Author Archives: jeninichols

Meditation Hiking

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Filed under Hiking, Life Lessons, Stewardship

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Twenty hikers met on Sunday to welcome in Daylight Savings time and to do a meditation hike. Jeff Falconer led the group in a silent hike to the top of the Overlook Trail where the mindful walkers enjoyed the sweeping view with a deep calm. If you’d like more information about enhancing your hikes with the discipline of meditation Jeff’s newly published booklet on Walking Meditation is available for purchase at Readers Books.

Next time you hike, try combining awareness of your breath, your body in motion, and the natural surroundings for an enhanced experience!

 

Join us for a Free Community Gratitude Hike!

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Filed under Events, Fall, Seasons, Stewardship

Join us for a Free Community Gratitude Hike Saturday, December 2 at 9:00am. There will be music, coffee and muffins and we’ll hike the Overlook Trail weather permitting. For more information contact Jeni Nichols at jeninichols@icloud.com.

Day of the Dead Cemetery Tour

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Filed under Events, Fall, Fundraising, History, Mountain Cemetery, Stewardship

45 people came to walk through Mountain Cemetery and hear amateur historian, Fred Allebach tell stories about past Sonomans that now inhabit the cemetery. Not only were the curious hikers entertained with stories about well known pioneers such as Samuel Sebastiani, Mariano Vallejo, and William Montini, they also were introduced to lesser known real estate tycoons, butchers, and even murderers.

Grateful dead folktales were told and Sonoma’s rich history came alive. The funds from this years tour will be used to repair the damage from fire fighting actitivies. If you missed this event and would like to take a self guided tour of the cemetery, pick up the Mountain Cemetery Walking Tour brochure at the Overlook Trail Kiosk written by Fred Allebach and enter the Mountain Cemetery next to the kiosk.

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Hiking is for your good health

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Filed under Hiking

A simple walk in nature shows measurable health benefits, physicians say – so much so that a new nationwide initiative called “ParkRx for Health” has doctors literally writing prescriptions for walks in the great outdoors.

ParkRx is a collaborative program between health-care providers and park professionals designed to improve the well-being of Sonoma County’s residents through regular exercise, fresh air and closeness with nature. Through the program, local health care professionals “prescribe” low-impact outdoor activities, such as nature walks.

Participating health care providers include Sonoma Valley Hospital plus Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health and St. Joseph Health (Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital).

The Sonoma Overlook Trail is one of the featured hiking trails in the ParkRx program. We love hiking the Overlook Trail for our good health. . .hike to the top and celebrate your good health. . . .like this hiker!

For more information about the ParkRx program, go to http://parkrx-sonomacounty.org/about/

Overlook Trail founder is honored

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Filed under Events, Stewardship

fullsizeoutput_7196Karen Collins, who helped establish the Overlook Trail, has been honored as Sonoma County Woman of the Year for the Third Senate District. Karen has made vital conservation efforts in Sonoma and we appreciate all she does for us hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.

Karen has long been active in local civic and community service. She spearheaded the community effort to preserve the land to the north of town for hikers instead of having a luxury hotel built. She co-chaired the task force that created the trail and is still involved with the volunteer stewards and maintenance and use of the trail.

She currently chairs the Sonoma County Regional Parks and Recreation Commission, which oversees the County’s outdoor recreation programs and is also on the board of Jack London Park Partners, the nonprofit group that operates Jack London State Historical Park. In 2014, she was named the Sonoma Valley “Conservationist of the Year.”

We are lucky to have a dedicated person like Karen that supports the Overlook Trail and outdoor recreation in Sonoma County.

Congratulations Karen.