Hiking

One of our favorite places for a family outdoor outing is Point Reyes National Seashore, and it's a favorite with many other families in Marin, too. Guest author Stacey Padrick-Thompson writes about her recent hike on Tomales Point Trail.

My husband and 3-1/2 year old daughter recently hiked a section of the Tomales Point Trail at the northern tip of Point Reyes. Just the drive there is itself worth the time, especially while the hills are still green and wildflowers still blooming (the best flowers are in April and May). At points on our drive, with beauty surprising us around each bend in the road—gorgeous hills cascading down into the ocean, cows, sheep, and horses lazily grazing on the lush green grass, and birds soaring above, and then below, us as we crested the hills in our car—I was swept back to driving the Ring of Kerry in Ireland.

One of our favorite places to go out in Point Reyes is the Bear Valley Visitor Center near Olema. It's a justifiably popular family destination for a number of reasons: the visitor center with its dioramas and nature exhibits, short trails perfect for a hike with small children, an expansive picnic area with tables and barbecue grills, and a working Morgan horse ranch.

We always make a point of visiting the Point Reyes Morgan Horse Ranch on our outings to the area. Combined with another short trail like the Earthquake Trail or the one to the Kule Loklo Miwok village, it makes for a managable hike with little kids. Of course there's something to do and see at the end of the trail, too, which is a plus.

The Morgan Horse Ranch is run by the National Park Service, and rangers use the horses at parks all of the country to patrol the back country and wilderness areas. Morgan horses are considered the first American breed of horse, and are prized for their sturdy nature and calm temperament. Famous Morgan horses in American history include Confederate general Stonewall Jackson's Little Sorrel, Union cavalry commander Philip Sheridan's Rienzi, and read more »

Marin Mommies is pleased to present another great guest article, this time by Ally Kushin, Camp Director for Coastal Camp at Headlands Institute. She discusses the increasing problem of nature deficit disorder and highlights local opportunities to connect children to the natural world. Ally has worked in the field of environmental education for the past 9 years as a naturalist, park ranger, and camp director.

In 2005 the book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv popularized the term “nature deficit disorder.” In it, he refers to the trend of children spending less time outdoors, resulting in a wide range of behavioral, social, and medical problems. Louv claims that causes for the phenomenon include parental fears, restricted access to natural areas, and the “lure of the screen,” referring to increasing electronic media consumption.

Children who spend more time in nature are known to develop increased concentration, memory, and self discipline. The latest research has established amazing connections between the amount of time spent in nature to everything from better grades to increased immunity to germs to stronger bones. read more »

One of the benefits of living in Northern California is that you can go on a hike or other outdoor activity pretty much any time you want to, even in the dead of winter. In fact, winter is really one of the nicest times to be outdoors, with crisp, clean air, bright green grass, fewer crowds and tourists, and even the first of the wildflowers showing up. This is all provided it's not raining, of course. One of our favorite outdoors spots, and a great place to take a hike with the family, is Jack London State Historic Park, located in the small Sonoma Valley town of Glen Ellen, about a 45-minute drive north from Marin.

As the name implies, the park is made up largely of land that was at one time the Beauty Ranch owned by renowned writer, social reformer, and rabble-rouse Jack London (1876–1916), author of classic tales like The Sea Wolf, The Call of the Wild, and White Fang. Nestled at the foot of Sonoma Mountain, the park is full of stunning scenery, historic buildings, and short easy hikes that are perfect for families. There are of course longer treks available for those who don't have two little kids in tow.

Hiking with small children is a great way to get them into the outdoors and introduce them to nature, but it can be a bit of a challenge. Small legs seem to tire out faster than larger ones, and when they outgrow both the stroller and the backpack it's best to seek out some shorter hikes that the whole family can enjoy with a minumum of whining and complaining. One of our favorite easy family hikes can be found at Rush Creek Open Space Preserve, on the northern end of Novato.

Late December always heralds the start of whale-watching season off the Northern California coast. Reports have come in of the first California Gray Whales (eschrichtius robustus) passing by Point Reyes, so it's a great time to head out to the coast and check out the whales' annual southern migration. We still continue our tradition of never actually spotting one (although everyone around us seems to be seeing them), but that won't stop us from dusting off the binoculars and giving it another shot. Every year, California Gray Whales migrate from their feeding grounds in the waters off Alaska to their breeding grounds in the warmer waters near Baja California. This southern migration takes place from late December through February, with the peak in about mid January. The return trip back up north happens from March through May, with the peak watching time in mid March; late April and early May are great times to see mother whales swimming with their calves.

About the end of July you start to see people stopped by the side of the road, poking around in the bushes. No, they're not doing anything strange or unseemly; they're picking wild blackberries! Late summer is definitely blackberry season in Northern California. And what's best is that these sweet little fruits can be had for free just about anywhere, if you're willing to risk stained clothing from all that blackberry juice, as well as the occasional wound from the blackberry's thorns.

There is a native variety of wild blackberry, the California or Pacific blackberry (rubus ursinus), but that's relatively hard to find these days, being supplanted by a non-native species, the domesticated Himalayan or Armenian blackberry (rubus armeniacus). This variety, fast-growing, invasive, and considered a pest by many, was introduced as a commercial cultivar in California in the late 19th century, but like so many non-native species prevalent in the state today, it got loose and spread all over the place. An easy way to tell the difference is to look on the underside of the leaves. The California variety is green, whereas the Himalayan is white.