The Trailmix.Net Blog

October 2008 - Posts

Hiking With Kids in California Gold Country: Exploring the Monroe Ridge Trail

In 1848 a carpenter named James Marshall was inspecting the progress of a sawmill he was constructing on the banks of the American River in Coloma, CA. As he gazed into the water, he noticed something that would change the world forever.

Glittering in the sunlight were the nuggets of gold that would start the California gold rush. When the news of the discovery broke, immigrants from around the world swarmed to the California gold fields to seek their fortune. Following closely behind them were merchants and businesses. Before long Marshall's discovery had sparked the greatest mass migration of people in history.

The site of Marshall's discovery is now managed by the California State Parks system and known as the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. The visitors center and actual gold discovery site are easily accessible from the parking areas off of Highway 49, but the adventurous can take the road less traveled to get some fresh air, a feel for the terrain, and a bird's eye view of this historical place.

The 2.9 mile Monroe Ridge Trail follows the perimeter of the park. Along the trail you will see mining ditches, an abandoned mine, vistas that overlook Coloma, and the Marshall Monument. In the final quarter mile, the trail brings you to the visitors center, the replica of Sutter's Mill, and the actual sites on the American River where the mill was constructed and gold was first discovered.

Monroe Ridge Trail Conditions
The Monroe Ridge Trail is well maintained packed dirt and duff. It isn't fit for strollers, so parents hiking with small children will need a child carrier.

As you hike the Monroe Ridge Trail, you will travel a distance of 2.9 miles and climb about 600 feet in elevation. If you do plan to take the trail with a backpack style child carrier, you might want to review the rest step technique to help navigate the switchbacks that you will encounter along the way. If you are planning this hike with young kids, be sure to assess their capabilities to ensure that this hike is appropriate for each member of the family.

Action Scenery and Geocaching Opportunities:
Action scenery helps kids break a long hike into smaller, more manageable portions. By getting children to actively seek wildlife, trail markers, and species of plants and trees you can make the hike more fun and help keep spirits high. Be on the lookout for wild turkeys, squirrel, and deer. If you don't see any wildlife, look for the red, smooth bark of Manzanita trees.

If your family Geocaches, you can also break up the hike by finding any of the several hidden caches along this trail. If you are geocaching in the area, don't miss the earthcache at the end of the hike. If you don't know how to Geocache, but want to learn you can watch our free Geocaching seminar here.

Educational Opportunities
The park and visitors center are loaded with opportunities for hands-on history and geology.

The museum contains Indian and mining exhibits. Historical structures and structural remains are scattered throughout the park. The Monroe Ridge Trail will take you over mining ditches, near an abandoned mine, and to several historical structures. In the last half mile of the hike you will walk near the Wah Hop store, restored to re-create a shopping experience in the late 1800s. Next to it, you will see the Man Lee mining exhibit. Be sure to take a break here, both are worthy of attention.

This final leg of the trail also brings you near the actual gold discovery site. Here you can look at a replica of the mill, look at actual timbers salvaged from the original site, see where the mill stood, and see where gold was actually discovered by Marshall in 1848.

Hazards

You may want to review precautions that should be taken when hiking in Mountain Lion habitat.
If you don't know how, you can learn to identify poison oak by watching this free seminar.
Along the trail, you will cross two mining ditches and walk near an open mine shaft. Keep children (and adults) on the safe side of the fence when you are exploring these areas. Never enter abandoned mines.
Keep a eye on children if you get close to the river near the original mill site or the gold discovery site.

Getting There and Mapping Info
The Monroe Ridge Trailhead is only an hour from Sacramento.

From Sacramento, Take US 50 east to Placerville, CA. Take Highway 49 North to Coloma. There is a $5 parking fee. The trailhead is located on the opposite side of Highway 49 from the northern parking area (near north beach).

Park Website
Map of the park and park brochure
Mapquest

Coordinates of the Parking Area: N 38° 48.284, W 120° 53.670

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Posted Oct 27 2008, 09:28 PM by Mike Barlow with 3 comment(s)

Filed under: Hikes for Kids, Sacramento, Northern California Trails, Geocaching, Hiking, Family Outdoor Recreation, Exploration

A Walk In the Park Improves Attention in Children With ADHD

In 2006 when we began building Trailmix.Net, we pulled together a number of research papers about children and the outdoors. It was during this time that we first began following the research of Andrea Faber Taylor and Francis Kuo which documented an interesting connection between outdoor play in green settings and reduced ADHD symptoms.

Kuo and Fabor-Taylor recently published a study in the Journal of Attention Disorders that examines this observation more methodically. The study shows (using more controlled experimental methods) that children with ADHD truly do demonstrate improved attention after a walk in a park.

...."What this particular study tells us is that the physical environment matters," said Kuo. "We don't know what it is about the park, exactly - the greenness or lack of buildings - that seems to improve attention, but the study tells us that even though everything else was the same - who the child was with, the levels of noise, the length of time, the time of day, whether the child was on medication - if we kept everything else the same, we just changed the environment, we still saw a measurable difference in children's symptoms. And that's completely new. No one has done a study looking at a child in different environments, in a controlled comparison where everything else is the same."

You can read the full press release announcing publication of this study at the American Academy of Sciences Eurekalert!

