3/29 - Rockville Hills

This is Shirley's report; foot issues kept me from hiking.

The 13 of us were scattered all over but managed to get together for lunch.  Something was lacking in the leadership for sure.  At one point I called it Independence Day.  It was nice to show off the park to first-timers, Bob and Nick, and maybe Monique was new to it too.

Lots of water everywhere, even found bunches of tadpoles in the trail around the over-full lake.

I only took 14 pictures.  All the expected flowers showed up, except there were no sightings of the pipevine, red fritillary, or clematis.  It was a butter-'n-eggs and goldfields kind of day, very warm, with enough lupine and  poppies to have someone shout "California".

3/23 Mt Tam

We made a clockwise loop from the Rock Springs parking area, going out Simmons Tr to Barth's Retreat (lunch) then returning via Benstein Tr. This was a Thursday hike...rain Wednesday morning and a desire to see the Calypsos dictated the change. There were nine of us for the 2.5 mile jaunt.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/0WS7c3

3/15 - Lime Ridge Open Space

17 of us walked at clockwise loop of a bit over 3 miles at Line Ridge Open Space. We didn't take the exact route which Shirley had planned, but were very happy with the walk. We took a short single track trail to the Paradise Valley Tr; the return was via Buckeye Tr to Ohlone Tr. The black sage was in full bloom and the white ceanothus, too. But we also saw lots of other spring flowers.

I've been walking with the group for almost 6 years and this is the first time we have hiked at Lime Ridge in all that time. It is a great spring walk!

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/N483x2

3/8 - Lafayette-Moraga Trail

After a week much more rain, hail, (even snow on Diablo) Shirley thought a paved route would be advisable.  15 of us walked from the parking lot opposite the St Mary's soccer fields to the Lafayette Community Center and back. Nine then braved mud and looped behind the center and around to the playing fields before crossing back to the trail. The others retraced their steps, avoiding the muck. This was short, 2.5  to 3.7 miles. Coffee afterwards at Si Si in Moraga.

For a map of the trails around the Lafayette Community Center:
http://www.lovelafayette.org/home/showdocument?id=963

For pictures of today's walk:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/54nVqt

3/1 - Black Diamond

There were 12 of us today; we started together going up the Chaparral Loop Trail (the sandstone is badly eroded in places), then across the ridge and down to the footbridge in Manhattan Canyon. The group split there with some heading back down and the rest of us going up.  It wasn't a long hike for either group - 2.5 miles for the shorter loop and 3.5 for the longer - but there was plenty of rough UP to challenge the unused leg muscles. 

It was a beautiful day! The group of 7 saw plenty of flowers, too. The most impressive had to be the field of Indian Warriors adjacent to the Black Diamond Trail (same place we saw them last February between the lower junction of Manhattan Canyon Tr and the gate at the upper junction). And birds! lots of vultures and some other hawks. I heard red wing blackbirds, but didn't see them. Bush birds and jays, of course and I spotted a pair of bluebirds (brilliant) by the now FULL ponds below the cemetery.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/j6HMHY