Monday Footlose Hiking, Spring 2012

Date(s):03/05/2012 - 06/11/2012
About This Trip:

Michael's flagship hiking series, which began in 1984, is called Footloose. It takes place Mondays 10:00 - 1:30 in two 14-week sessions, fall and spring. Discover interesting places in Marin, San Francisco and Sonoma counties, learn the natural history of the Bay Area and meet fascinating, fun people. What a good way to start the week! Warning: there is often a long wait list for this series. Current hikers get first priority; some have been hiking for 20 years in the group! There are two leaders sharing the series -- Michael Ellis and Armando Quintero.

COST: $455 per series

DATE:  Fourteen Mondays 10:00 to 1:30. March 5, 2012–June 11, 2012

Price: $455.00
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Bhutan = Shangri-La

Date(s):05/10/2012 - 05/27/2012
About This Trip:

 The little-known kingdom of Bhutan, approximately the size of Switzerland, is one of the last strongholds of Tibetan Buddhism in the world.  Although isolated for centuries by its geographical situation, bound, as it is on the south by dense tropical jungles and to the north by the mighty Himalayas, in the last fifteen years it has slowly opened its frontier to a few privileged visitors and tourists. Last year there were only 20,000 tourists allowed in the entire country. The only way to travel into this untouched peaceful land is with a government-sanctioned travel agency. This moderate touring trip with numerous day hikes provides a wide, nearly comprehensive overview of the Kingdom of Bhutan with a particular emphasis on the flowering plants and trees for which the Himalayan region is so well known. Few places on Earth can match the breathtaking splendor of Bhutan -- a region of incomparable biological richness and natural beauty.  Its lush, temperate cloud forests of pine and rhododendron provide sanctuary to for a great variety of flora and fauna.  Bumthang, located in the geographical heart of the Kingdom, is comprised of four high valleys covered in forests that embrace small monasteries, chortens, traditional stone houses and markets. Few places on Earth can match the breathtaking splendor and unique botanical and ornithological diversity of Bhutan.  While this is not a trek you must be in moderately good shape to participate. We will be hiking at elevations that range between 4500 and 11000’ on steep trails that may not be well maintained. 

Here's a video of me hooping at the Divine Madman temple in Bhutan

COST: $6400 Non-refundable deposit $500

 DATE: May 10th to May 27th, 2012

Price: $6,400.00
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The Lakes Basin

Date(s):07/22/2012 - 07/28/2012
About This Trip:

 A little known biological region is tucked away in the northern Sierra Nevada and I can take you there. While most people are crowding into Lake Tahoe or Yosemite Valley, the Lakes Basin area of the Feather River is virtually empty. Located near Yuba Pass along Highway 49 this area is home to over 23 lakes. From our comfortable group campsite we are right in the center of numerous streams, lakes and waterfalls. The summer wildflowers literally spill from lake to lake. We hike through the montane meadows and open forests to high mountain vistas. We will visit the nearby Sierra Valley; one of the premier birding spots in California It is the largest alpine valley in North America, part of the continental crust that was dropped by the same faulting that raised the Sierra Nevada. Here are abundant Sandhill Cranes Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Wilson's Phalaropes, Black Terns, and a host of ducks and other marsh-birds.   Another great highlight is a tour of the Plumas-Eureka State Park, Jamison Mine and historic Johnville. Some of us can take the challenging hike up the Sierra Buttes. Evenings are spent stargazing, sitting in front of the big fire and at least one night hike. We will spend a week thoroughly discovering this wonderful part of the world.

Here I am, once again hooping in strange places. This time, on top of the beautiful Sierra Buttes near the Lakes Basin.

This trip is currently Wait-List only.

Price: $500.00
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Great Basin National Park

Date(s):07/30/2012 - 08/04/2012
About This Trip:

 The Great Basin National Park is in eastern Nevada but travel time from the Bay area is less than that to Death Valley! I have spent several months thoroughly exploring every nook and cranny of this magnificent wilderness. It's very similar to the Sierra but without all the people. Gentle streams cascade through alpine fields and meadows are bursting with wildflowers.  We will have the option of climbing the second highest mountain in Nevada, Wheeler Peak at 13,063'. We can taste a remnant from the last ice age, an honest-to-goodness glacier. Ancient bristlecone pine forests cling to the scree slopes. In fact the Forest Service cut the oldest living tree in the world down here in 1964 (your government at work). With the park's naturalists we'll explore Lehman Cave. As an added delight is the nearby town of Ely, where steam trains still ply the historic Northern Nevada Rail line. This is a car camping trip but there are motels nearby.