Carving out time for Family Outdoor Activities: Three Planning tips for Busy Parents

Hiking with Kids: Setting Realistic Expectations

Wildlife Watching With Children: Three Tips

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Posted Oct 19 2008, 10:31 PM by Mike Barlow with no comments

Filed under: Parenting

Fossilized Insects in Amber: The Perfect Gift for an Aspiring Indiana Jones

If you haven't noticed, we've been doing a lot of work in the Trailmix.Net store lately. We're on a quest to become the number one company in the niche of Premium Expedition Toys and Games. By Premium, we mean the best. By Expedition Toys and Games, we mean providing products that ignite the imagination and natural curiosity of children through the exploration of nature, natural history, history, and the sciences.

We are happy to announce that today we opened the Natural History wing of the Trailmix.Net store. Our first products in this category are both unique and unusual.... You'll have a very hard time finding anything like them at most toy and hobby shops.

Trailmix.Net has acquired a shipment of amber, which is fossilized tree resin. Each sample includes the remains of at least one ancient insect.

If you have ever read the book or seen the movie Jurassic Park in which the DNA of Dinosaurs was extracted from tiny fossilized mosquitoes, you are going to love our collection which carries some much larger specimens. This is a unique opportunity to purchase an item that is both educational and, like all unique-one of a kind-limited supply items, could increase in value as worldwide supplies shrink.

If you are thinking about creating archeological or natural history collection, fossiliferous amber is a great place to start. Even if you aren't, it certainly is fun to look at. Odds are if you found this blog, we're stocking the type of stuff in our store that would minimally spark your curiosity..... Click here to check it out.

Children detach from natural world as they explore the virtual one

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Posted Oct 18 2008, 05:32 AM by Mike Barlow with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: Education and E-Learning, Exploration, Educational Toys, Available In the Trailmix.Net Store

Revised and Updated: Identifying and Avoiding Poison Oak

The most popular of our free seminars, "How to Identify and Avoid Poison Oak" has been reorganized, updated, and revised. The seminar helps you understand the mechanism of poison oak exposure, learn how to identify poison oak, and learn what to do in the event that you or your kids are exposed. Be sure to take the Trailmix.Net Poison Oak Challenge at the end of the presentation.

Here is a summary of what you will learn:

The Mechanism of Poison Oak Exposure
The rash associated with poison oak is caused by contacting an oily resin found in the roots, leaves, or stems called urushiol. It takes only 1 billionth of a gram to trigger a rash. Urushiol oil does not evaporate and can remain active on clothes and outdoor equipment for up to a year.

In most people (roughly 90%), contact with urushiol triggers an allergic reaction. The cycle of poison oak exposure lasts about 10 days. Within two days of skin exposure to urushiol, a rash will begin. The symptoms will peak in intensity at or around day five. After about ten days, the symptoms will begin to decline.

A common myth is that poison oak is contagious. Although it is possible to transfer residual urushiol oil from one area to another, you can manage the problem by managing the urushiol oil.

How to Identify Poison Oak

Poison oak is found all along the Pacific Coast of North America from Canada to the Baja Peninsula. It also happens to be the most abundant shrub in California.

The first thing that you look for when identifying poison oak are the three leaves. Remember the saying "leaves of three, leave them be..." Once you have identified the three leaves, examine the edges. Poison oak has a distinct scalloped or toothy edge.

Poison oak leaves will change color as the season progresses from green in the spring, to yellow in the summer, and bright red in the fall. The morphology can vary and poison oak can be found growing as a vine, bush, or shrub.

What to do if You are Exposed to Poison Oak

The best way to manage poison oak risk is to focus on prevention.

Learn to recognize the three Poison Oak leaflets and avoid contact. If you know you will be hiking near poison oak, wear shirts with sleeves and long pants. Commercially available prevention cremes such as Ivy Block can be helpful in binding up the urushiol oils before they penetrate the skin.

You should also wash any gear that you suspect has been exposed to poison oak. It has been demonstrated that washing gear or clothing with a detergent will remove urushiol oil and prevent a subsequent re-exposure.

If you suspect that you have had contact with Poison Oak, wash your skin with cold water. Be sure to use cold water and be thorough. Special poison oak soaps such as Technu can be helpful in removing the urushiol. These are most effective if used between 2-8 hours after contact.

If you are exposed and have a rash, there are a number of commercially available Over the Counter products that can help with itching and swelling.

Severe cases of poison oak exposure require medical attention. Call a doctor immediately in cases where an adult or child has trouble breathing, the rash is affecting the face, eyes, lips, or genitals, or the rash shows any signs of infection. The presentation should not be used as a substitute for medical consultation. If there is any doubt, see a doctor.

A poison oak rash is the price that many people pay to enjoy the outdoors. But you really don't need to. Understanding the mechanism of exposure, how to identify and avoid poison oak, and understanding what to do if you or your children become exposed can save you ten days of obsessive scratching.

We are always trying to make our seminars more useful. If you watch the seminar, please leave a comment to let us know what you thought of it (registration isn't necessary). Also, if you want to share it with a friend, youth group, scout troop, etc. the direct link to the presentation is http://poisonoak.trailmix.net/ .

Inspired by toxidendron diversilobum