Aug 17 hike — So Danby Road westward to the Abbott Loop

Hello Hikers!

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Fabulously dark, damp and moody walk in Danby SF  —  perfect conditions to get the best from this great trail through the pine woods.

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A little rain on the drive out to the trail head to moisten everything up nicely  —  by the time we wrapped up, the sun was just out and the sky was full of beautiful puffy clouds  —  wonderful morning!

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Unfortunately, I can never get photos from the most dramatic parts of these somber hikes, because the light’s so dim.  So you need to come out in person if you want to experience the gloom I’m always raving about.  The only shots I ever manage to get are in the few bright spots.

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Official head count:  17 hikers, five dogs

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We had some excitement  —  first, on the outbound leg, one of the dogs got stung  — then, coming back, three hikers got stung one time each  —  fortunately, we were on a nice downhill stretch at the time so we were able to start running  —  I’ve never run on a trail before  — pretty exciting, even though (because?) I felt out of control.  One of the hikers who didn’t get stung is actually allergic  — she usually carries an epi pen  — but this time it was in the car.

I already met my yearly obligation to use a photo of myself in a hiker report, two weeks ago, when I ran the candid shot in my bathing suit showing the love handles  —  now I’m going for extra credit  —  Tiger thought I looked picturesque with my hood half off  —  very clear light and a pretty crisp focus  —  you can really see the aging at work, especially if you click on the photo twice to see the blown-up version.

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Click here to see nine more photos online.