Page Contents:  1. Hiker's Checklist  2. Safe Heart/Pulse Rate  3. Ticks on Mt. Tamalpais   4. Wild Flowers on Mt. Tamalpais  4. Lichens

This is the short list of  some reminders from San Francisco Walt to help you get the most enjoyment out of hiking over the trails on Mt. Tamalpais:

1. Keeping your body hydrated is one of the most important things you must do in hot weather. Carry a good supply of water. Bring an extra bottle/canteen of water and a belt or bag/backpack to carry it.

2. Wear hiking boots with lug soles (if your have them) to grip the earth and rocks and keep your feet dry. In the Spring time, especially after a rain, there can be big puddles and lots of muddy trails

3. Bring sandals to leave in the car while hiking and put on after the hike to let your feet enjoy the air. If the trails are muddy, your boots will get muddy. You don't want to wear muddy boots in the car. Put on your sandals or other shoes to wear in th car after the hike. Put the muddy boots in a plastic shopping bag to carry home. Bring a plastic (shopping) bag for each pair of boots for that purpose.

4. Bring a hat to wear to protect your head from the sun. No sunstrokes allowed on hikes. (Also, if a tick falls on your head from an overhanging tree branch, it will be easier to detect before getting to your skin.)

5. Sunscreen lotion. Generous amount on ears, back of neck, nose, back of hands, smiling face, etc. Apply before you dress for hike to let it soak in and not stain clothes. Make an exception to your "no-lipstick" rule when you go hiking in the summer and put on some lip chap or lipstick
after eating to protect your lips from the sun and keep them moisturized.

6. If it is a hot day: Loose, long sleeve, light cotton, button up shirt with collar (if you have). Something you can wear w/o underwear or halter so that air can circulate around your skin and not have perspiration-wet clothing sticking to your skin. A pair of light, cotton, long pants will retain more body moisture than if you wear a pair of shorts. Long pants tucked into your socks will give you protection from little, sneaky, black ticks (which may carry lyme disease) from climbing up your leg inside your pants.

7. A short sleeve t-shirt to carry in your back pack. If a chilly, ocean driven fog creeps in while on the trail, you can put it on over your shirt as a wind break to keep warm.

8. Lunch. Bring whatever you like. Consider the fact that your body is going to be burning caloris and losing much greater amounts of water than you are normally used to in a short period of time. So, think of bringing something that will absorb no water or little water from your circulatory
system. If you like cucumbers, apples or juicy fruit, bread and maybe some cheese is a good combination. Bring some salt to put on the food. A little salt intake (especially in hot weather) is a heat stroke deterrent.

Bring one or two plastic bags like the ones you use when you buy fruits or vegetables. For garbage/multi-purpose use.
Take nothing but photos. Leave nothing but footprints.

9. Bring your swiss army knife if you have one.  It's an invaluable tool on a hike.

10. Bring a couple of wet wipes to carry in your back pack if you have them. Also carry some band aids in your back pack in a small plastic bag in case you scrape or cut yourself.

11. Bring about 12 to 16 sections of toilet paper (multi-use potential on hikes) wrapped up in a sealable/waterproof plastic bag.

12. Arrive on the mountain with a happy, child-like curiosity and wanderlust spirit.

Eat a good breakfast combo of protein and carbohydrates. The carbohydrates will give you energy in the early hours, the protein converts to glucose (and energy) about 5 hours after intake.

MAXIMUM PULSE/HEART RATE AND TARGET RANGE FOR HIKER'S HEALTH
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/Target-Heart-Rates_UCM_434341_Article.jsp

First Thing’s First
Before you learn how to calculate and monitor your target training heart rate, you have to know your resting heart rate. Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute while it’s at rest. 

It’s best to check it in the morning after you’ve had a good night’s sleep and before you get out of bed. The average resting heart rate is 60-80 beats per minute, but it’s usually lower for physically fit people.  It also rises with age.

Hitttin’ the Target
Now you’re ready to determine your target training heart rate. As you exercise, periodically:
• Take your pulse on the inside of your wrist, on the thumb side.
• Use the tips of your first two fingers (not your thumb) to press lightly over the blood vessels on your wrist.
• Count your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply by 6 to find your beats per minute. You want to stay between 50 percent to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. This range is your target heart rate. 

Know Your Numbers
The table below shows estimated  target heart rates for different ages. In the age category closest to yours, read across to find your target heart rate.

