nothing beats the outdoors an being surrounded by life: soaking up the sun, breathing the fresh air, basking in the beauty of mother nature.

redwood grove pathes (photo courtesy of losaltoschamber.org)

as a child, i remember spending a couple weeks every summer at redwood grove day camp. i learned to appreciate the animal kingdom & nature: i fed goats & lambs and also brushed their wool; held snakes in my hands, feeling them slither between my fingertips; watched owls and hawks take flight and land gracefully on their handler’s forearm. i wandered around redwood grove‘s wooden paths with summer-time friends picking blackberries; explored the creeks, jumping from rock to rock; and picked wildflowers in the tall grasses.

so naturally, i love to hike, especially with my little sister. but, since our schedules are so out of sync, i got jeff into hiking! we’re a yoga-flowing/hike-pumping/lulu-loving couple! lol. hiking is a great group activity. get a couple of friends, family, friends-of-friends together and it’s a great time out! the more the merrier. i strongly advise NOT hiking alone – it’s better to be safe than sorry. here’s another good tip: hiking can also be a fun date!

we live in an amazing area with tons of hiking trails sprinkled all over the bay: different terrains, breathtaking views, different species of birds & other wildlife – you name it. one of my favorite sites to reference hiking trails is: bayareahiker.com. the website provides a synopsis on literally every trail in the bay area. the writer covers: distance, terrain, difficulty, best time to year to hike the trail, trail traffic, and how to get there.

if you’re in the san francisco/greater bay area, on march 3, 2012, love yoga & hiking, enjoy the great outdoors, and are always looking to meet new people, join & me and xplore yoga (newark, ca) on the xplore: yoga hike at mission peak regional reserve in fremont. check out bayareahiker.com’s breakdown of the steep trek: mission peak hike. the hike will be lead by a mission peak veteran & xplore yoga student, satish, and yoga in the grass with xplore instructor, candace.

at the top of mission peak in 2009

satish is my mission peak hero. i didn’t know him at the time, but i remember crossing paths with him back in 2009 when i hiked mission peak with 2 other people to train for half dome. the 3 of us were on the main dirt trail that winds through the hills, when we saw satish walking straight up the inclines on the tiny (road less traveled) dirt paths and making good progress. satish was always a step ahead of us, showing no visible signs of overexertion or shortness of breath. he just kept ascending up the mountain, hands behind his back at a slow and steady speed. we eventually followed his lead on that tiny trail… huffing & puffing behind him.

3 years later, i actually know who he is! it will be interesting to see how i manage this hike. it’s been a very long time since i’ve done a hike like this… but it will be well worth the sweat and hard work to see the beautiful view from the top!

join us if you can!

watching the sunset over the south/east bay