Category: Outdoor
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Nature, trails and…tech? How AllTrails CEO aims to make the outdoors more accessible than ever
Ron Schneidermann shares how the pandemic fueled the outdoor app’s explosive growth and where it’s headed next — while on a hike, of course. By Kate Bradshaw This story was first published in The Mercury News on March 15, 2024. If you like to hike, chances are good that you know AllTrails. More than 60 million…
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Rafting through the Grand Canyon is every bit as magical as it sounds
The top of the Grand Canyon is so far from the river below that it can be hard to see. Hikers joining the rafters midway through the trip had to hike a long way down to the meeting point at Phantom Ranch. (Courtesy Kali Smolen) Floating down the Colorado River offers new perspectives, ancient rocks…
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Q&A: Jenny Odell on how Bay Area landscapes inspired her new book ‘Saving Time’
From I-880 to Pescadero State Beach, Odell dissects different ways of grokking time. Jenny Odell, author of “Saving Time” and “How to Do Nothing,” lives in Oakland and draws inspiration for her writing from Bay Area landscapes. (Courtesy Chani Bockwinkel.) By Kate Bradshaw This story was first published in The Mercury News on Sept. 11,…
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Bay Area: Who knew there were chestnut orchards right here?
Plus, how to collect your own haul. Hans Johsens prepares for the onslaught of harvest season visitors to his Skyline Chestnut In the Santa Cruz Mountains, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) By Kate Bradshaw This story was first published in The Mercury News Oct. 31, 2023. We’ve all heard the Christmas…
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The call of the wild: From paralyzed seagulls to skunks caught in bear traps, Peninsula wildlife rescue workers have seen it all
Baby birds are kept in a nursery at the Wildlife Care Center in Burlingame, where they may need to be fed as often as every half-hour. Photo by Devin Roberts. By Kate Bradshaw August 4, 2022 Orphaned baby songbirds and poisoned seagulls. Small squirrels snapped up by cats. Skunks caught in bear traps. Wild animals in trouble…
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What you should know before hiking the Ohlone trail from Fremont to Livermore
The Ohlone Wilderness Regional Trail is a 28-mile trail between Fremont and Livermore. Photo by Kate Bradshaw. Here’s what two sisters discovered on a three-day, 28-mile trek through the Ohlone Regional Wilderness Trail By Kate Bradshaw July 15, 2022 “Next time I invite you to go backpacking with me, please remind me of this moment and…
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Races are canceled. But competitions to set the Bay’s underground ultrarunning records are still on.
Marcy Beard on the High Line Canal Trail in Colorado. Photos courtesy Marcy Beard. Blazing trails with Marcy Beard, the female runner setting endurance records around the U.S. By Kate Bradshaw September 3, 2020 Marcy Beard currently holds 31 women’s records for Fastest Known Time runs — and is the current women’s leader worldwide —…
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Why Silicon Valley’s doctors are increasingly prescribing a daily dose of the great outdoors
Expansive views and picturesque trails along Skyline Ridge.Photo by Frances Freyberg Blackburn. The “park prescription” program is a (literal) breath of fresh air in an era of excessive screen time. By Kate Bradshaw May 13, 2019 It’s no secret that getting outdoors is good for people. In Japan, “shinrin yoku” (“forest bathing”) has grown in popularity since…
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The most epic day hike in Pacifica
A section of the Pacifica Grand Tour loop trail looking south near Mori Point in Pacifica on Aug. 16, 2020. Photo by Kate Bradshaw. Often underrated for its fogbound climate, the lengthy but rewarding Pacifica Grand Tour Loop connects an incredible network of diverse trails — and it’s dog-friendly By Kate Bradshaw August 5, 2021…
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Summer staycation: Overnight camping in Palo Alto’s Foothills Park
My dog and I took a selfie while on a trail run at Foothills Park in Palo Alto on May 6, 2021. Photo by Kate Bradshaw. My dog and I had all of Foothills Park to ourselves for a night. It was mildly creepy, and totally awesome. By Kate Bradshaw June 21, 2021 It wasn’t…
Kate Bradshaw 