I have been talking to a lot of passionate runners and hikers lately and that inspired me to join a hiking club. I love the trail behind our home, I simply walk to lose weight, I am no hiking expert so I was very particular about joining a group that had a mixed bag of people in terms of their experience levels. A lot of groups said that if you don't keep up with the rest of the crowd, you run the risk of being left behind! Now, being left behind in the "wild" wouldn't be fun and then I found FOMFOK (Friends of Mike, Friends of Kathy). What a cool name right? That's how cool the group is too. They take take their hiking very seriously but also know to have fun in the process! FOMFOK is a group of about 40-50 hikers, they hike every weekend (Saturday and/or Sunday), they have their annual parties, they also throw in biking tours and a very important part of their hiking are the "slow" walkers aka avid photographers, that was my big attraction! You don't really have to worry about catching up, you can take your time to enjoy the view and/or your camera! There is a always a designated "sweep" - usually Kathy - she makes sure people don't get left behind anywhere.
FOMFOK makes sure you are serious about your hiking too! So, if you joined the group, you have to show up for your 1st hike within a month and then make sure you hike once in a while, if not they kick you out - fair enough! If you are interested in joining FOMFOK, you can visit them HERE. The website hasn't been updated for a while but you will find a link to their Yahoo group and that is always buzzing with activity!
I went on my first hike today! It was a great experience meeting FOMFOK - the "melting pot"! I met a journalist, a professor, a physician, a software engineer, a real estate person, a marine, a software product manager - all in one 6 mile hike, it's a great feeling networking with such a diversity of people!
Hike1: Natural Bridges area, Santa Cruz, CA
Date: Sunday, August 7, 2011
Total distance: 7.24 miles (to and fro)
Level: Easy
Natural bridges (the name says it all) is a beach side attraction in Santa Cruz. This area is known for the annual migration of monarch butterflies. The migration happens starting mid-October through January, I definitely want to go back to see that!
We left Mike and Kathy's at 8am (FOMOK btw encourages carpool!). The drive from South Bay through the Santa Cruz mountains and the Lexington Reservoir on SR17 is simply beautiful (be prepared for a foggy ride though!).We got to the park at 9 and started our hike somewhere around 9:15am. It was in the 50s when we got there, definitely needed a hooded sweat shirt. We hiked on the trail along the beach all the way down to the boardwalk area and took a lunch break @ Ideal Bar & Grill around 11am. After lunch one half of the crowd walked back to get the cars. The rest decided to explore the boardwalk amusement park. The post lunch hike was even better, the sun was finally out and the combination of sun and the chilly beach side winds was a beautiful experience! The entire hike (to and fro) is about 6 miles.
What to expect: pelicans, sea lions, seals, otters ocean birds, surfers including tons of ongoing surfing classes, fishing enthusiasts, whales (if you get lucky), wildflowers (we spotted tons of Naked ladies, okay!! now Naked Lady is another name for Amaryllis!!!), kayakers and canoers, a variety of beautiful beach side houses and whether you are just strolling along or power walking or running, you can expect to have a great, relaxing, distressing experience :)
For more pictures, go to my album HERE. Since it was my first hike, I was not too sure about carrying my SLR so these pictures were shot using my Sony DSC-T900 point and shoot (it's one of the best point and shoots I've owned, thanks to my dad, the SONY freak!)
If you are interested in more (DSLR) pictures, here are some great clicks by fellow hikers.
Mike's @ https://picasaweb.google.com/
Ron's @ https://picasaweb.google.com/
Suresh's @ https://picasaweb.google.com/106392341217206242276/SantaCruz?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Grey's @ https://picasaweb.google.com/117613073287609618584/FOMFOKSantaCruz and
https://picasaweb.google.com/117613073287609618584/FOMFOKSantaCruzS95
FOMFOK makes sure you are serious about your hiking too! So, if you joined the group, you have to show up for your 1st hike within a month and then make sure you hike once in a while, if not they kick you out - fair enough! If you are interested in joining FOMFOK, you can visit them HERE. The website hasn't been updated for a while but you will find a link to their Yahoo group and that is always buzzing with activity!
I went on my first hike today! It was a great experience meeting FOMFOK - the "melting pot"! I met a journalist, a professor, a physician, a software engineer, a real estate person, a marine, a software product manager - all in one 6 mile hike, it's a great feeling networking with such a diversity of people!
Hike1: Natural Bridges area, Santa Cruz, CA
Date: Sunday, August 7, 2011
Total distance: 7.24 miles (to and fro)
Level: Easy
Natural bridges (the name says it all) is a beach side attraction in Santa Cruz. This area is known for the annual migration of monarch butterflies. The migration happens starting mid-October through January, I definitely want to go back to see that!
We left Mike and Kathy's at 8am (FOMOK btw encourages carpool!). The drive from South Bay through the Santa Cruz mountains and the Lexington Reservoir on SR17 is simply beautiful (be prepared for a foggy ride though!).We got to the park at 9 and started our hike somewhere around 9:15am. It was in the 50s when we got there, definitely needed a hooded sweat shirt. We hiked on the trail along the beach all the way down to the boardwalk area and took a lunch break @ Ideal Bar & Grill around 11am. After lunch one half of the crowd walked back to get the cars. The rest decided to explore the boardwalk amusement park. The post lunch hike was even better, the sun was finally out and the combination of sun and the chilly beach side winds was a beautiful experience! The entire hike (to and fro) is about 6 miles.
What to expect: pelicans, sea lions, seals, otters ocean birds, surfers including tons of ongoing surfing classes, fishing enthusiasts, whales (if you get lucky), wildflowers (we spotted tons of Naked ladies, okay!! now Naked Lady is another name for Amaryllis!!!), kayakers and canoers, a variety of beautiful beach side houses and whether you are just strolling along or power walking or running, you can expect to have a great, relaxing, distressing experience :)
 |
| "Natural bridge" ! |
For more pictures, go to my album HERE. Since it was my first hike, I was not too sure about carrying my SLR so these pictures were shot using my Sony DSC-T900 point and shoot (it's one of the best point and shoots I've owned, thanks to my dad, the SONY freak!)
If you are interested in more (DSLR) pictures, here are some great clicks by fellow hikers.
Mike's @ https://picasaweb.google.com/
Ron's @ https://picasaweb.google.com/
Suresh's @ https://picasaweb.google.com/106392341217206242276/SantaCruz?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Grey's @ https://picasaweb.google.com/117613073287609618584/FOMFOKSantaCruz and
https://picasaweb.google.com/117613073287609618584/FOMFOKSantaCruzS95
What an interesting hike it sounds.makes me to want to go out and start running..Love all the pictures you took.
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