Price: $500.00
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Monday Footloose Hiking, Fall 2012

Date(s):09/10/2012 - 12/10/2012
About This Trip:

Price: $455.00
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Tuesday Footloose Hiking: Sonoma

Date(s):09/11/2012 - 12/11/2012
About This Trip:
The Monday hikes are constantly oversubscribed so I added a series for people in the North Bay. The territory covered is northern and western Marin, all of Sonoma and parts of Napa. We hike from 9:30 to 1 and from four to six miles. Any one in moderately good shape should have no trouble keeping up. This a great gift to yourself and a great chance to discover the natural riches of the North Bay. This is a great way to learn about the natural history of the North Bay and meet interesting dynamic kindred spirits. 14 Tuesdays, 10:30-1:00 pm.
Price: $425.00
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Mono Lake in the Autumn

Date(s):09/25/2012 - 10/01/2012
About This Trip:

The eastern Sierra Nevada is glorious in the fall, the air is crisp, the sky so blue. The aspen groves will be shimmering in brilliant shades of burnished gold and orange as we explore the wonders of Mono Lake and environs. This body of water is over 1 million years old - a remnant of a much larger inland lake. Its wildlife, unearthly scenery, and life-sustaining streams were recently released from hostage to the water needs of Los Angeles. Bizarre tufa towers, fantastic cinder cones, spooky lava caves, gurgling hot springs, and dramatic mountain canyons are its backdrop. We will get intimate views of California gulls, coyotes and the nearly two million eared grebes that stop here in the fall. American Avocets, Western and Least Sandpipers, Snowy Plovers, White-faced Ibises, and Dowitchers are stopping to feed on their journey south. While this is not an official photography seminar, bring your camera because the photo opportunities are incomparable. A list of accommodations is sent upon registration.

COST: $340

DATE:  (Trip One) Tuesday, September 25 to Thursday, September 27, 2012

(Trip Two) Friday, September 29 to Sunday October 1, 2012

Price: $340.00
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Birds Birds Birds

Date(s):11/27/2012 - 12/02/2012
About This Trip:

BIRDS BIRDS BIRDS

The return of the waterfowl to California's Great Central Valley has been described as one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth, and it happens every winter. We'll visit the famous Gray Lodge Refuge to see thousands of Snow Geese joining Canada and White-fronted Geese. Around the defunct volcanic Sutter Buttes we'll see aerial displays of the sandhill cranes and tundra swans. We'll hike around the Colusa Wildlife Refuge and then to the Sacramento Refuge for more avian delights  - ruddy ducks, pintails, shovelers, bitterns, night herons, mallards, harriers, rough-legged hawks, gallinules et al. Not only will we learn how to identify these birds, but also we'll learn about their evolution, behavior and physiology. Discover why so many people make this an annual trip. It's fun! You'll need to arrange your own lodging for Saturday night after you receive a list of the area's accommodations.

COST: $275

DATES: (Trip One)  November 27-28, (Trip Two) November 29-30, (Trip Three) December 1-2, 2012

Price: $275.00
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Greatest Show on Earth: The Serengeti

Date(s):01/27/2013 - 02/27/2013
About This Trip:

I hate to say it, but if you ever plan on going to this part of the world you'd better do it soon. Tanzania, not Kenya, has the best wildlife show left on the planet. And we will be there at the peak of the wildebeest calving season -- 1 million animals giving birth in a 3-week period! Giraffes, elephants, lions, gazelles, oryx, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, dikdiks and zebras; and more birds than you can possibly imagine -- flamingos, storks, pelicans, white-crowned shrikes, bee-eaters and ostriches --- all make their home in the parks we'll visit. Comfortable tent camping combined with cozy lodges make this a perfect trip.  Resident Tanzanian naturalists accompany us throughout the trip while we visit Arusha National Park, the Serengeti Plain, Tarangire National Park, Olduvai Gorge and the Ngorongoro Crater. This is truly the trip of a lifetime; you owe it to yourself. I have been leading trips to the Serengeti every February since 1992! It remains my favorite all-time natural history experience. Every visit is superb and perfect in every way. No one ever regrets going to Tanzania; they just wonder what took them so long and when can they return!

