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🥾 Explorer from California
🗺️ Sharing Guides to the Best Hidden Gems • Stays • Itineraries • Swim Spots • Waterfalls • & more!
👇 5 hikes of the month newsletter
📍Paid Subscribers = access to my secret map
📧 Collabs: [email protected]

01/03/2026

Don’t miss out: Be cool & tide pool ⬇️

Last King Tide is today - ~ 5pm = negative tides. My full recommended list of great tide pooling spots are below; yesterday I got these photos at the “Great Tide Pool” in Pacific Grove!

PS: Support my page by following along - many more travel and trail guides coming soon.

PSAl: be careful, explore responsibly (only take pictures), time it right, and make some lasting memories…

Here’s the top places to see tide pools across California:
San Diego:
- Point Loma area including Cabrillo National Monument.
- La Jolla waterfront (Hospital Point and La Jolla Caves Beach).
-Cardiff State Beach: Table Top between Tide Beach Park and Seaside Beach

OC:
- Little Corona del Mar Beach
- Crystal Cove State Park (Newport Beach)
- Ventura River Estuary
- Laguna Beach (Rockpile, Fisherman’s Cove, & Crescent Bay)

LA:
- Rancho Palos Verdes: Abalone Cove Shoreline Park
- San Pedro (Point Fermin & White Point)
- North Malibu: Leo Carrillo State Park & Point Dume

Central CA
- Montana de Oro via Bluff trail
- Marine Garden Park Area (Pacific Grove)
- Point Pinos and Asilomar State Beach (Monterey)
- San Simeon: Piedras Blancas Light Station & Estero Bluffs State Park
- North Point Beach (Morro Bay)
- Hook County Park (Santa Cruz = SC)
- Scott Creek Beach (SC)
- Pleasure point (SC)
- Natural Bridges (SC)

Bay Area
- Mavericks, Half Moon Bay
- J V Fitzgerald Marine Reserve (Moss Beach / HMB)
- Shelter cove (Pacifica)
- Linda Mar State Beach (Pacifica)
- Point Reyes (too many to list)
- China Beach (SF)
- Linda Mar State Beach (Pacifica)

Northern California
- Enderts Beach via CA coastal trail
- MacKerricher State Park (Laguna Point; Fort Bragg)
- Salt Point State Park
- Glass beach (Fort Bragg)
- Patrick’s Point / Sue-Meg State Park & Trinidad State Beach

Stay tuned for more California guides!

01/01/2026

2025’s last California sunset feels like an ending…

I took this photo yesterday at a hidden waterfall in Bolinas, wrapping up a year that didn’t go the way I expected.

After 18 years at Clorox, no warnings, no bad reviews, no heads-up, I was laid off, just a few months ago.

That was right after sacrificing my summer vacation and being away from family to help enable a digital transformation.

On the bright side, I finished writing my first manuscript for a book earlier this month, something I’ve been working on quietly in the background.

Then earlier this week, and just six days after finishing a batting cage I spent six months building for my son, a tree fell on it.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I met one of my paid Substack subscribers out on a group hike (James, featured in this photo), who has become an adventure buddy, aka someone who gives my wife a little less fear when I go out to all these remote places by myself.

To me, it’s proof that even when plans fall apart, new chapters have a way of showing up unannounced.

I know my challenges are small compared to what many people are carrying right now. I don’t take that lightly. I’m incredibly fortunate: to be healthy, to have my family, and to be able to hike almost every single day.

I don’t know what tomorrow brings.

But I do know this: 2026 is looking up.

If you’re following along, supporting quietly, or just walking your own uncertain path, thank you.

And you’re not alone.

Here’s to sunsets that remind us the story isn’t over yet.

Wishing you an incredibly positive start to 2026 ❤️

12/31/2025

Who is your adventure partner for 2026?

Before the year resets, do one thing that actually matters: choose who you’re showing up for in 2026.

Not just talk. Not just “we should do this sometime.”

Real miles. Early mornings. Missed turns. Cold swims. Long hikes. Quiet views.

Send this to the person you’re committing to adventuring with next year, and then actually follow through.

I’ll be here all year sharing the best hikes, hidden gems, coastal trails, waterfalls, and more.

Follow if 2026 includes more time exploring.

12/30/2025

Your sign to head to the California coast 😍👇

Tide pools yesterday were incredible. And negative tides are back, so now is the time to plan your next adventure is NOW!

If you’ve never explored tide pools during a negative tide, here’s how to do it right:

1️⃣ Go at LOW tide (not high).
You want a negative tide (below 0.0 ft). That’s when the ocean pulls back and exposes the best pools, sea stars, anemones, crabs, and entire hidden ecosystems you’ll never see otherwise.

2️⃣ Time it carefully.
Arrive 60–90 minutes before the lowest point and stay through it. The window is short, and the best pools show up right around peak low.

3️⃣ Wear real footwear.
Rocks are slippery, sharp, and uneven. Trail shoes or boots with grip over sandals every time.

4️⃣ Look, don’t touch.
These ecosystems are fragile. Step on bare rock only, never on living organisms, and leave everything exactly as you found it.

5️⃣ Watch the ocean.
Sneaker waves are real. I’ve been knocked over by one once and it was extremely scary. Keep one eye on the water and never turn your back on the sea.

📍Sculptured beach, Point Reyes.
👉 Follow for my “2026 California hidden gem guide” dropping Jan 1
🙏 Thank you for 100K explorers on this platform. Your support keeps me going!

12/27/2025

Even between rain showers, Half Moon Bay is one of the best day trips in the Bay Area:

If you want coastal drama without committing to a full weekend, here are some of my recos.
📍 Start: Pillar Point Harbor (pic from today)
– Walk to the north end of the pier for a narrow fishing spot (less crowded, better casting)
– Mavericks Surf Shop for a quick souvenir or local intel
– Sam’s Chowder House or Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. if you’ve got time and budget

🏖️ Beach stops nearby
Dunes Beach • Venice Beach • Redondo Beach
(All easy pull-offs, great for hangouts and sunsets)

🥾 Hiking & walking trails
– Cowell-Purisima Trail (yes, this is where the secret tidefall can be found)
– Wavecrest Trail: flat, dog-friendly, iconic cypress tunnel ⚠️ currently flooded after rain
– Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail – perfect for bikes, strollers, or an easy ocean walk

👉 Pro tip: If you have extra time, keep driving south into Pescadero and San Gregorio for quieter beaches and fewer people.

Save this for your next clear window and follow for more of the best of California!

12/25/2025

Bay Area Christmas isn’t just white this AM 👀 🌈 🌈.

Merry Xmas to all who celebrate. Stay safe out there today!

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Pacific Grove, CA
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