Enjoy Nisene Marks State Park with Delight...and Caution
Wells Shoemaker MD, July, 2024
We customarily think of redwood forests with shafts of light piercing the mist, creek waters merrily tumbling over rocks, the ferns drooping in the glens, and the salamanders creeping through the duff. For nine months of the year, that’s our happy reality.
Summer brings a different “face” to the forest.
Light lingers in the forest until well after dinner time, making it feasible to hike the full Hoffman’s Historic Loop or the round trip to Maple Falls or even Five Finger Falls without stumbling through darkness.
The sun reaches its highest elevation on the summer solstice. In summer, the light finds a path through the canopy all the way to the forest floor, making shadows we never see in the winter.
In summer, the creeks transition from thrashing cacophony to gentle gurgles, making it ever so appealing to venture down to water’s edge.
All of this beauty, as usual, comes with some cautions. Summer brings some new hazards...with sensible precautions and awareness of hazards.
Traffic The winter gate just beyond George’s Picnic Area is open in summer, and the main fire road will take you above the creek and through the trees to the Porter Picnic area. A locked gate there signals it’s time to park and put your feet on the forest floor. There’s ample parking there, but the mile between the open first gate and the locked second gate is a mile of real hazards for pedestrians.
Drive slowly...10 miles an hour tops! That demand emphatically includes e-bikes! Rest easy...even if 10 MPH seems slow to you, it will take you less than 10 minutes to reach the parking lot.
Enjoy the curvy ride and relish the fact you are traveling where lumber trains once rumbled. However, you are now sharing the dirt road with lots of slow moving company, especially in summer! Little kids zip around unpredictably on the road. Elders lose balance and fall (trust me). Dogs can dart into the path of a vehicle, even on their required leashes. Collisions ruin everybody’s day, or worse.
In addition, speeding cars kick up choking clouds of dust that hang in the air in summertime. It’s really rude to do that. Please don’t.
Hiking poles. I used to think poles were wussy, maybe 40 or 50 years ago, but there's nothing like a hard fall and the distinctive crack of a breaking bone to change your mind. For those of us with some silver above the brow, I think they’re essential.
If you're going down a steep trail or crossing the stream, those poles are lifesavers! Smart hikers use them even on our well groomed trails, as a trivial pebble or shallow root can trip up a seasoned mountain trekker who’s looking up at a pileated woodpecker.
If grooming a trail sounds interesting, come join the Advocates Volunteers the third Sunday of every month, and we’ll teach you how. We meet at 9:30 AM at the entry kiosk, and we provide both tools and guidance...and coffee.
Navigation Once I was lost, but now I am found. Amazing Grace
Hiking is one of the great joys of our life experience, and State and National Parks bring us closer to bliss and enlightenment. However, even experienced hikers can get lost in the woods.
If you’re not familiar with the redwoods, let’s just say that one tree starts looking a lot like others when you’re tired and turned around. Trails begin to look alike, too, especially in fading light. It’s not easy to find a high spot to set your bearings if you’re surrounded by ten-story trees. It’s not simple to “follow water downstream” in our terrain.
The Advocates for Nisene Marks and our State Parks Administration provide paper maps and large scale maps in kiosks, but those have limits. I can attest that many novice hikers misinterpret even detailed maps, and those same folks tend to hike without the “kit” to spend unplanned time...or a night...in the woods. (Water, some dry food, clothing layers and a cap, a light rain jacket, a headlamp, a decent knife, a lighter, a whistle, some rope, and something with garish colors.)
Cell phones, ubiquitous and helpful as they are...don’t work reliably in deep ravines, and batteries die. Cell phones may not help you find out where you are, figure out how to get back, or call for help.
Yes, there are advanced tech devices for location and trails, but most casual hikers don’t carry those.
How to avoid “too much adventure?”
If you are going for a hike off the main fire roads and the well-traveled trails near the park entrance, get a map and go over your plans with one of the Friends of State Parks staff at the entry kiosk, a ranger, or an experienced “local.”
