After 10 years, Ron Erskine hangs up pen
Time in nature is at least restorative, at best transformative. This notion has been part of me from the start. Like my nose, my toes and my bones, it was [...]
Articles by Ron Erskine
About Ron Erskine
A Coe Park classic
Ask any volunteer at Henry W. Coe State Park who has spent time in the visitor center what most visitors are looking for, and the answer will be the same: [...]
South Valley responds to annual summer hiking trek
In December 2012, I wrote this in my “Getting Out” column: “Each new year, we resolve to lose weight, exercise more, or make some other pledge of self-improvement that usually [...]
Family Day at Chitactac Adams park set for June 29
Imagine our south Santa Clara Valley before the Gold Rush. It was not unusual to see scores of grizzly bears in a single day. Pronghorn and tule elk regularly browsed [...]
Bay Area’s newest preserve now open
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area is a mixed bag. The comings and goings of eight million residents lead to crowding and congestion that can test the limits of [...]
Spring on Mount Diablo
The browning of our hills is underway. Spring is fading, and summer is on the way. If you are not ready to give up cool day hikes among blooming wildflowers, [...]
Bald eagle neighbor
We tell ourselves that the world’s scenic wonders and special wildlife are somewhere else—some exotic location far, far away. Certainly, there are exciting things to see in distant places, but [...]
Venture off the trail
There are days when the prospect of another walk on a trail you have trod many times before doesn’t have the allure. It is a lovely trail, but you know [...]
Elegant Waters
We live in one of the few regions on our planet with a Mediterranean climate—dry summers and wet winters. We can count on the dry summers, but more and more, [...]
One step at a time
Walking. We do it every day without thought. Over the last six summers, more than 400 people from our community have accepted a special challenge and walked to a high [...]