It's All in My Mind

Trinity College Professor Shane O'Mara says that walking has benefits in addition to those associated with physical exercise, it helps the brain:

2011: 4 miles to the top of the ridge in Rancho
San Antonio Park, then 4 miles back

In our evolutionary history, walking upright set our hands free, allowing us to carry food and tools and children and also to point and gesture. Because we could point to predators and prey in the distance, we could look in the same direction, paying shared attention to what someone is pointing at—a capacity that demands an elaborate brain system.

Walking is also how we find our way around the world. It is how we created our own internal GPS maps before there was GPS. This gives the lie to how we might think we navigate—that is, by sight...After all, we can find our way around in a suddenly darkened room. Close your eyes and point to where the door is: That’s your cognitive map at work. Moving is the thing. It silently updates your position in your GPS without your even realizing it.

Beach and lagoon, Foster City

Movement through the world changes the dynamics of the brain itself. Recent experiments show that walking increases the strength of the signals in parts of the brain concerned with seeing and other senses, such as touch...

Experiments by the psychologists Marily Opezzo and Daniel Schwartz of Stanford University have shown that walking boosts creativity. They asked people to quickly come up with alternative uses for common objects, such as a pen. They found that people whom they got to walk before coming up with alternative uses came up with almost twice as many novel ideas as those who remained seated.

I've been going on regular long walks for nine years. The good professor says that walking enhances my social intelligence, internal GPS, sensory signal strength, and creativity.

Yes, I can feel the brainpower growing. It's unfortunate that my family and friends haven't noticed...

Off Limits

Photo from 2011: Four miles in, elevation at 1,600 ft.

Since 2011 I had been hiking regularly at Rancho San Antonio Park.

However, the warnings about mountain lions in Bay Area mountains were growing louder, so I stayed away after 2017.

Two weeks ago a six-year-old girl was injured by a mountain lion at the Park.

Last Sunday the lion was put down.

(Mercury News image)

After three days of searching, state officials captured and euthanized the mountain lion that had attacked a 6-year-old girl in Rancho San Antonio Preserve.

The female cat, between 2 and 4 years old and weighing between 60 and 70 pounds, was discovered in a tree in the area on Wednesday afternoon, according to a statement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Thursday.

2015: cool canopy

Fish and Wildlife initially sedated the animal and extracted DNA before confirming it was the predator that attacked the child. On Sunday morning, the girl was scratched and bitten on the calf and DNA samples were taken from her wounds, which matched the DNA of the captured mountain lion, according to the statement from agency spokesperson Jordan Traverso.,,

The girl had been hiking with her father and other adults and children when they encountered the lion Sunday on Wildcat Loop about two miles from the main parking lot.

Park rangers said at the time that the adults in the group “punched” the mountain lion, scaring it off. The girl suffered minor injuries, including scratches and a puncture wound, and was treated by a park ranger.

The Park has reopened this week, but I'll continue to stay away.

Even walking in a group, I'm the easiest one to catch...

Cool Canopy

We started at 2 p.m., later than recommended because it's normally hotter in the afternoon.

Nevertheless, temperatures were much cooler than last week's hike, when we labored to go four miles in 2½ hours.

The trail downhill was mostly shaded by trees. Bug breeding season had passed, so there weren't many to swat. It helped that there was little standing water.

This time we were able to travel seven miles in three hours. We'll try the eight-mile trail next time.

OK, You Can Have It

Rounding the curve, we surprised a coyote with a possum in its mouth. We stared at each other, then followed it down the path until it finally veered off into the trees.

Without sriracha sauce I'm not interested, anyway.

We Couldn't Escape the Heat

How to chase away mountain lions: [bold added]

10 of 12 mountain lions subjected to audio recordings of broadcasters like Rush Limbaugh and Rachel Maddow abandoned kills and fled immediately, regardless of the political slant of the commentary.

(It's not your politics that are off-putting. It's "politics.")

I do listen to Rush and watch Rachel, but only once or twice a week. They're both smart--Rush is funnier--and good at riling their audiences. For my own emotional health I only take them in small doses.

Vista point, with a view of the East Bay, has an 800-ft.
elevation and is about two miles in from the parking lot.

Mountain lion signs were posted along the trail, but we were reassured by the presence of deer and squirrels (or maybe they were reassured by us, who are much slower prey).

It had been two years since we had hiked in the foothills; our poor conditioning and the 100-degree heat made the going slow. After 2½ hours we had had enough.

