It’s been a loooong 4 years

I really didn’t think we’d make it these past four years.

I really didn’t think we’d make it through the elections.

But we did!

The last four years have been incredibly challenging.

The last 8 months even more so.

But a hike today with D and O grounded me in the hope and love of family. The now-ness of a child’s life and of being a parent for said child who is living in the moment. It is that which has enabled me to keep on keeping on.

Playing alphabet games, ooh-ing and aah-ing about the views and the natural wonders of fallen leaves and hills and valleys, enjoying a snack at the mid-way point, and coming home to a simple lunch.

It’s time to set course for cleaning up, continuing to push for change, envisioning another world, and setting a foundation for O to be a critically thinking, compassionate contributor to the world.

The last four years were a terrible detour but if anything they’ve been a solid reminder that racism and white supremacy are alive and well in this country.

“Get up, stand up. Stand up for your rights.

Get up, stand up. Don’t give up the fight.”

Bob Marley

A Nice Vigorous Hike: Purisima Creek

Since moving to our new place, we’ve been trying to find some good places to hike. Hiking in the Peninsula in the Bay Area is very different from hiking in the East Bay. It’s hotter, more exposed, and browner, I find. I’m missing the East Bay hikes (Tilden Park, Wildcat Canyon, etc.). But we’re determined to find something!

So we found Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. Bay Area Hiker is a great website for finding hikes in the Bay Area, and this suggested hike was quite nice. We found it easily, and though the parking lot was crowded on a late Saturday morning in the fall, we were able to park on the side of the road. This is listed as an easy hike, but we noted that the description says there is a 1200 foot decline and and then the loss is regained, so it ended up being more of a moderate hike, I’d say. We worked up quite a sweat because it was pretty warm for a fall day (in the 70s) and in the direct sun it was almost hot.

Some of the nice aspects of the trail was that it goes through forest and then hits open space. There are some really nice views of the bay at the beginning of the trail and then of the ocean later on. You can see Half Moon Bay at a point.

The hike description talks about an open space for a picnic, but it was just too hot that day to stop there, so we went down the trail about another quarter mile or so and found another clearing that was temporarily shaded. At least it was shaded for long enough for us to have a nice picnic lunch.

The North Ridge Trail ends; it’s not a loop. I think we’ll be back to this area for more hikes in the future.