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Because of COVID-19 and massive closures and inaccessibility to campsites, travel, and other regular adventures this blog has been inactive. I will be resuming this site in 2021 as things clear up and begin to open. Here is a general message about COVID-19 to you, dear visitor, and all my Forge Fitness and Nutrition clients around the world…
I know…It’s been a while since my last post. Forge has been growing and Heather and I have been thriving. We purchased a house over the New Year and totally missed the snow season as we focused on our new life adventure. Sorry, I totally forgot to document the move so that’s not on the blog. BUT…we are happy the weather has changed and we can get back out on the trails. Check out our first camping and hiking trip of 2019!
Backpacking in Desolation Wilderness to Aloha Lake, Heather Lake and Susie Lake. We originally planned on two nights out but I have been under the weather for several days and we decided to call it after one night. We also decided to take one of the more challenging trails to get to the back country with 2300 feet up in less than 2 miles right from the start.
Ice House Campground is surrounded by a mixed conifer forest on the shores of Ice House Reservoir. The campground offers hiking, biking, jet skiing and fishing. Ponderosa pine is a pleasing part of the surrounding region. The trees fill the air with a vanilla aroma and it's the tallest known pine tree in the country...
Desolation Wilderness has so many unique and interesting areas to explore. In this adventure, we backpacked out to the Velma Lakes and set-up camp at the lower lake. This is not an ideal trip for beginners because the elevation gain is quite challenging. For more advanced hikers, this is totally worth the trip…
Now that Izabella has been dropped off to the airport, Heather and I are going out and hitting up SF starting at "The View" which is a bar on the top of Marriott near Union Square. We have tried some new restaurants and were disappointed. We ended up at Epic as usual and walked the city and explored a little...
When I was 15 years old, my family hosted a Brazilian exchange student, Renato (Jr). We are so grateful oh have been blessed with meeting him as we have become family over 20 years. After Jr left went home to Brazil, he married his girlfriend, Aline. Soon after, she gave birth to Izabella. Now, Bella is 19 years old…
Our triumphant return to Monterey and Big Sur. We spent the day along the coast and went down to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. This is the site of the world famous McWay Falls, which drops over a cliff of 80 feet into the Pacific Ocean. We then cam back up and spent some time in some local art galleries. We ended our day on the Cannery Row and indulged in some great dining...
Heather and I love wildlife and have never been to the San Diego Zoo. This was an awesome experience but I can't help but feel the confinement of these animals is lightly cruel. I fully understand they are well cared for and their habitats are remarkably well maintained and spacious but it still makes me just a bit sad...
This is the first time Heather has been to Monterey. We decided it is one of our potential living places as the coast line and hiking opportunities are right in-line with our style. We did some of the tourist stuff like the 17 Mile Drive, Lone Cypress, Pebble Beach and the Cannary Row. We also went out to Point Reyes National Seashore for some light hiking...
Island Lakes in the Desolation Wilderness has become a favorite spot for us. Not only is the hike beautifully scenic, the elevation and no fire policies make for a filter that keeps morons out of the space and the new permit system is a blessing. Nothing ruins nature like humans that don’t respect it…