Using a radio app, I was prepared to blast Rush Limbaugh at an attacking mountain lion. Thank goodness it wasn't necessary.

Our Favorite Pastime

The South Bay from 900 feet

By late afternoon on Wednesday the temperature had dropped to the 70's. It was an opportune time to test leg strength. As I plodded along at 3-4 mph, high-school cross country runners flew past. They think they're going to live forever, and, given how rapidly medical technology is advancing, they probably will.

After a couple of miles the terrain got steeper, and I had to use the walking stick. The chiropractor had been correct: it would take many months for the leg to get back to 100%.

3.5 miles in, I had reached the top of the trail. Descending was psychologically treacherous: the hard part was done (it's all downhill from here), and muscles are tired and prone to giving way if concentration flags.

With a mile to go I stopped at the farm. The cows and I looked at each other and ruminated, our favorite pastime.

A Walk in the Woods

Five months later, the injured leg is not quite 100%. Hiking now requires a walking staff.

Walking staffs are used mostly by the old and infirm, and vanity had to take a back seat to the risk of slippage ("Pride goeth...")

After three and a half miles I had made it to the top of one hill (right) but knew that hiking the two miles to the other side (in the distance) would be unwise.

I began the slow descent through shaded canopies and along nearly-dry streams. One benefit of the drought is that there were very few mosquitoes, which usually descend in swarms on the unsprayed.

After mile six, I reached the car without mishap. Maybe next week I will attempt to climb the distant hill.

Turkeys 'midst the poppies.

Afternoon Venture

It was the first time since November that I had ventured into the hills.

The leg was pain-free but still weak. It took 2 hours and 20 minutes to trudge 6 miles up and down the inclines. Several times I almost slipped.

Next time I'll bring the walking stick.

Normally this brook would be flowing fiercely. Unless heavy
storms rescue the situation, water could be rationed this year.

Not a Breeze

Deer watch the passing parade.

After work I went to the park and walked five miles. The hilly terrain's highest elevation was 1,000 feet above sea level, according to the Garmin tracker.

While I puffed and sweated, high school cross-country teams breezed by. I didn't envy them their health or conditioning, just their very bright futures. Here's hoping that they make the most of them.

I'd Make Lemonade if There Was Enough Water

A cool walk in the woods

California is facing the worst drought in 20 years. A typically cold and wet January precludes hikes in the mountains, but such is not the case this year. Record high temperatures prompted me to strap on the boots and spend half a day on the dry trails. It was a pleasant outing, but let's hope the weather turns.

[Update - 1/17: California Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday declared a drought emergency for the state, saying it is facing perhaps "the worst drought that California has ever seen since records (began) about 100 years ago."] © 2014 Stephen Yuen

Roughing It

Canopy

A younger version of your humble observer would have just donned his hiking shoes and started walking. Now he puts on the SPF50 sunscreen and sprays on the mosquito repellent. A GPS-enabled smartphone loaded with podcasts and fitness apps is another essential for the 21st-century incarnation of roughing it.

He threw caution to the winds and left behind his water bottle. John Muir would have been proud. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Sorry, Bambi

Rancho San Antonio Park, Los Altos

Our impressions about nature are shaped at an early age. For city dwellers who have no connection or experience with hunting, it's hard to shake the idyllic image of Bambi. Wild animals are friendly, anthropomorphized beings, and the placid creatures that are seen in zoos do nothing to contradict that childhood conception.

We whose daily existence is lived far from the forest, i.e, urbanites and suburbanites, dream of Walden though few would actually live there.

Cougar near San Jose (SJMN photo)

The deer that are encountered in suburban parks know from experience that they have nothing to fear from humans. However, other animals that have begun to appear near human habitation are not so friendly.

The mountain lion (cougar):

Chris Wilmers, a mountain lion expert at UC Santa Cruz, has radio-collared 33 lions since 2008 between Big Basin Redwoods State Park and Mount Madonna County Park near Gilroy. He estimated that 50 to 100 lions live in the Santa Cruz Mountains.....The lion photographed weighs more than 100 pounds. Wilmers said it is a male from 4- to 10-years-old, and it looks healthy.

The feral pig:

Twenty-five years ago, spotty wild pig pockets were found in fewer than 20 different states. Now, they’re in 47 states [including California], with Florida, Texas, and a few others approaching crisis levels.

Wild pigs destroy the landscape and breed incessantly. Most alarmingly, they're very intelligent.

