On Sunday, January 22nd, what was originally intended as a ridge hike in the wilderness of Newport Beach transformed into a SoCal coastline exploration! Guides Ale and Christine with 5 amazing participants (Michelle x2, Molly, John and Dennis) strolled along Crystal Cove’s Beach front trails looking super outfitted amidst the casual beach goers of Orange County. It was quickly realized that Biology was the common link between the group, and throughout the morning, many sights- from creek rehabilitation scenes to beach bunny rabbits- brought out the enthusiasm of the hikers. Even though the group was unable to hike the back country due to closure after the recent rains, everyone enjoyed getting to know a beautiful area south of Los Angeles. We were all very impressed by the facilities of this CA State Park…it even has it’s own milkshake shack! Double dark chocolate chip milkshake…YES PLEASE! Especially while tidepooling and scanning 180 degree Pacific Ocean horizons, a banana milk shake has never tasted so good!