Enjoying Outside - Safe Summer Hiking

Kristie Ehrhardt • September 11, 2025

Technology and fast-paced living are part of our everyday world, but spending time in nature can help neutralize the tension and flurry that has become commonplace for us. Heading outdoors, even during the heat of summer, is not only possible but with a little preparation it can be safe, enjoyable, and fulfilling. Although the summer is coming to a close, temperatures can still be high. Here are some tips to stay safe while hiking in high temperatures.


Keep an eye on the weather.

We are all painfully aware that our region gets HOT during the summer months and although the forecast doesn’t really change all that much, in certain areas it can fluctuate more than at your house so keeping an eye on the weather where you’re headed is important.

Head out early to take full advantage of the cooler morning hours. Being at the trailhead at sunrise not only avoids some of the heat of the day, but it will likely also avoid crowded parking situations and traffic jams on the trail.


Some areas in our region may experience more wind than others and when the wind is from the north it is typically hot and dry which can rapidly increase the risk of dehydration while hiking. Along with the gusty north winds come “fire weather” which is often indicated by a Red Flag Warning, meaning that there is an increased risk for fire danger because of high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds. If you smell smoke while you’re hiking, it's always best to immediately evacuate the area. Failing to leave not only puts you at risk, but it also puts emergency personnel that may have to come to your aid at risk as well. 


Stay hydrated and fuel up

Carry and drink plenty of water during your hike, in fact, bring more than you think you’ll need. A good rule of thumb is to drink a half to a full liter of water every hour depending on the temperature and your level of exertion. Be sure to drink often, sipping water helps you maintain hydration much better than chugging a bunch of water once or twice during your hike. You’ll feel a lot better too. If you get distracted by the scenery and forget to sip, set a timer to remind you to take a drink about every 20 minutes. If it’s really hot or you’ll be working really hard, pre-hydrate. Drink about 16 ounces of water two hours before you hit the trail.


Remember to bring some snacks even if you’re not planning on being out on the trail all day. Finding the perfect spot to sit and journal or sketch for a while, unexpected difficult terrain or even possibly an injury or getting lost can keep you out on the trail longer than expected and having extra food with you not only keeps your energy up but also your morale. Perspiring causes your body to lose not only water but also electrolytes so packing snacks with a little extra sodium and potassium can also help keep you happy and feeling well. A quick way to replenish electrolytes is to drink a sports or recovery drink.


Know your limits

Pay attention to your body and any aches and pains you may be experiencing. Consider fatigue, strained muscles, a cranky ankle or even blisters and how those will make you feel if you continue hiking. The trek out may be downhill, but it’ll be hotter than when you started. Turn back or head out before your water supply is half gone and don’t hike beyond your ability.


Hiking is more fun with company. Having others with you to share the joy and experiences of the day is fabulous but having friends with you also lets you check on one another and, if necessary, help with important decisions should there be an injury or a need to call for help. Tuleyome, the Sierra Club and other “meet up” groups often offer group hikes where you can learn the terrain and meet fellow hikers. 


Make a Plan and Be Prepared

Check the weather forecast and trail conditions before you go and bring appropriate clothing. Be sure to let someone know where you are heading and about how long you expect to be gone, especially if you are hiking alone. There’s a good possibility that your cell phone may not have service on the trail so attaching a whistle to your pack should you need to call for help is a smart idea. Stay on the trail to help avoid things like poison oak and ticks and keep in mind that snakes may also be out enjoying the day. If you encounter one, please just allow it to pass, it doesn’t want to engage with you either. Wear sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat or get a backpack umbrella to attach to your pack to ensure that you’ll always have shade. Sunscreen is an absolute must and should be reapplied often, especially after swimming or excessive sweating.


Getting a sunburn is not only miserable and risky, but it can also add to the risk of dehydration. Some essential items to pack include a headlamp or flashlight, a knife or multipurpose tool, and a first aid kit that includes duct tape and super glue. Bonus points for taking a first aid course before hiking season, especially if you like to hike alone. If you’re hiking with your canine pal, please be sure to take notice of their physical ability and demeanor. Dogs heat up and cool down differently than people and outdoor activity during the heat of the day can be extremely uncomfortable or even dangerous for them. Heatstroke can be life threatening to a dog and breaks with extra water and shade are essential for them; don’t base their health level on how you’re feeling.


Hiking can be done safely in our region any time of year. Some forethought and precautions can help avoid unnecessary calls to our first responders and help you enjoy the outdoors.

And as always - if you pack it in, pack it out!

-Kristie Ehrhardt (kehrhardt@tuleyome.org)

Tuleyome Land Conservation Program Manager

RECENT ARTICLES

Monumental Questions - What is iNaturalist?

