My first hike

So PD and I decided it was time to lose all the wedding fat (oh yes, we gave up all semblance of self-control and totally indulged ourselves post-wedding. I was afraid it would be a long time before I got to eat some of my favorite foods again - gol gappas, bajjis, punukulu, bobbatlu, kaju chikki... you get the picture. So, I was making up in advance. And PD got tempted by all the stuff I was eating :P)

PD loves to hike, and I always wanted to try. So we went on a beginner level (to match my stamina) hike to the Wunderlich park. Hiking is a much more enjoyable fitness activity compared to any others I have tried before. Walking (and running/biking if you have the stamina) on trails, with lots of trees around is such an awesome thing to do.

Lets go hiking!

Winding trails

I believe the park is a redwood forest (so the brochure says, I am no botanist). Apparently, John Steinback said about the trees "The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe." Well, I know what he was talking about. The trees are HUGE, and thats an understatement. They grow so tall, I actually felt intimidated by their height, pretty much like the Lilliputians felt when they first saw Gulliver. No kidding, its a little scary to be left alone in the redwoods.

Intimidatingly huge redwood trees

Once in a while you can also see wild animals on hiking trails (deer, rabbits, foxes, and even rattle snakes, going by the stories PD has told me) scampering away as you come closer (some of them would make me scamper, I guess). On this hike, I managed to see some squirrels with nice long bushy tails. They are quite nimble, I didnt get a single pic to show :| Talking of animals, Wunderlich is also home to the Folger stable, so we got to see some horses and jockeys too.

So much love between the horse and his caretaker. We saw this guy get a shave :P

This guy felt neglected, so I thought I would show some love by clicking a pic

We also visited the Folger's museum which showed the history of horse riding and of the Folger's estate - interesting tidbits about how and when horse shoes came into picture, the evolution of horse carriages, the story of how the 942 acre park was donated by Martin Wunderlich to the San Mateo county, etc. Quite interesting!

Overall, it was an awesome hike we had. We hiked about 4 miles in all, covering an elevation of about 1250 feet (the park is much bigger, we restricted our hike to 4 miles to suit my beginner hiker levels). Phew, for me - a first time hiker - that was some achievement. Oh boy, I feel so proud of myself :)