Some Type 1 Fun

 One silver lining of the pandemic is that it’s made me very grateful to host visitors. So I was thrilled when our good friends Madeline and Evan visited from Washington for a few days with their new dog, Pippin, back in April. I got to show them all the highlights of the Santa Cruz mountains. We started with a beach day where an unsure Pippin went into the ocean for his first time, followed by dinner at an oceanside restaurant in Capitola. Another day, I took them, plus a few other friends, on my favorite local hike. They were a little hesitant when we pulled up to the trailhead at a quarry, but they were quickly won over as we climbed through a beautiful redwood forest to an overlook. I often run this trail, so it’s easy for me to forget that the climb is pretty brutal. Luckily, we hit up a winery afterwards to ease the soreness. Their visit wasn’t all smooth sailing- Denali and Pippin got into an altercation, Madeline was feeling under the weather- but what trip ever is? There’s few things better in life than spending time with an old friend. 

Photo credit: Evan Long

Shortly after they left, we flew to North Carolina for a 90th birthday celebration for Owen’s grandma. It was a journey to get there, which involved wearing a mask for nearly 24 hours, between having it on at work, in the airport, and on our red eye flight. By the time we arrived, my face felt greasier than a pepperoni pizza. The upside was that during our connection in Charlotte, my sister also had a layover there due to a last minute flight change. We hadn’t seen her since December, and we won’t see her again for several months, so it was quite a nice surprise! Though she did tempt me with a New Jersey bagel that I couldn’t eat since I was avoiding gluten and dairy at the time, but I'll forgive her.

We had a great couple days in Wilmington, North Carolina, going to the beach, lounging outside, playing with our nieces and nephews, and celebrating Gram. Even after our red eye flight, somehow we were not the most tired ones there. There were eight kids under age six, and a lot of tired parents. The day after we got back home, we received the dreaded text: one of the families tested positive for COVID. Several others ended up testing positive too. Owen and I got bad colds, but fortunately never tested positive. 

Luckily, we were fully recovered in time for closing day at our favorite ski resort in Lake Tahoe. Owen and I drove up the night before and slept in the truck in the nearby national forest. I wasn’t sure what to expect for closing day, especially since I’d never snowboarded as late as May. I figured there’d be crappy snow and a few trails open. What I wasn’t expecting was tailgating setups complete with full size couches, people skiing in head to toe denim, someone skiing down a groomer with a guitar case strung on their back, and a girl skiing in nothing but a bikini. That last one was a rumor, but I believe it.  After snowboarding for a half day, Owen and I chilled in the back of the 4Runner, cooked lunch on our backpacking stove, and enjoyed some cold beverages. It was easily the most fun I had all season. 

After saying our official goodbye to winter, it was time to welcome in summer with a trip to Yosemite in May. It was our first time taking Denali, and I knew most trails in the park would be off limits to dogs. However, there are a few exceptions and I researched the hell out of those exceptions, or at least I thought I did. After reviewing the park map we got at the entrance station, my heart sank when I realized the 11 mile Valley Loop Trail, which I’d been planning for us to do that day, was not dog friendly. So we pivoted and hiked the paved bike paths in Yosemite Valley, which allow dogs. There were great views of Yosemite Falls, several access points for Denali to swim in the Merced River, and it was an infinitely better way to see the Valley than sitting in a line of traffic. That night, we didn’t have a reservation to stay in one of the park campgrounds- that would be too easy. Instead, Owen turned us down a dirt road that he was convinced would have a place for us to dispersed camp. After a couple wrong turns, heading a half mile down a private driveway that was not well marked, and then some beginner-level rock crawling, we finally found a spot to park the truck. It also happened to have an amazing view looking into Yosemite, so even in my hunger-fueled bad mood, it was hard to stay mad. 

The next morning we drove into the park for a short hike to the Lower Yosemite Falls viewpoint, which was also dog friendly. Denali was more interested in looking for deer and squirrels than admiring the waterfall, but we were able to convince her to let us take a couple photos of her pretending to enjoy the view. Even without doing the 11 mile Valley Loop Trail, we were still exhausted, and we sat outside at a cafe recovering for a long time. While we were passed out at a table, I was reminded of one of my favorite parts of taking Denali with us on trips: It’s so much easier to strike up a conversation with strangers. A couple’s baby daughter was curious about Denali, and we learned that they were from England, on a whirlwind trip to see California’s highlights: Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, Monterey. I was impressed with their choices, because in a state with so many diverse places, it can be hard to narrow it down.

For the long Memorial Day Weekend, Owen took the lead on planning a backpacking trip. I knew we were starting at Kennedy Meadows, a common stop for PCT thru-hikers, but I didn’t know much else. Owen was just as surprised as I was when we pulled up to Kennedy Meadows to what can only be described as summer camp, but with adults too. There were cabins, American flags, dogs, beers, a general store, horse rides, and it was as crowded as you could expect for the first holiday weekend of the summer. The first few miles of the trail were similarly crowded, and I wondered if we’d be able to find a good campsite. Denali must have sensed that too, since she tried pulling us slowpokes as quick as she could through the mountains. Despite her best efforts, we took lots of breaks and a long afternoon dirt nap, but eventually made it to the meadows that served as our basecamp for the weekend. And we practically had the place to ourselves! I don’t know where the crowds went, but I wasn’t complaining.  

The next day was as relaxing as any I’ve had in the backcountry. We slept in, then hiked to Kennedy Lake, just a mile or so away, and lounged there for a couple hours. Later that afternoon we explored a nearby meadow and found an unmarked trail that led us high up Soda Canyon. We weren’t expecting to find a trail so we hadn’t carried food or water, and eventually I started worrying that we’d have to eat Denali’s treats if we couldn’t find our way back to our tent that night. Luckily, that wasn’t necessary and we enjoyed our planned dinner for the night, topped off with s’mores between Ghirardelli chocolates. The next morning on our hike back out, we came across a unique sight: a horse carrying snowboards. They were hauling them into the backcountry for two clients that were going backcountry snowboarding. Now that’s the way to do it!

This spring instead of following a strict running plan, I’ve been going out of my way to find group trail runs, to change things up from my usual solo sufferfests. Because suffering is much more enjoyable with others, right? One such run was in the Marin Headlands, a 15 mile loop. There was a massive turnout, at least 50 runners so I figured there was no way I could get lost. But then I did, ironically with the same two older gentlemen I got lost with at the last group training run I did. Luckily they knew the area well, so we improvised until we met back up with the planned route. Getting lost is much more enjoyable with others, too.

I had one last adventure recently- I took the long way to work. Meaning, I biked 20 miles, then took the train the last 8 miles or so to my office. The ride had a little bit of everything: desolate country roads, a short but terrifying stretch along a major highway, steep dirt trails, and a paved bike path. I saw turkeys, deer, dogs, and someone dressed up in a Santa suit on a run. There is never a shortage of adventures to be had, if only you are willing to seek them out.