Hiking in Colfax, CA

The little town of Colfax has a motto: "Above the fog, below the snow". This quaint town is only a short drive from Auburn, but we're greeted with the sun and plenty of water from the American River on this Winter hike. 

A couple of hiker buddies and I took the Steven's Trail, which is about 7 miles of 1300 ft. elevation and none of us had ever trekked there before. The unknown is part of the fun in the adventure. Lately, my life has been attached to my work, with eyes glued to the screen. While hiking, I find that I had to repeatedly remind myself to look up at the sights and breathe it all in. It's a reminder that in this world, you're really just small being that's a part of something bigger... and it's just what I needed.

One of the most amazing surprises of the day was when we stumbled across the ladybug migration site. They were so small and clustered together, you can easily mistaken them for berries. I'm the kind of person who gets excited about a single ladybug landing on my arm. Seeing them in droves was definitely incredible.

I was so hungry afterwards; one our way back home, we stopped at Auburn Alehouse in Old Town Auburn and had the most amazing burgers and fries, as one would crave after a full day of hiking.

Hiking in Auburn

A couple months ago, I joined a dance fitness class and it gave me a new positive energy to my current lifestyle. The group is so supportive that they quickly became like family. We went on an a hike to Hidden Falls, in Auburn, CA as one of the annual trips with the group.

The water was scant due to the serious drought in California. We could really see the effects of it from the waterfall and rivers this Summer. Sometimes, we take for granted the resources that we have when we don't see the changing effects happening to our natural surroundings right in our backyard. 

Prescribed Fire

[photo from Yosemite hike, 2016]

Sometimes, we find explanations for life in odd metaphors.

When my college boyfriend and I broke up several years ago, I remembered it like a fire - heated and painful. It was like all the years we grew up together suddenly caught on flames and then burned down right in front of us.