Adventures.

Las Posadas State Forest – 01/07/2026

The first fungi of the day with some gorgeous gills.

The first adventure of 2026 was a full tour of Las Posadas State Park hidden in the hills of Napa Valley. The whole time I lived in Napa, I hiked throughout the valley but never discovered this hidden gem in the hills of Angwin. Rafael and I have hiked this park a few times before this trip, each time discovering something new in this amazing redwood grove hidden behind the ridgeline around Angwin. This trip really topped them all with the variety of mushrooms and fungi that we found, plenty of water, and great weather.

Rafael with some fresh mushrooms on a recent break.

We started as usual at the parking lot, hiked down the whoop-dee-doos on pacific union colleges property, and crossed over into the state park. We have a little shortcut we take to bring us over to a beautiful meadow. We hop over to an old fireroad that brings us around to the start of my favorite section that winds down through a redwood grove. You wouldn't suspect the redwood grove to be there. There are some old live oaks and Douglas fir, and out of nowhere, these old growth redwood rise right by the dry streambed. This section of the canyon doesn't have much water, but during rainfall.

This short trail is particularly enjoyable because it is a tight and switchbacked trail down the canyon with an easy grade. As you wind your way down the canyon, the redwoods surround you, keeping the moisture and cool air near the forest floor and promoting the growth and diversity of life in the state forest. If it was dry at the top of the trail, once you drop down further into the canyon, the sound of water and moist air will tell you that is not the case for long. Its not long before you com across the source of the water – a pump house owned by the state. Water is collected at the pump house from the springs that feed the creek – the same source of water feeding nearby Linda Falls.

Strangest mushroom of the day. Looked like a piece of a tomato.

After a quick break at the pump house, we continued on. This is where the ground stays saturated with water, especially during the wintertime. It was muddy, and streams of water crisscrossed the trail to the point that we were going around to look for crossing points or jumping the stream at full sprinting speed.

Point Reyes Coast Trail #2 – 12/27/2025

Katie and I set out from Bear Valley Visitor Center with luck on our side once again. Backpacking in Point Reyes during winter is a matter of chance when it comes to the rain. The forecast had two days of clear skies and warm-ish temperatures. We started up the dirt trail from the parking lot to wrap around the horse stables and native american settlement ruins. Lining the ridge were eucalyptus and Douglas fir. It wasn't far down the trail before we saw the first downed tree as evidence of a wild rain storm that the Bay Area saw the week prior. There was a lady in the horse field cleaning scattered branches in the field and across the fenceline who had noticed our packs. She asked where we were going and when told "to coast camp", she laughed and said we like the long way. Haha! That is correct. Katie remarked that the tree would not be the only downed tree that we would see on our hike. How she was right..

The trail goes into the eucalyptus trees, climbing slightly before going down into a dense canyon. There were a few downed trees, and it was clear this trail was going to be slow going. The ground was saturated with water from a week of rainstorms. Any more water and the trail would have been peanut butter. The trail goes down slightly, then joins the skyline trail and heads up to the ridgeline. The storm the previous week had winds strong enough to topple these old growth douglas firs by pulling their roots right out of the ground. The trail was heading slightly uphill, and downed trees were crossing left, right, and at one point, inline with the trail, causing us to crawl through the brambles to rejoin the trail. It was a tough and exciting start. There is poison oak in this area, so caution and awareness were needed.

We counted our 10th tree by a mile or so into the trail. We went under, over, around, and between these trees. There were fresh fungi on downed trees, and the air was moisture-laden and still. It was a great time despite the limbo moves with our 30lb packs. We were starting to make our way up the ridge, and the downed trees were becoming smaller in size. The forest changes from the heavy dense undergrowth to taller old growth. The trail was moving faster, and we could feel the elevation gain. The trail works its way around until you can tell you're on the ridge proper. The Douglas firs also grow shorter in size. The forest was fantastic with sunlight peaking through the low trees, fungi, and birds.

We get to the top of