The maximum heart rate is about 220 for men-- and 226 for women - minus your age. The figures are averages, so use them as general guidelines.

Formula:  Maximum  Heart  Rate minus your age x 85% = Recommended Safe Heart Rate

Important Note: A few high blood pressure medications lower the maximum heart rate and thus the target zone rate. If you're taking such medicine, call your physician to find out if you need to use a lower target heart

 “It’s not an absolute, but it’s a good tool to have,” says Fletcher, who is also an American Heart Association volunteer. “And if you don’t know it, remember, if you’re not able to carry on a conversation (while exercising), that may be a bit too much.”

If you have a heart condition or you’re in cardiac rehab, talk to a healthcare professional about what exercises you can engage in, what your target heart rate should be and whether you need to be monitored during physical activity.  This will also help you to choose the types of physical activity that are appropriate for your current fitness level and health goals, because some activities are safer than others.

Ticks found on Mt. Tamalpais

Following is a list of native wildflowers that can be found on Mt. Tamalpais. Generally, the first wild flowers will be seen blooming at ocean level (Muir Woods where earliest warming begins) in February. An exception to this is the Calypso Orchid which can be seen around Laurel Dell in February. As time goes by, wild flowers can be found blooming progressing up the mountain until about June where the last blooming, wild flowers can be seen at the top of the mountain.

Using a field guide that you can reference while hiking is ok if you don't mind carrying the extra weight. But if you are computer literate, you can do research before you hike.  Bring up a search engine, click the images tab, and enter the scientific name of the plant you would like to view.  

                       WINTER IS LOOKING-AT-LICHENS TIME

During the winter, when many other plants are dormant, winter rains result in lichens reigning resplendent! Lichens can hold many times their weight in water, like a sponge. The most spectacular time to enjoy lichen exploring is soon after a rain or during wet, foggy weather. On rainy days their water content can increase to over 300 percent!

Respiration occurs two to three times faster when the lichen is wet. During the winter months, wind and rainstorms are frequent and the lichens are exposed to the full force of the elements. Fragments and shreds are blown to other trees, becoming coiled and entangled in the branches and stumps on which they continue to grow and fruit.

The word LICHEN comes from the Greek language and means "a tree moss." Actually, lichens belong to the plant family below the mosses. They are very primitive plant growths.
Lichens are rootless organisms that belong to the lowly group of plants called Thallophytes. Lichens are fungi and alga that have bonded together in a symbiotic relationship. There are some who believe that the fungi is parasitic on the alga and benefits to a greater extent. Together they are able to survive more successfully than either could alone.

Undeniably, they make a marvelous and often beautiful team. Some lichens live to be thousands of years old. When dry, lichens enter a dormant state and can endure long periods of drought and great extremes in temperature. When moistened, their metabolism increases and they resume growth at once. Often lichens are the first living plants found on uplifted rocks after earthquake or volcanic action. Over a period of many generations, the build up of debris from lichens provides the next higher order of plant life a means to grow and become established.

A variety of lichens are found living on Mt. Tamalpais. They appear in several different growth forms. The CRUSTOSE lichens are the least developed and lowest forms of lichens. These lichens grow by forming a crust on rocks, soil, or trees. Some are brilliantly colored. FOLIOSE lichens are papery or leaf like and grow close to the bark or rock. At some locations you will see bunches of hairy-like FRUITICOSE lichens hanging from the branches of trees like an old man's beard, which is what they are called.

Lichens are important sources of food for snails, slugs, wood mites, caterpillars (also many butterflies) and other invertebrates, though with the exception of caterpillars, they eat them only when moist. The damaged lichens are able to regenerate. Ancient Egyptians ground up lichens for flour for bread making. The Manna Lichen (Lecanora esculenta), a desert species of Crusty Lichen, probably fed the Israelites during their plight in the desert.

Lichens obtain all their moisture and nutrients from the air that flows over them. Because lichens do get all their nutrients and moisture from the air around them, they are sensitive indicators of air pollution. Lichens are not picky. If toxic elements are in the air, lichens will absorb and hold those elements even it kills them. If the air is polluted with toxins, that condition will be reflected by the health and number of lichens found in a location.

#References:
"Lichens of California" by Mason E. Halee and M. Cole
"Forests of Lilliput--The Realm of Mosses and Lichens" by John Bland
"Prophets of Gloom" by Edwin Kiester Jr. DISCOVER magazine 11/91

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