COST:  $8550 land cost Non-refundable deposit $500

 DATE: January 27- February 14, 2013

DATE: February 12 to February 27, 2013 

Price: $8,550.00
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The Mojave and Death Valley, 2013

Date(s):03/31/2013 - 04/13/2013
About This Trip:

The focus of this weeklong car camping adventure is the Mojave Desert. We stay the entire week at a private oasis along the Amargosa River near delicious hot springs, just outside Death Valley National Park. Here Willow Creek bubbles to the surface, attracting a plethora of wildlife. The old T and T railroad (the beds battered by desert floods and home now only to coyotes and rattlesnakes) used to run through here. We head north into Death Valley and surrounding wild lands on day trips. Here the names say it all - Badwater, Dante's View and the Devil's Palette.  These areas contain some of the most fantastic scenery this side of Mars. Dramatic sunsets, eerie tree yucca forests, rugged mountains, chuckwallas, coyotes, golden eagles, and abundant desert wildflowers are all found here.  Exploring on foot and by car we travel the backcountry of this still Wild West. It always fills immediately.
 

COST: $525

DATE: March 31- April 6, 2013

DATE: April 7 April 13, 2013

Price: $525.00
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An Exploration Of Eastern Turkey

Date(s):05/13/2013 - 05/28/2013
About This Trip:

This trip explores a part of Turkey that The Turquoise Coast (see below)does not cover, and is a grand opportunity to begin your exploration of this fascinating region.  We tour some seldom-visited parts of Istanbul; then we fly east to Urfa and drive to Gobleki Tepe, a mysterious religious center that scholars believe to be the earliest example of monumental architecture yet discovered. Returning to Urfa, we will visit the cave of Abraham and walk through the sacred gardens and pools of carp.  Another highlight is seeing the unusual northern bald ibis, which nests in a protected sanctuary near the Euphrates River.  We continue traveling in our comfortable bus to Mt. Nemrut National Park for the huge statues of Antiochos, the King of Commagne. Next it is the labyrinthine market of Gaziantep and a unique museum full of many frescoes and mosaics from the 3rd century Roman frontier city of Zeugma. From Gaziantep we catch a flight further east to Van and drive along the southern shores of Lake Van. A boat transfers us to lovely Akdamar Island, home to the Armenian Church of the Holy Cross. This cathedral was founded by King Gagik between 915 and 921 as part of a royal complex that included a palace, monastery, streets, gardens and terraced parks.  After exploring the island we can swim in the largest lake in Turkey–cold and alkaline (think Mono Lake)!  Next it is high elevation Ercek Lake - an important water bird area of eastern Turkey that affords us the possibility to see Greater Flamingoes.

Afterwards we travel to Dogubeyazit near Mt. Ararat, Turkey’s highest (17,000’) and most famous mountain.   The Ishak Pasa Palace, 18 century AD is a stunning piece of work with traces of Georgian, Persian, Ottoman architecture.  The following day is Kuyucuk Lake—Turkey’s most important wetland—for 200 + species of birds. It is a world-class location for birding with some globally Endangered Species (White-headed Duck, Egyptian Vulture, Red-breasted Geese), massive raptor and waterfowl populations.  Then we visit Ani, once the capital of the old Armenian Kingdom. It was a city of 100,000 inhabitants and a legendary 1,000 churches. Of course, since our local guide -Yasemin - has written and photographed an extensive book on the wildflowers of Turkey, we shall be constantly looking at the diversity of plants on our journey as well. After Kars we will spend some leisurely days driving northwest through the Pontic mountains towards the Black Sea, stopping for Georgian churches, magnificent wildflower displays, and hikes through beautiful mountain passes. When we arrive at the Black Sea we will go for a hike to visit the Monastery of the Black Virgin of Sumela, built on a edge of sheer rock, and later spend the night in Trabzon, a favorite vacation destination for both Turks and Russians. Then we fly back to Istanbul for a day and then onward to home (or maybe the next trip in Turkey.)

