I do not participate in a hike if the time spent on commuting is longer than that spent on hiking, so how should I account for my participation in Outdoor Bloggers’ First Annual Ho Down – thirteen hours on the plane and about twelve hours in Tom Mangan’s new Honda Element for just two day hikes?! Well, it is certainly more than just day hikes although I did feel it might be impulse participation the moment I booked my flight, but just as what I expected it turned out to be a very good investment.

For both nights camping near Gumboot Lake in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, we bathed in moonlight, crisp fall air, comradeship, and bottles and bottles of superb red wine (Salute to the professional wine hiker, Russ. He upgraded me from Miss half bottle to a wine taster). We chit-chatted and we also talked about big pictures – how and what we could do to contribute to the outdoor community as a collective? No concrete plans have been concluded yet; however, the discussion I had with these quality people kept stirring in my head and several of my personal outdoor projects have been inspired since then.

The weather was gorgeous, and it made Mt Shasta look so friendly and tempting. On Sunday, we hiked from the parking lot at Bunny Flat to Horse Camp, where the trailhead to Mt Shasta is. Most of the snow on top of the summit had melted, I heard this voice as if Mt Shasta was talking to me, “Come up here, girl, to examine what you just learned about mountaineering.” I felt sorry that I didn’t plan better and bring some gear; however, this is an excellent excuse to revisit this place. Oh, my bad, why should I need an excuse? The beauty of this place already serves as a good reason for people to visit or even to reside. Tom at Trout Underground, the local Ho Downer, will tell you how privileged he and his wife, Nancy, are to live so close to this pristine wilderness.

To learn more about our first Ho-Down and check out some photos:

• The Outdoor Bloggers Hike to Brookie Heaven
• Outdoor Blogger Ho-Down a Fine Success!
• photos - Shasta bloggers meetup
• Images from the Ho down
• Ho Down Update: Outdoor Bloggers Plan World Domination

A glance of the Ho Downers by Tom Mangan:

climb_ca, John Fedak, Rick McCharles, Tom Chandler, Russ Beebe, and me.

What to participate in the Second Ho Down? Here are some appetizers:

• Second Annual Ho-Down in Damascus, Virginia
• Prospective Ho-Down Organizer, Cutter

Photo credit: Nancy & Tom Chandler

Update: more photos from John Fedak