Winter

Winter has finally come to the North State.The seasonal creeks are flowing again from all the rain we are getting, the mountains have their first coat of snow and the temperatures are finally gotten down into the fifty's. For those of you that are not familiar with Redding weather that is a 50+ degree drop from the summer temps. I try to take Gunnar ( My 110lb black lab) out for a hike at least once a week but during the summer it is hard to be consistent due to the heat but during the winter the weather is seldom a problem. Today we had the opportunity to hike in the rain. It has been a while since we have taken a trip so he was especially enthusiastic. The weather was perfect 55deg and pouring rain. We took a trail up into the hills north west of town which we hike often. The sound of the wind and rain as it moves through the trees is a unique sound. One of the most relaxing and peaceful sounds there is and today was no exception. It is amazing what walking in the rain for a few hours can do for your stress level. I take these weekly hikes to give Gunnar the room to run that he needs ( with all his running back and forth he does about twice the mileage I do) but also to break away for just a few hours from the constant noise of civilization that surrounds us. Of all the things I do each week to stay healthy I think this is the most important. It is like rebooting your computer. All the junk that has built up and is slowing things down gets dumped and it starts up fresh. Well that is all for now. In the next few days I hope to post some more pictures of my recent hikes.

 This is Gunnar trying out his new pack last summer. At his size he plenty capable of carrying his own stuff.

Web cam shot of Lassen Park today. It is not a lot of snow but it is a start.