COMING SOON-- WORKSHOPS
What really goes in the blue bin
--and what doesn't
Deepen your outdoor experience
--Use a topo map and compass
COMING SOON-- PHOTO GALLERY
Browse photos of a coming tour
--or of the tour you just took
ARMCHAIR TOUR!
Movie: Cane Toads: An Unnatural History
--A comedic short documentary that examines the disastrous results of interfering with an ecosystem by bringing in non-native species. Farmers in Australia, frustrated with an infestation of beetles, imported cane toads from Hawaii who wound up not eating the beetles, poisoning all their natural predators and multiplying to the point of becoming a larger nuisance than the beetles ever were.
Book: The Life of the Skies
--by Jonathan Rosen
--New York Times book review says: If Peterson and Sibley [birding guide book authors] provided checklists . . . then “The Life of the Skies” is the essay question, the question being: Does bird-watching offer a bird-watcher an avenue toward greater meaning, like prayer or yoga? For his part, Rosen, a novelist and the author of “The Talmud and the Internet,” has a lot of faith in it as a meditative act. “I can’t think of any activity that more fully captures what it means to be human in the modern world than watching birds,” he writes.
Stories of all the great American birders are included, from Thoreau to Teddy Roosevelt to "Kenn Kaufman, the Jack Kerouac of birding, who in the '70s hitchhiked the back roads of America for sightings."
Music: Appalachian Spring
--By Aaron Copland
--The sound of spring fever on the West Coast, not only in Appalachia! Try the recording by Michael Tilson Thomas's S.F. Symphony.
TOUR TIP
The warmer sunshine feels good, but don't pay for it later. Remember your hat or bandana and a lightweight long sleeved shirt. Apply sunscreen effective against both UVA and UVB, and bring a small bottle so you can reapply during rest breaks. The spot most people forget to protect? The top edge of the ears! Ouch!
CUSTOMIZE
Not sure which tour is right for you? Special event coming up? A topic you're especially interested in?
Let us create a tour just for you!
Learn more today.
ECO-HISTORY FACT
The Eco-History facts revealed in our 3/2/08 tour of the Quicksilver Mine in Almaden were so fascinating that folks demanded we offer it again! Do you know how Bay Area people and the environment have always influenced each other... in this case, from the pre-Gold Rush discovery of mercury ore to today?
Learn the surprising facts as we walk through beautiful landscapes, ghost towns with gardens still blooming today, and see a mercury reduction furnace. See the tour description from the first time we offered it!
The tentative date for this second visit is 6/7/08. If you're interested, let us know. Give your email address, and we'll keep you posted. Remember, if you enjoyed the first trip, the wildflowers and weather will be different the second time!
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Marin Headlands Hike + Hosteling at CaliforniaNatureTours.com
Marin Headlands Hike + Hosteling
Marin Headlands hike and hosteling is one of the San Francisco Bay Area's best-kept secrets -- make this hostel your home-away-from home for a relaxing hiking weekend! Marin Headlands Hostel, just over the Golden Gate Bridge in Rodeo Valley, is a great place to hike, share a communal dinner and meet international visitors.
Marin Headlands Hike Leads Back to Hostel
Marin Headlands has deep rolling valleys
- Hike Rodeo Valley in Marin Headlands
- Wake up Sun surrounded by Nature
- Friendly communal dining, games
- 12yrs+, max 10mi/16k/day, 2days
- St-Sn 7/19/08-7/20, 10am, $99 USD
- Marin Headlands Vis-Ctr, Sausalito CA
FAQ, Contact David
Marin Headlands Hike, Hanging out in Hostel
Marin Headlands hike in mind? Picture this: After wandering all day on the Coastal, Miwok, and Bobcat Trails, amidst the wildflowers and calming hills and valleys, you retire to an old mansion to share a communal dinner with friends old and new, right in the Marin Headlands. You stay there and sleep soundly in a comfy bed. The Marin Headlands is where you wake up in the morning, have a leisurely breakfast and walk out into Nature for another relaxing day of hiking.
Marin Headlands Hostel -- a hiker's dream, it's a real, comfortable, and affordable getaway from the city. Marin Headlands Hostel is just two miles northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge, near Marin Headlands Visitor Center in Rodeo Valley. Hiking here, you can spot bobcats, coyotes, and deer. Visit sea lions at the Marine Mammal Center. Take a yoga break in quiet Gerbode Valley. Watch birds, learn wildflowers. It's the best two-day vacation available anywhere!
Dorm accommodations (6 to 8 persons per room) at the hostel and guided hikes are included in cost, but not meals. Bring items to share for a potluck dinner, plus your own breakfast and lunches.
Marin Headlands Visitor Center, 948 Fort Barry, Sausalito CA.
St-Sn 7/19/08-7/20, 10am
FAQ, Contact David
DON'T WANT A MARIN HEADLANDS TOUR WITH HIKING AND HOSTEL?
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Learn more
I've really enjoyed many of David's hikes!
On Montara Mountain we had a stunning 360 degree panoramic view of the coast.
At Point Reyes we swam in beautiful Bass Lake and saw the sublime Alamere Waterfalls.
David is very knowledgeable about Nature and the History of the Bay Area. He's also very attentive to the hikers.
I'll be back-- again!
Mr. M.C.
San Mateo, CA
Thank you David, for your
hike at China Camp.
It was a beautiful setting and we saw deer at close range.
But what made it especially interesting & memorable was your knowledge of the area.
I'm looking forward to
reading the book!
Thanks again and regards,
Ms. A.V.
Oakland, CA
I'm an inquisitive hiker who often wants to know more than previous guides seem to know...
But sometimes I just
want quiet moments.
Somehow, David does both
things just right!
A tour with David really does have something more.
Ms. C.A.
San Francisco, CA
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
John Muir
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