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. |
