Calendar and Events
2008 Book and Other Author Events
Visit my new blog at www.backpack45.blogspot.com where I'll be discussing hiking, backpacking, the writing life, and what makes life so interesting and sweet.
Thursday, October 16, 2008. 7:00 PM. San Carlos REI. 1119 Industrial Road, San Carlos, CA 94070. (650) 508-2330. Susan and Ralph Alcorn will give a talk and digital slide presentation on the Camino de Santiago, the famous 500-mile pilgrimage trail across northern Spain. Susan is the author of Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago. Free. Spend the evening watching beautiful images, book a hotel room in the Monterey area, and then kayak in Elkhorn Slough the next day! What a life!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 7:00 PM. Concord REI, 1975 Diamond Blvd. Ste. B100 (the Willows Shopping Center, Concord, CA 94520. (925) 825-9400. A travel program which takes you across the Pyrenees, down through the regions of Rioja and Navarre, across the meseta, over the Cantabrian Mountain ranges, and into Galicia. Ralph and Susan Alcorn's program will provide details of foot travel on this ancient trail--the Camino de Santiago. Free.
Please check back for changes and updates.
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.
For bookstore readings, backpacking clinics, John Muir Trail
Slide shows and Camino de Santiago slide shows contact
Shepherd Canyon Books at 866-219-8260. Out of the San
Francisco Bay Area presentations will be considered.
Recent 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. Our most recent hike was the Camino Portuguese from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain (150 miles), which Susan and Ralph completed in September 2007 and a summary of that trip is 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 www.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
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 for 2005. |
