A day hike doesn’t have to be 25 miles. The Peters Creek Loop in Portola Redwoods State Park is “only” a mile long—you just have to hike 6 miles to get there.

Unfortunately I didn’t practice very good poison oak hygiene last weekend (I wore shorts and didn’t shower immediately upon returning home), and now I’m suffering from a few small spots on both legs and a swath on my left arm—my worst exposure since my first. Lesson re-learned.