Make sure you have enough time to get back in daylight. Be realistic about your pace and conditioning, start early...and consider asking for advice!
Hike with a buddy. “Hiking solo in unfamiliar territory” is the first paragraph for way too many rescue reports.
Make sure that somebody knows where you and your companion(s) are going and when you expect to be back.
Make a formal plan to verify with that person when you get out. Don’t forget!
Instruct them to alert authorities if you have not called in within 4 hours of your expected return.
Start your hike with a fully charged phone and fresh batteries in your headlamp.
Water: Incredible beauty can hide real risks
Falls: Our creeks, with a few exceptions, are only ankle or knee deep in summer, and there are a lot of safe trails to get down to water’s edge. Remember that those rocks are slippery! Wet wood is incredibly treacherous.
Even if you are a ballet dancer or a polished gymnast, gravity has little mercy. Use a pole or a stick to keep your balance, and resist the temptation to cross the creek on a log or jump from one slippery rock to another. If you need to walk in the stream and get your shoes wet...they’ll dry out faster than your bruises will heal.
Drowning Kids can drown in shallow water...and so can adults who just banged their head. Little kids love to splash in the creek. It’s a giddy, natural experience that will linger in their memories for decades. But never, ever, ever take your eyes off a child near water, not even for 10 seconds...says this retired pediatrician.
Not safe to drink Our creek water may look clear in summer, but it is NOT potable. There are just too many germs that find their way into the water, and some of those have nasty tempers and scary names. Carry enough water so you’ll not be tempted to play bacterial roulette in the stream
Dehydration Speaking of water, we sweat more and dry out faster in summer than winter. We may also tackle longer hikes with extended daylight. Tank up before you leave your vehicle, and don't start any hike without a liter in your daypack. You never know when something will happen where you may need that water for hours.
Sun For most of the year in the Forest of Nisene Marks, we don’t worry about sun damage while walking beneath trees that tower overhead. However, in summer, the sun finds its way more vertically, and the exposure adds up over a pleasant day. Our open areas can get outright toasty! Use sunscreen and a broad brim hat. Remember to “do” the kids.
Dogs Leashes are required by California State Parks. It’s a good rule...for both the dogs and the people! In summer, our parks are more crowded. People walking a dog will inevitably encounter some inexperienced folks...especially kids...who will want to touch your doggie. If that's out of bounds for your dog's temperament, honestly, please don't bring your pet.
Dog bites are hard on victims, and the consequences for the dog owner can be unpleasant and expensive. For the dog, the consequences can be dire.
For both prudence and courtesy, if you would love to pet a doggie...ask the owner first. This is crucial for children who operate at face-to-face level.
Poison oak is still thriving in the summer, although you may see a few drier places where the leaves are picking up some color. The sticky sap responsible for allergic reactions can come from the leaves, famously from broken branches, and also flowers, berries and roots.
Check out our article on poison oak if you are not yet an expert...or a victim.
Ticks Ticks are gross. However, they’re prevalent and plentiful everywhere there’s foliage from the California coast to the upper foothills. If you go through brush off trail, or briefly duck under a drooping branch on a busy trail, these 8 legged bloodsuckers can drop onto your clothing, and you won’t feel a thing. Then they go searching for exposed skin and the precious red fluid beneath.
We have 2 kinds of ticks in our Park.
Dog ticks (Dermacentor species) are fast and large, with a pale, beige mark inside a dark rim on their backs. They’re about the size of a 12 font capital O.
Deer ticks (Ixodes pacificus) are slower and smaller, more like 10 font, but they’ve gained notoriety as carriers of Lyme Disease. The adults have an orange back with a dark brown head and thorax. The juvenile forms can be barely bigger than a period...practically invisible.
They both can carry diseases...quite a list of them...and the longer they have been attached, the greater the risk.
