48 Dog-Friendly Trails: in California's Foothills and the Sierra Nevada
About the Author Looking for a way to exercise her dog, Toots, Debbi Preston started hiking in Desolation Wilderness in 2003. They both enjoyed the experience, but when the snow came to the mountains, their hiking trips ended. As soon as the trails cleared in 2004, they were back to the mountains, exploring hikes to various alpine lakes. This time, when the snow returned, hiking was too much of a passion to stop and wait five or six months to return to the mountains. Debbi started looking in books for winter and spring trail possibilities, but most were too far away for a day trip or did not allow dogs. She expanded her search for foothill trails by talking with friends, finding web sites on hiking, studying maps, visiting ranger stations and park headquarters, and looking for trailheads while driving. Over the next three years, Debbi found suitable trails for each month of the year. She wanted trails that rewarded the hiker with great views, wildflowers, waterfalls, or historic interest. She also liked places without any fees. To extend the hiking season in the mountains, she added snowshoeing in the winter. Then, wanting her mother to join in some outings, she looked for places with access for those with physical limitations. She scaled down some hikes to match her mother's capabilities, and found others that would accommodate a walker. Debbi added photography to her outings, and turned some of the scenes into oil paintings. One summer she concentrated on studying wildflowers by photographing and then identifying and organizing them by color and number of petals. A credentialed community college teacher, Debbi was also passionate about sharing her knowledge with others and teaching the rewards of hiking. With the encouragement of her husband, Jeff, she organized the hikes into this book.