aug. 20th, 3 p.m. Sierra Club Summer Picnic. Come enjoy a
afternoon with friends, explore the local area, with good eats. More
details to follow. To volunteer to help with setup and other duties
call 543-8717.

The Sierra Club hikes are open to anyone. You do not need to be a
member to participate. The next Tuesday & Wednesday hikes are
determined each week after the hikes are completed. Then, Gary Felsman
of the Sierra Club is notified and he sends the next weeks hike info
out to a list. If you want to be added to that email list, just send
Gary your email address. I talked with him tonight at the Wednesday
hike and he will be glad to add anyone that wants the hike details.
This way you can get the info when he sends it out without the delay
of me reposting it to hikemorrobay group. Also, don't worry, your
email will only be used for the Tuesday & Wednesday notice. No other
junk gets sent from that list. Gary's email is gfelsman@...

The Tuesday, July 26 4:00  hike will be at Montana de Oro again. This
time meet at the Sand Spit parking lot about a half mile inside the
park. We will hike down the stairs and north along the beach to the
jetty or until people decide to turn back.
Not sure yet where the Wednesday hike will be.

Ric