Prevention: Wear tight fitting pant legs if you're venturing off trail...or consider tucking your pant legs into your socks or deploying a big rubber band to make it harder for ticks to find their way to bare skin. Light colored clothing makes it easier to spot them in their quest than brown, black, or camo.
Bug repellants are available to spray on clothing at access points. Most of these probably help, some more than others.
It's most important to do a diligent tick check as soon as you get home. Ask a friend to check the hair at the back of your neck...a favorite destination. You might well consider a shower with a close look in the warm, dark places ticks like to hang out. A hand mirror helps. Check your bellybutton. Yeah, ticks are gross.
Timing matters for two reasons.
Nearly all of the tick-borne diseases are transmitted after the tick has been firmly attached for 18 hours or more. Once the tick is engorged with (your) blood, that’s late.
Removing a tick is definitely easier if you find one the same afternoon of your hike, before it has embedded its nasty mouth parts.
There are special “tweezers” designed to remove ticks, and many experienced hikers carry them. If the process makes you queasy, an urgent care visit can solve the problem, but do it promptly.
Lyme disease and other tickborne diseases are real, but there is a lot of goofy information circulating. It’s beyond the scope of this article. Trust your family doctor.
Remember to check your doggie, too!
Wasps Sorry to say it, but yellow jacket wasps (Vespula species) are part of our ecosystem just like ticks, and they are active year round. However, in late summer, yellow jackets get really cantankerous. That's just around the corner.
They nest in the ground and in logs, and even a gentle Santa Cruzan can annoy them despite all peaceful intention. You'll see warning signs posted by our rangers on some of the trails, but that’s generally after an “episode.” If you see a lot of "bees" buzzing in and out of a hole in the ground...you’re close to a source of pain. Know that there are thousands more yellow jackets very close, and they gang up mercilessly on intruders. Make at least a 100 foot detour and move quickly. That's not always possible in the woods, and if not...just...turn...around.
If you do get stung, move as quickly as you can away. They will often pursue you for 100 yards or more. They regularly get into your hair or a bike helmet and keep stinging. If’ you’re on a bike, make sure you are in a safe place before dismounting, even if your adrenaline reflexes are going berserk.
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) will also defend their hives, but they are much less aggressive and less common in the forest. On the other hand, allergy to honey bee stings makes them trouble for some vulnerable people, even though bees are so wonderful for the environment.
Africanized honey bees are moving to more and more territory...and they act like yellow jackets. You can’t tell the difference until a swarm attacks. Better to give wide berth to any buzzing insects.
All stings cause immediate pain, with subsequent swelling and redness. That’s a direct effect of the venom they inject. Allergy can take it well beyond pain and well beyond the site of the sting.
The most serious reaction is anaphylaxis, which can cause an outburst of hives, shock, loss of consciousness, respiratory failure, and death. If you know you have this condition, you likely have been receiving specialized medical care. This is not territory for “funky” remedies! Unfortunately, there’s always the “first time.”
Many people with Hymenoptera allergy are not certain whether it was a wasp or a bee, and it doesn’t matter much. What matters is prevention and immediate treatment.
If you have a known allergy, beyond preparing in advance with specialized medical care, I suggest:
Just don’t hike or ride in the forest...any forest...in August and September. You’re far away from help when minutes matter, and the yellow jackets are wicked. (Skip the garden tours, too.)
Carry an injectable adrenaline device...such as Epi-Pen or similar. Know how and when to use it.
Always hike with a companion who also knows how to use it.
(I did a rescue deep in the back of our park years ago, and it was frightening for all concerned. Now my granddaughter has a Hymenoptera allergy...so this is personal!)
Enjoy the beauty, the warmth, and the magical light in the Forest of Nisene Marks Teach your children and help your elders to appreciate this glorious resource.
The safety precautions are sensible, practical, and inexpensive. Stay safe and come back often!
Wells Shoemaker MD is a retired pediatrician, board member of the Advocates for Nisene Marks, and an experienced backcountry hiker. He got lost for a few hours in our Park once...and hasn’t lived it down.
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