A Walk on the Wilder Side

A couple of years ago, I joined the Bay Area Outdoor Adventure Club and did some great trips with them—kayaking, rock climbing, trapeze flying... However, last year when it was time to renew, I just never got around to it, nor did I do any one-off trips with them either (you don't have to be a member to participate). And then I ended up getting out of shape again (partly because of my lack of OAC-ing), which made me even less inclined to sign up for any new activities. A bit of a vicious circle to say the least...

But I was looking at their calendar earlier this week and noticed that the club had added a new category of trips: Get Fit! These are hikes that are designed for those of us who aren't as advanced or as athletic as some of the other members of the club (although anyone is welcome to go along), and today was their inaugural trip—a hike at Wilder Ranch State Park, along the coast, a little north of Santa Cruz.

Well, this seemed like the ideal solution to my not-in-very-good-shape dilemma, so I signed myself up. The planned route was about six miles out and back, on basically flat terrain the whole way. The great thing about an out-and-back route is that if you happen to get tired along the way, you can feel free to stop and wait for the rest of the group to pick you up on the way back, unlike a loop where you pretty much have to finish it or risk having Jon Krakauer write a book about you... :)

There were nine of us on the trip, plus two guides. I didn't know any of them from my earlier time with the club, but everyone was really friendly so it was easy to start up conversations. (I have to say, this has been my experience on all OAC trips—they really attract a great group of people!)

We couldn't have ordered better weather for the hike. It was one of those “This is why I live in California” days. The sky was bright blue and the temp was in the mid-70s—warm enough to walk in short sleeves but not too hot that you end up drained by the end. The total trip took around four hours, including a picnic lunch at one of the little beach coves along the way. A few people wanted to continue on after lunch (we hadn't gone the full planned distance by this point), while the rest of us wanted to head back, but this wasn't a problem because one guide went with each group. Afterwards, we went over to the Bonny Doon wine tasting room, which was only a few miles away, and had a nice sampling of local wines.

This turned out to be a perfect reintroduction to the club for me. I've renewed my membership and I'm already looking at some upcoming kayaking trips, which will be great preparation for my Christmas trip to Antarctica. I definitely think Richard, the club's owner, has done a smart thing by adding this type of trip to their mix of already terrific activities. I think they'll be able to attract more new members and also keep on some of us who may just prefer this more relaxed style of adventure. So thank you Richard!

I also figured this would be a great chance for me to get some photography practice in as well, since I knew I wouldn't be huffing and puffing the entire way. :) Here's a selection of pics from the trip. Unfortunately, I didn't take any good ones of the people I was with (D'oh!) so that will be a goal for me next time... The skeleton is the remains of a sea lion we came across on one of the beaches. It was quite interesting in a somewhat gruesome sort of way...