Pigs have been known to scope out traps for days before sending in the group's lowest ranking members to test for danger. And if a trap isn't built just right, the pigs will find a way out, either by climbing over each other or squeezing under the fencing.....feral pigs are quite elusive. Rarely seen during the day, they have learned to avoid being taken down by rifles or suckered into traps. [snip]

pigs have learned to break the floats in stock tanks to keep water flowing for their mud baths.

A single cat can take down a pig, but the latter have the smarts and the numbers. Despite what stock market experts say, the triumph of the pigs looks inevitable. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Hopeful

The road curves around the bend, and the destination is unclear. At times we long to go back; we did not appreciate the beauty of the path we had walked or the companions who walked with us.

Ahead lies mystery. Is beauty there as well? Are there obstacles that will prove too daunting? Will we see our companions again? We don't know, of course, but we are hopeful. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Springing Forward

Park deer have no fear of humans.

It was only our second visit this year. Foot traffic at Rancho San Antonio Park seems to be increasing.

School cross country teams charge up the hills at a pace far exceeding my plodding capability. Pairs of casual walkers converse, sans interruptions, about sundry subjects with nature as the backdrop. The older kids run ahead, and mothers push their strollers toward Deer Hollow Farm.

A week before spring, the conditions are perfect....almost. One must keep a wary eye on the wasps, bees, and mosquitoes that can pounce suddenly from the trees; last year it took a couple of days for the welts to subside when a large stinging insect took a liking to my hair. Now I pick up the pace when a buzz is heard.

The parking lot was still filled at 6 p.m., a phenomenon assisted by Daylight Savings Time and the lack of rain. We and many others, it appears, will be returning soon. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Afternoon Walk

Deer were more numerous than I remembered.

For the first time in six months I had a few extra hours to spend on the trails of Rancho San Antonio Park. Travel, illness, and business had kept me away from the South Bay.

Now it's a New Year, when we can banish bad habits and (re)start some good ones.

Beautiful And Painful

The late spring rain lasted one day. Ponds came to life on the valley floor.

Remembering last weekend's insect exhibit, I idly wondered whether mosquito and other insect larvae were thriving in the heat and wetness.

Two miles later I head a loud buzzing behind me. Something brushed my hair. I swatted it instinctively and felt a sharp stab in the back of my head.

It took 90 minutes to walk back to the car and 10 hours for the pain to subside.  But I was lucky: last week a hiker told me to watch out for rattlesnakes on this trail.  Nature is beautiful, but it can be painful.

Red Ponchos at Morning

The trail was slick from the rain, so we limited our walk to the 4.5-mile Wildcat Loop. We huffed to the top of the 900-foot trail, then returned to the car.

We paused at Deer Hollow Farm, about a mile from the parking lot, to stare at the goats and hogs that reciprocated with total unconcern.

Busloads of children from the Alum Rock school district assembled in red ponchos. The red makes a wayward student easier to spot, but as anyone who has played with red or yellow golf balls will tell you, a bright primary color is not an infallible method for distinguishing an object.

Parents could rest easy because there was one adult chaperone for every two kids. No red riding hoods would be lost in the woods today.

Big Hands Aren't a Problem But They Can Get You Off

Two hours in, from the top of the trail

A Mitt being in the news reminds me:

Ever since I've taken up hiking, I've noticed a tingling in the hands for hikes lasting two hours or longer. Yesterday, after a two-month hiatus, I went out for three hours--a little over nine miles--and my mitts became noticeably swollen. The fluid retention ("edema") subsided shortly after returning to the car.

Per the Mayo Clinic:

Hand swelling during exercise is a fairly common problem. The cause isn't completely clear, but hand swelling appears to be a result of the way your body and blood vessels respond to the increased energy demands of your muscles during exercise.

Hmm..maybe this is further evidence that the defendant in a famous trial was innocent. The hands of the killer, perhaps swollen from physical activity, presumably fit the bloody glove left at the scene. But in the courtroom the unswollen hands of the defendant, who had been seated for hours, were too big for the glove.

Thursday in the Park

Mother to calf: "not another idiot with a cellphone camera."

Golgi Cells Randomly Firing

Thoughts upon viewing this sign:

1) Californians are pigs.

2) Sure makes me want to continue on the trail.

3) Rats! I didn't bring my shovel.

4) Only city boys need toilet paper.

5) Doesn't warn about poison ivy, snakes, or mountain lions, which hardly anyone runs into, so relax and enjoy.

6) Great place to stop and smell the roses.