Golite Breeze backpack Sierra Nevada Scene of hiking related eventsWe're in the Mountains - Not over the Hill by Susan Alcorn cover
The Path is the Goal - Camino de Santiago motto

This page is devoted to calendars and hiking related events.

Calendar and Events

2013 Book and other Author Events

Wednesday, July 24, 7:00 - 8:30 P.M. Patagonia program. Susan and Ralph Alcorn give a digital slide show on Patagonia focusing on their travels and hiking in the region. While there in 2009 and 2010, the Alcorn's backpacked the Circuit Route in Torres del Paine, Chile and hiked in Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina. From their travels, came Susan Alcorn's most recent book, Patagonia Chronicle: On Foot in Torres del Paine.

REI Sacramento, 1790 Expo Parkway, Sacramento, CA. Phone: (916) 924-8900. Free. Register online. http://www.rei.com/stores/sacramento.html

Thursday, July 25, 2013. 7-8:30 P.M. Patagonia program. Susan and Ralph Alcorn give a digital slide show on Patagonia focusing on their travels and hiking in the region. While there in 2009 and 2010, the Alcorn's backpacked the Circuit Route in Torres del Paine, Chile and hiked in Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina.

Folsom REI, 2425 Iron Point Rd  Folsom, CA. Phone:
(916) 817-8944
Free. Register online. http://www.rei.com/stores/folsom.html

Thursday, September 26, 2013. Time TBD. Camino program. Since 2001, independent travelers Susan and Ralph Alcorn have walked close to 2,000 miles through France, Portugal, and Spain following ancient pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, the reputed burial place of the disciple Saint James. Susan will give a digital presentation of their five-week trek along Spain’s most traveled route, the 500-mile Camino from Roncesvalles to Santiago, and will share a few highlights of their days on pilgrimage paths in France. Come walk with Susan through quaint medieval towns in the high mountains of the Pyrenees, across the fertile red soils of the Rioja region, to the lush green Galician Hills. Following the program, Susan will sign copies of her book Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago.

Pleasanton Library, 400 Old Bernal Avenue, Pleasanton, CA. This is at the northeast corner of the intersection of Bernal Avenue with Old Bernal Avenue/Case Avenue. (Directions are here: http://www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/services/library/location-access.html.)

Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago was named a finalist for the prestigious Ben Franklin award for Best Travel Essay 2007. Awards were given by the PMA, Publishers Marketing Association, in New York City on May 31, 2007.

Thursday, November 21, 2013. Patagonia program: San Francisco Sierra Club Dinners, Sierra Club. More details TBA.

Additional:
Susan is the San Francisco Hiking Examiner for Examiner.com. Her column covers hikes both here and abroad. Check it out at http://www.examiner.com/hiking-in-san-francisco/susan-alcorn

Visit Susan's blog at www.backpack45.blogspot.com where she discusses hiking, backpacking, the writing life, and what makes life so interesting and sweet.

Please check back for changes and updates. E-mail Susan at backpack45 "at sign" yahoo.com for more info on events.

Podcast with Aaron Richardson at http://onlinebusinessrookie.com/2008/11/11/exclusive-release-my-first-interview/

For bookstore readings, backpacking clinics, John Muir Trail, Patagonia and Camino de Santiago slide presentations contact Shepherd Canyon Books at 866-219-8260. Out of the San Francisco Bay Area presentations will be considered.

Feedback from Event Planners

April 23, 2008                                                                                                                            

Dear Susan,                                                                                                                           On behalf of the Sonora Branch of AAUW, I want to thank you for your wonderful presentation to our group. ...I heard glowing reports about your photos and the description of your journey across Spain.  Everyone really enjoyed it.                                                                                    

Sincerely,  Sue Osborn

January 31, 2008                                                                                                                  Dear Susan,                                                                                                                       Thank you so much for coming to our branch and giving your wonderful lecture on traveling the Camino! Honestly! My only goal was to provide good adult programming to our community and now I find myself ready to go on a trip of my own.  All because of your inspiring lecture and beautiful slides! Thanks again for being a bright spot in our dreary January and for being such an excellent kick-off to our series of adult programs.                                 Sincerely,                                                                                                                                   Sarah Spindle and the Ygnacio Valley Library staff (Walnut Creek, CA)

Free Hiking Newsletter:                                                                                                         To receive Susan's backpacking/hiking newsletter, send a message to backpack45 "at sign" yahoo.com. In the newsletter, there are always trail tips and information, notices of upcoming hikes and gatherings, and news of interest to the hiking community. After a long-distance hike, you'll find a write-up of our experiences and summaries of those trips are archived on this website under "Monthly Newsletter."   