$500 Refundable Deposit. Price TBD.

Price: TBA
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The Torquoise Coast and Exotic Turkey

Date(s):05/29/2013 - 06/14/2013
About This Trip:

The Eastern Mediterranean was the cradle of civilization almost 10,000 years ago. The alphabet and our numerical system originated here as well as most of the great religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. To travel in Turkey is to explore the roots of modern day civilization itself. This exotic country, at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, boasts magnificent Greek and Roman antiquities as well as the extraordinary legacies of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Now it is a dynamic, modern, democratic nation with friendly people, delicious cuisine, fantastic shopping and beautiful scenery. In addition to visiting Turkey's most important historical and archeological landmarks, we will spend five days sailing the famed Turquoise coast. The sea is crystal clear and the coast is lined with pretty fishing villages and pristine beaches. Our local guide is my dear friend, Yasemin. She is currently finishing a guide to the wildflowers of her remarkable country. She is also one of the cultural highlights of this trip!

DATE: May 29 - June 14, 2013. 

COST: $6900 (est.) Refundable Deposit $500

Price: $6,900.00
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Madagascar

Date(s):09/16/2013 - 10/02/2013
About This Trip:

 The world’s fourth largest island is home to an increasingly threatened population of unique, rare and endangered plants and animals. This 600 mile long island has been separated from the African continent for the last 165 million years and 80% of the plants and animals that evolved in this isolation are found no where else in the world. Madagascar’s most famous mammals are its lemurs – 14 species of primates that range in size from the tiny nocturnal mouse lemur to the huge black and white Indris.  Lonely Planet says: “Madagascar's forests are a shimmering, seething mass of a trillion stems and dripping leaves and slithering, jumping, quirky creatures out of nature's bag of tricks: lemurs, periwinkles and baobabs, aloes, geckoes, sifakas and octopus trees. Sadly, they are threatened by aggressive deforestation”

 

 This deforestation is from humans that only arrived in Madagascar 1000 years ago. And they did not come from Africa but rafted west from Malaysia! I spent the entire month of July 2007 exploring this country. Our itinerary includes most of the best-preserved areas where our chances of seeing the diversity of bizarre baobabs, changeable chameleons, leaping lemurs, and bodacious birds are best. This trip is limited in number, which makes wildlife spotting (lemurs!) in the dense forest much easier for everyone.

Here is a video of an Indri singing

 

 COST:  about $6400 Non-refundable deposit $500

 DATE: September 16 to October 2, 2013

Price: $6,400.00
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Palau and Yap

Date(s):11/07/2013 - 11/20/2013
About This Trip:

When my son Hunter turned 21,  I told him I would take him anywhere he wanted to go in the world on a father-son trip. I was absolutely delighted when he chose  Palau.  One of the top five natural history experiences I have ever had was swimming with 10 million stingless jellyfish! There was nothing like it. Micronesia’s thousands of high volcanic and low sand and coral islands are interspersed with low-lying atolls and coral reefs encircling still blue lagoons.  Just north of the equator, this is the remote unspoiled Pacific, with palm-thatched huts, outrigger canoes and coconut trees. Harboring more species of marine life than any similar-sized area in the world, Palau is one of the best snorkeling sites on the planet.  The abundance and diversity of its marine life, shallow water accessibility, and clear water visibility reveal a dazzling array of rainbow-colored fish and breathtaking corals.  The famous Rock Islands are a maze of unsurpassed beauty, tropical gardens atop limestone ridges set in glass-clear waters. In addition to its great marine biodiversity, Palau is also renowned for Jellyfish Lake where visitors can swim with non-stinging jellyfish in a landlocked marine lake.  Another aspect of Palau is its historical role in WWII. Remnants of the war remain prevalent especially at sites such as Peleliu, which was a major battlefield.    Culturally, Micronesia is fascinating and a visit to Yap will bring us to the most traditional corner of Micronesia where Yapese continue to practice their traditional lifestyle.  Yap is also known as the best place for seeing manta rays on a consistent basis, and in recognition of the area’s importance, the government recently established the Yap manta marine sanctuary.  

COST: TBA. $500 REFUNDABLE deposit

DATE: November 2013

Price: TBA
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