Manzanita Canyon rain hikers

“There were more than 24 [people] interested [in hiking] in the rain,” said Justin Boone of Azalea Park. On January 2nd he had announced on his coffee-business Facebook page that he would be leading hikes. “People were wanting to see how bad it gets down there [in the canyons and] if the trails are usable or not.”

On Tuesday (January 9), Boone went into Manzanita Canyon, which is a block away from his Burly and the Bean Coffee Cabin (3014 Columbine Street) and snapped photos of the small rivers flowing as it rained. He posted them on his social media accounts, earning 70-plus likes.

“They [the 24 neighbors] just want to see what it looked like to have rivers and stream in their neighborhood,” Boone said. “These are all the same trails we will be hiking on Sunday the 14th [of January] for the next 6.5-mile Burly hike tour.”

The day before Boone took the photos, he met with over 20 hikers at his coffee shop and led them on a 2.2-mile hike in and around the canyons. Boone took along his infant son, the youngest attendee of the “Azalea Park hiking trail aka coffee loop.” A couple hikers in the group were in their 70s,” said Vanessa, Boone’s wife.

Liz Krulder, 24, and Camilo Romero, 23, are both from Lemoore, near Fresno. They were staying at an AirBnB spot in Boone’s neighborhood, which they choose because of the proximity to downtown and the adjacent canyons.

Romero said that it was an easy walk and the grades weren’t steep. “It was good because some of the people with us wouldn’t want the trail to be too strenuous [to hike],” he said. “It was more to enjoy the nature because we don’t have these trails back home.”

“Swan Canyon has a short course that is shaped as a V,” Boone said of a more active hike he will lead in the near future. “There are stairs, incline, decline, switchbacks, and it’s great for a quick-stride back-and-forth workout.”

Boone said nobody slipped, despite the change in weather from “some sun peeking out of the clouds” at 8 a.m. to the minor shower around noon. “I do bring a first-aid kit, ankle wraps, a lightweight Cuben Fiber blanket, which has multiple uses, and extra water,” said Boone.

Boone doesn't charge anything for the hike, but he accepts donations that go toward a cup of coffee and water.