Health Benefits of Hiking!

Not only is hiking a fun way to get away from all the stresses of school or working, it is fantastic exercise. Along with the obvious benefit of burning fat and calories to lose weight, according to the American Hiking Society, hiking can help prevent heart disease by lower cholesterol by increasing the amount of HDL, or "good cholesterol" in the body. It also decreases hypertension by, "lowering plasma norepinephrine which correlates with blood pressure improvement" (AHS). Hiking also helps with stress management, because when you hike, you are exercising. Therefore your body is giving off endorphin's, which help elevate mood and increase happiness, hence lowering stress. Hiking also give you a mental break from all the fast pace stresses of society. Getting away and spending time with nature helps the mind relax and recenter. Hiking is a great way to practice mindfullness, because the rhythmic walking helps the mind relax and unwind. Hiking provides endless social opportunities as well, because I've always found it more fun to hike with friends!

Poison Oak

Poison oak is a very common plant in California and many trails are infested with it. The plant itself has three exensions and has green leaves that turn reddish in the summer. The leaves have oils on them that, when made contact with skin or clothing, attach and absorb onto it's carrier. If the oil touches the skin, it is likely that a red uneven rash will form that is itchy and uncomfortable. If you think you may have come in contact with poison oak, wash all clothes possibly affected. The oil can exist on clothing then later on spread to the skin.Wash hands and preferably shower to avoid the spreading of any excess oils. Try no to itch the rash and apply warm compresses or anti itch ointment to help reduce swelling and irritation. The rash may grow or appear on different areas for up to two weeks before it begins to disappear. It's best to just be aware when hiking of possibly poison oak, and try to remain on the trials to avoid contact.

View from Mission Peak

Mission Peak

The Mission Peak trail is usually seen as a challenge for most hikers, so it's best hiked on a cool day. The trail is in almost constant open sunlight so the heat can be very draining. It's about three miles up, then three miles down and the steepness varies throughout. It's essential to wear sunscreen. sunglasses, and wear hats on this trail because sunburns are very likely. If you make it to the top there is a great view to be seen and a very popular place to take photos. The trail is fun for groups and families because it takes a long time to reach the top so its better to have people around to keep you company, or of course dogs are always welcome. Even though the idea of getting up at the crack of dawn sounds dreadful to some people it is really amazing if u go early enough to make it to the top of the peak by sunrise. It's much cooler and a gorgeous sight to see. Enjoy this hike if you will but bring water and be prepared for some heat!

Progress Check

20 time overall has been going pretty well. Taylor and I have been hiking a lot and have been on several new trails. We started doing some online research on the physiological benefits of hiking and began compiling it onto a google doc that we will transfer to the blog when completed. We are really enjoying all the nature we are observing, we've seen: deer, rabbits, banana slugs, newts, and various insects. Unfortunately we came into contact with poison oak and I (Sophie) seemed to have gotten a little bit of a rash from it but it's nothing too bad. I had to stop hiking for a few days cause I didn't want to risk coming into contact with more irritating oils and make it worse. This has been enlightening however because now Taylor and I are going to dedicate a post to poison oak, describing how to identify it and how to treat it if contact is met. Our next step will be taking a break from hikes so that we can catch up with updating our blog. We will be posting more trail descriptions and photos soon, and hope to begin introducing the trash issue onto our blog soon after. We've learned that hiking is a great workout for the lower body and we will soon be adding some weighted back packs and wrist weights to see how this changes the fitness aspect of the hike.

View of Skline Ridge's Alpine Pond

Progress Check

So far 20 time has been going well. Taylor and I have been able to keep up with our plan for weekly hikes and we've even done more hiking than required. We've posted a few trail descriptions but need to be better about taking pictures, the explanations would be much more accurate with added visual aids. We've learned a lot about the physical benefits of hiking just from our own experience but could better understand the actually facts. So we will definitely be looking more into the hard evidence about the physiological benefits of hiking. We have been monitoring the trash levels of certain trails and are happy to report that many of them aren't too polluted. We are going to try and document more of the trash we see and come up with ways to help prevent this epidemic from continuing. We see the trash on some of these trails and then come back to our own Saratoga high school were the parking lot is also littered with garbage. So what can be done? What can we do to encourage our community to stop littering and start taking care of our community and planet? These are the questions we will be addressing in the upcoming weeks as we continue to hike and collect data.

Taylor holding a newt from Grizzly Flats Trails

Alpine Pond Skyline Ridge

This hike is very scenic, because it laps around a gorgeous pond where turtles and birds can often be seen. This is one of the easier hikes and is only about 1.5 miles round trip, so its great for families or groups of friends. Some of the trail is shaded but much of it is exposed to heavy sunlight so sunglasses and hats are recommended. This trail is always littered with deer, so if you keep your voice down you probably won't scare it away. While on this trail you have the option to just stick to the lap around the pond or you can venture off to another trail that leas you through the christmas tree farms that up in the saratoga- santa cruz mountains. This trail is one of the more popular trail but if you ever go hike it you'll understand why. Its a great spot for relaxing or picnicking and is easy enough for anyone to enjoy! I'll post pictures of this spot soon!

Grizzly Flats Trail

This trail is all the way up the Saratoga-Santa cruz mountains. It's a bit of a drive but completely worth it. You can park on either sides of the road but the trail itself is on the right side. Once you begin walking keeping heading downward and follow the path, there are a few forks in the trail but if u just keep going down you can reach a gorgeous river that actually has water in it now because of all the rain. The hike is heavy downhill but then that means its heavy uphill on the way back. The trail is covered for the most part, and shaded with trees. It is a 1.5 mile hike on the way down to the river and 1.5 miles on the way back up. As you get further down you'll start to hear the rushing and if you keep an eye out you can see tons of multi-colored newts that love on the trail and by the river bed. This hike takes somewhat of a long time so it's best to go earlier in the day so you don't get stuck in the dark. Once you get down to the river there are countless opportunities for exploring and there is much to see. The hike down is lots easier than the hike up so bring lots of water to stay hydrated with. The hike up is almost entire uphill and the trail gets pretty steep so proper hiking boots of exercise shoes are highly recommended. This trail is great for seeing wildlife and a pretty intense workout so I encourage all readers to check it out!