By Kristie Ehrhardt • April 9, 2026
Have you ever been hiking in the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument (or almost anywhere else in the world for that matter) and come across a plant or animal and not been able to identify it? Have you ever thought, “hmmm, if only there was an easily accessible phone app that could help me identify this thing nearly instantly?” If that exact thought wandered through your cranium; boy, oh boy are you in luck! Enter iNaturalist! The iNaturalist app is primarily an online social community sharing their findings and information to network and help others learn about the environment. The iNaturalist website states that “INaturalist is crowdsourced species identification system and an organism occurrence recording tool. You can use it to record your own observations, get help with identifications, collaborate with others to collect this kind of information for a common purpose, or access the observational data collected by other iNaturalist users.” iNaturaist was developed as a Master’s final project by Ken-ichi Ueda, Nate Agrin and Jessica Kline at UC Berkeley’s School of Information back in 2005; the same year that YouTube and Reddit were initially introduced to the public - a vintage year for social media developments! It officially launched in 2008 and work continued on the site and iNaturalist, LLC was born in 2011. By 2017 National Geographic was onboard and in 2023, what began as a student project became an independent nonprofit organization that grew into a globally recognized Citizen Science driven platform that connects millions of people to the biodiversity around them. iNaturalist is a compilation database that contributes valuable collective intelligence to conservation and science from around the world. iNaturalist is a valuable tool for species identification as well as organism occurrence crowdsourced information, it is also a practical resource for species identification and distribution. And guess what else! It’s free to use. Sound good? Want to know how you can benefit from iNaturalist? You can use iNaturalist to record your own species observations and locations. You can use it to help identify species you aren’t sure about or may be new to by using other individuals' entries. You can even work with other users to collaborate and continue to add information to the site or you can access other’s information regarding species observations and occurrences. You can look up and enter data using scientific nomenclature or common names. You can look at other’s photos and locations for reference and contribute your observations. Students and Professors alike are using and recommending iNaturalist. So how’s it been going? On March 20, 2008, the very first entry was made into iNaturalist. To save you from doing the math I’ll tell you that iNaturalist just had its 18th birthday! Guess how many observations people have recorded in those 18 years… you’ll never guess so I’ll just tell you - iNaturalist has over 3.5 million individual observations ! And it’s increasing every moment, you can literally watch the counter on their homepage rise. Guess how many individual species have been recorded! Not to be disparaging but you’ll never get it...iNaturalist is up to just under 560,000 species ! There are currently over four million registered individuals making and recording observations and more than 483,000 people helping other people by making identifications. In just 18 years, a student project has grown into a globally recognized and respected tool to make and record species observations adding information to a world-wide biodiversity database. If you want to be a part of this community simply download the iNaturalist app or go to their website and get out there and start entering your observations. The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument region is an incredible place to practice using iNaturalist because it hosts such a huge diversity of habitats and species.

Enjoying Outside! - Pestiferous Foxtails

By Kristie Ehrhardt • April 9, 2026
I’m sure a lot of us already know the danger that foxtails pose to our dog and cat friends and hopefully nobody reading this minds, but I’d like to try extra hard to make sure that everyone reading this knows about the menacing nature of foxtail barley. Foxtail barley ( Hordeum sp.) is a member of the grass (Poaceae) family and is native (I just learned this!) to North America. Although it is a native species, it is considered “weedy” because it readily establishes and can outcompete other species because it thrives in both moist and drought prone environments. It is also known by other cute little woodland creature names such as squirreltail barley, bobtail barley and skunktail barley but lemme tell you, it’s not as endearing as the common names suggest. The name “foxtail” is a general term for grasses in the Hordeum (barley genus). Foxtail barley (foxtail) is a perennial bunch grass that thrives in previously disturbed areas and is somewhat unique in that it is tolerant of saline and/or alkaline soils where the majority of other upland species cannot survive. Foxtails can germinate in the spring or the fall and those that germinate in the fall resume growing early the following spring often outcompeting other spring germinating plant species. Because it is salt tolerant it can be found on coastal beaches and along the edges of brackish and salt marshes as well as road sides, yards and fields. Foxtail usually doesn't exceed one three feet tall when left undisturbed but if the plants are mowed, they can flower and produce seed much closer to the ground as well. Seed heads are pale green and appear as a square-shaped (characteristic of barley) bushy spike. The stems are erect with soft blue-ish gray-green rolled leaves and seed heads have long awns. Since plants can’t get up and wander about, they need a method to disperse their seeds. That method for foxtails is mainly by hitchhiking on other things that move from one location to another. Up close, individual seeds look like a fox’s bushy tail and their shape helps them to attach to your pets and you. And because the seeds are barbed, they can get embedded in our furry friend’s ears, eyes and skin and often requires a vet’s steady hand (and your pocketbook) to remove them. They can be especially dangerous and sometimes fatal if they get into your pets nose or blood stream. Right now, at least for a few more days, the foxtails are still green and soft. But, as the temperatures rise and the vegetation begins to dry out, the hazards posed by foxtails begin to rise with the mercury. As the seed heads mature they become golden in color and very fragile. This is when they are the most dangerous to our pets as they are easily broken apart from the plant. Eventually the seeds get harder and drop to the ground where if stepped on they can embed themselves into your bare feet or your pet’s paws. Although it seems nearly impossible to avoid foxtails there are some ways to help you and your furry buddy continue to enjoy hiking through the Berryessa Snow Mountain National monument or a leisurely stroll through your neighborhood. Avoid areas where you’ve seen foxtails before and pay attention to where your friend wanders - especially during the summer months when the foxtails are dry and brittle Keep your dog’s fur trimmed and short so there’s less surface for the seeds to attach to Do a quick nose to tail check for foxtails after each walk or hike being sure to check between their foot pads A basket muzzle may help keep their nose and mouth clear of foxtails while still allowing your pup to pant If your furry friend is coughing, gagging, sneezing, snorting or pawing at their face or ears or limping, there may be an embedded foxtail that you aren’t able to see. It’s best to have them checked out by a vet to make sure they are all clear. If they have picked up a foxtail, removing it as soon as possible is usually less invasive for your companion and your wallet. Just by spending a little extra time and effort, you and your pets can still Enjoy Outside even during foxtail season!