Archived on-line Podcast (trailcast #26, dated April 5, 2006) on Robert Butler's website: www.trailcast.org. Susan Alcorn describes her process of writing about women's backpacking for her book We're in the Mountains Not over the Hill: Tales and Tips from Seasoned Women Backpackers, and the hikes she and Ralph have completed that have gone into her upcoming book, Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago.

KPFA "Cover to Cover" interview: Author Susan Alcorn interviewed by Denny Smithson, May 24, 2004. Go to www.KPFA.org and check Denny's archived programs.

Other events to enjoy:

Newsletter:

If you would like to be on Susan's e-mail list to receive her twice monthly newsletter with backpacking tips and news, send an e-mail message to: backpack45*yahoo.com             (Important: substitute a @ for the * in the e-mail address.)

Susan's blog, which has hiking related topics, but also her musings, is at backpack45.blogspot.com.

Photo hiking related events:

California Wildflower blooming schedule - the www.calphoto.com website has a lot of things besides wildflowers - photo tips, fall colors calendar, various how to photo topics, but look here for Antelope Valley poppy display times, San Francisco regional park current reports on wildflowers, much more

The website for the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve near Lancaster, California is http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=627  The poppy season is generally mid-March to mid-May; the reserve is open year round sunrise to sunset. The visitor center is open during the poppy season.

Wildflower Bloom Information Poppy Reserve Wildflower Hotline: (661) 724-1180
Theodore Payne Foundation Wildlflower Hotline: (818) 768-3533

San Francisco Bay Area Local Pilgrim Gatherings:

For current local pilgrim events: www.facebook.com/groups/Peregrinos.Northern.California

A 2009 example.

Celebrate St. James Day with fellow pilgrims. July 25th, 2009.

Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Vaillancourt Fountain (east end of Embarcadero Center and across the street from the Ferry Building). We will spend the day wending our way west through San Francisco to Lands End ( approx 7 miles) at the Pacific Ocean, returning via the bus ($2.00 regular, $.75 seniors - exact fare required). Bring a lunch and liquids, wear good shoes, dress in layers. We will be walking on concrete streets and some dirt trails. A short distance is downhill and slippery. For those who want, we will continue celebrating the Saints day with tapas at a local Spanish bar close to our starting point.

*** Post walk note *** this was a great walk, also great tapas place (Bocadillos - 710 Montgomery) - Thanks, Lin.

Outings and hiking related Events

Suggestion: When considering a hike with a group, contact the hike leader to find out his/her pace and focus so that you will know it's a good match with your interests.

The Sierra Club has free or low cost local hikes throughout the year. To find your region and hiking calendars, click on Sierra Club Regional Outings.  For the San Francisco Bay area Sierra Club and other local hiking clubs click on Sierra Club SF Hiking, or San Francisco Bay Area Hiker.S.F.

http://www.slackpacker.com is a good place to find links to hiking websites both in the U.S. and abroad. Updates regularly.

Regional: S.F. Bay Area women who enjoy hiking with a congenial group have many opportunities: Women on Common Ground (women only) hikes are sponsored by East Bay Regional Park District and led by naturalist Katie Colbert. Dates, places, and times vary. Reservations required, contact: svisit@ebparks.org or 925-862-2601.  EBRPD also offers Wednesday walks (open to all ages and abilities); obtain a flyer by calling 510-796-0199.

Diablo Hiking Club (Pleasant Hill Recreation) offers day hikes and ski trips (Sierra). Some members are interested in finding backpacking partners. Contact: www.geocities.com/diablohike, E-mail diablohike@yahoo.com, or board member Ellen Salassi (925) 229-3313 for further information.

The East Bay Casual Hikers http://hiking.bondon.com is an informal co-ed group of adults who meet regularly to go hiking. Their hikes are generally 3-9 miles in length, or 2-4 hours, on public trails in the Contra Costa Country area. Their website also has an extensive listing of other Bay Area hiking groups. Also contact: Jon Bondon (925) 210-2242 or email: JBondon2@BrwnCald.com

http://www.bahiker.com/ This website lists where-to-hike info for the San Francisco Bay Area.

www.tahoerimtrail.org has a series of guided hikes that let you complete the TRT over the course of the summer. The website also lists a number of good day hikes. Something like 20 hikes and backpacks are scheduled annually.

 

Emma Gatewood first hiked the entire 2160 mile Appalachian Trail at the age of 67.  She last hiked it at the age of 76.

Page Changed: June 19, 2013 8:15

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