Science Corner -Swainson’s Hawk, an impressive long-distance migrant!

By Kristie Ehrhardt • April 9, 2026
Finally, they’re back!! I’ve been waiting and watching for them and just this week I heard the first one of the summer. Swainson’s hawks ( Buteo swainsoni ) make an impressive journey every fall and then do it again in reverse every spring. Where do they go and why is it so impressive you ask? Stay tuned and find out! Our Swainson’s hawks, the hawks that summer here in California’s Central Valley, that raise their babies in old cottonwoods and valley oaks along our riparian areas, the same hawks that weigh less than two pounds and gorge themselves on grasshoppers and rodents all summer long, travel all the way to ARGENTINA! That is nearly 6,500 air miles and would take 18-20 hours on a commercial flight without any layovers. Are you impressed? If not, consider the fact that they do that epic journey TWICE a year! Swainson’s hawks are a close relative of our year-round resident, the Red-tailed hawk and are similar in size and habitat requirements. Swainson’s hawks have two color morphs; a light morph and a dark morph, and although both sexes wear the same colors and patterns, females are typically slightly larger and heavier than males. In the light color morph both females and males sport a chocolate-colored “bib” with a white throat and face patch and bright yellow rostrum. Their tails are barred and their flight feathers are dark with a light-colored leading edge - a unique color pattern in North American raptors. Dark morphs are all dark chocolate brown with the same barred tail with a light patch just under it. Swainson’s hawks occur roughly west of the Missouri River during the warm summer season and like some people I know, take off for warmer regions when the summer weather turns chilly. In California, Swainson’s hawks nest primarily in the Central Valley although there are small populations in northeastern California, Shasta Valley, Owens Valley and the Mojave Desert. Historically it was estimated that California supported over 17,000 breeding pairs but in 1980 that number had declined to only 375 breeding pairs. In 1988 it was up to an estimated 550 breeding pairs statewide and in 2005 the number of breeding pairs had inched up to just under 2100. They were listed as a threatened species in California in 1983 due primarily to habitat loss.  An endorsement of their adaptability, Swainson’s hawks have not only learned to co-exist with many agricultural practices but they in fact thrive alongside irrigated pastures and tractors which has helped their number improve. Swainson’s hawks have learned that the rumble of a tractor pulling a harrow disk equates to what we might consider a drive through meal. They’ve also learned that when a rancher turns on the water and begins to flood irrigate a pasture, that advancing waterline flushes out underground rodents resulting in a heavenly smorgasbord of unwelcome pests to the human behind the water controls. I’ve seen 20 hawks lined up following the waterline with 20 more circling waiting their turn at the chow line. If their migratory journey hasn’t impressed you, their rodent/lizard/grasshopper eating capacity surely will. These gourmands will gorge themselves so heavily that they realistically cannot lift themselves off the ground for a time which results in oodles of hawks hopping about like unathletic feathered toads. Mutualism at its finest - the hawks get a gourmet meal and farmers and ranchers get free pest control. If their stamina and gluttony doesn’t impress you, maybe this will. It’s not uncommon for wild Swainson’s hawks to live and continue breeding into their 20’s. But that’s not just hanging around and raising babies in the laid back summer months. During those 20 years, that individual bird has flown about 260,000 miles to safely return to the same area, perhaps the same tree, that held the nest that it fledged from. That’s undeniably impressive!