Restrictions related to COVID kept us home (or walking individually) from the start of December. The regional stay at home order was lifted on Jan 25. Most of our hikers have had one and some both of their vaccine doses. We will forego carpools, walk, masked and distanced and try to stick to wide trails.
Well masked and distanced 7 of us met at Crockett Hills this morning. We made a short 2.3 mile lollipop loop. Trails were fine even tho it rained most of the day Monday and we anticipated slippery mud. The Dirca was in full bloom along Wood Rat Trail. Altho we knew where to look for the Oso berry, all we found were leaves. And the white flowered ribes had only the tiniest of buds. But it was wonderful to be back on the trail with friends on such a glorious, blue sky-spring green morning.
It was a bright, pleasant morning with increasing winds. The 13 of us, plus 3 dogs, were headed back to the cars before it got too nasty tho. We all walked up Chaparral Loop and Manhattan Cyn to the gate on the fire road. We even started back together past the Indian Warriors and the large sandstone cliff, but some picked up Manhattan Cyn where it joins the road while the larger group followed the fire road up and down until it met the Nortonville Trail above the cemetery. Just under 3 miles for most of us.
It was a very gray day at Lime Ridge; green, but the grass is very short and everything quite dry. We started from the usual parking area off Ygnacio Valley Rd and had hoped to return via the Ridge Tr, but that whole area is closed for habitat restoration, so we returned via Manzanita, Bcukeye and Ohlone Tr. 2.75 miles (John added several more miles on his own).
3/10 - no hike, rain
It was a cold (42 when we started out)), gray day before a promised storm. We did the usual out-and back going as far as the boarder with Mt Diablo St Park. It is very dry; the grass is short, flowers sparse and creek beds empty. Still everyone was glad to be out and together. The light was soft and the green was just right for St Patrick's Day. Just over 2.5 miles
We all started together walking out Miwok Tr. Susan, Geoff, Monique and Polly left the rest of us at the junction with the Hardy Canyon Tr which they took for their return route. The rest of us walked on into Round Valley and then out the Fox Tail Trail, returning the way we had come. Map distance was 4.7 miles (approx) for the main group and 4.5 miles for the smaller group, but they had _much_ more elevation gain.
The group rapidly separated into smaller sub-groups and after the first half mile we were never all together again. It was a very warm day (high 70s); the ambling progress suited the day and there were lots of flowers. Mileage varied widely;not more than 2-3 miles.
We started from the upper parking area, took the single track down to Pine Tree Tr and then turned East on Toyon Tr. There was a bit more down before a long up hill to meet Lagoon Tr.; across the open area by the Maricich Lagoons and down the Old Briones Rd to complete the loop. There were lot of different flowers, just not as tall or lush or as many individuals as we are accustomed to seeing given the very dry winter. 3.5 miles
We started by exploring the volunteer garden/eco-restoration at the Sutherland Dr entrance to Shell Ridge. For background see: https://wcosf.org/projects/sutherland.html
Leaving the garden area we made a long lollipop along the Indian Creek Tr to the Joaquin Ranch Tr, a short bit of street and then up to the Briones-Mt Diablo Tr and back.
Just under 3.5 miles.
It was a glorious day to be out on "our" mountain. We parked and the end of Montaire Pkwy and headed out Donner Canyon. Then we took Heatherington Tr from the creek crossing by the Donner Cabin site, Donner Tr, a bit of Wasserman, Bruce Lee Springs and finally Clayton Oaks. We had lunch on a shady bank up on Clayton Oaks Rd. There were some very good flowers as well as a reminder of how dry the winter has been and how stressed much of the plant communities are. But it was nice to have easy creek crossings :-). About 3.75 miles
We enjoyed the quiet of Fernandez Ranch on a warm, bright day. Things are getting terribly dry and open areas were "crunchy" under foot. Luckily this loop has lots of shade and most of the sunny bits are downhill. Lunch at the shaded picnic tables where there was a nice breeze. Under 2.75 miles
5/5 - no hike
Eight of us walked a clockwise loop from the Atlas Rd entrance, making a detour out the fishing pier, for a distance of a bit over 3 miles. It is so very dry! There are few flowers and the ones there are are smaller than usual.
It was a windy day, but lovely to be out on the trails. We started from the Mitchell Canyon trailhead, taking Oak Rd, then down to Murchio Rd, Bruce Lee Rd to Back Creek Tr, then up the canyon to the junction with Tickwood Tr and in a quarter mile, Donner Cabin Tr further east and down to the Donner Cyn Rd; Donner Cyn to Murchio Rd which we took all the way back to Watertower Rd and then back to the cars. Just under 4 miles
5/26 - Almond Ranch
Elaine led a hike starting from Vaca Creek Way (parking at the EBRPD lot on Alhambra Valley Rd). I did not hike, so no pictures.
From the parking on Lone Oak Rd we went up the Loop Rd, took the single track Sylvan Trail around and down to Jewel Lake, meandered close to the water for a bit then picked up Upper Packrat Tr. Delia was right, there was a great deal to see and we were constantly stopping to examine something or other. Not very long 2.25 miles, but very pleasant and unexpectedly interesting.
We started from the Reliez Valley trailhead and headed west toward the hills. As far as I can tell the Wednesday Walkers have not walked in this part of Briones. The original plan was to take a lollipop route: out Blue Oak Tr, up the canyon on Blue Oak Shortcut, and back down Blue Oak Tr. The trail was steeper than we wanted to tackle both the single track up the canyon and the fire road coming down, so we made it an out and back. About 2 3/4 miles
A heat wave forecast meant better to start early (we were on the trail by 9) and chose a
route with shade and mostly downhill. The hike from the Steam Train parking lot to the Tunnel Rd entrance to Sibley fit the bill. There were just six of us which worked well with a shuttle back to the cars (thank you, Shirley!!). All agreed it was much more interesting than we anticipated and since we were done by 11, the temperature, tho above normal, wasn't stinky yet. Just over 2 1/2 miles.
We started from the Bort Meadow's entrance on Redwood Rd for our walk in Chabot regional park. We walked clockwise out the Grass Valley Tr as far as the stone bridge and then back Brandon Tr to Bort Meadows where we ate our lunch. There was a lot to see and all agreed it was a good hike. 3.6 miles
We walked from the EBMUD parking lot on Bear Creek Rd to the Dam overlook parking lot where Shirley met us to shuttle drivers back to the start. There was lots to look at in spite of the extremely dry conditions. A very nice walk, just a bit over 3.5 miles.
We walked out the canyon, crossed and doubled back and climbed partway up the connection to the Sunrise Tr. Six of the "bears" went up to the first big bend to see what we could see on the other side of the mountain. Then we all descended and retraced our steps as far as the canyon crossing, then went further up the canon and circled back to the other side. Warm in the sun and cool in the shade. (3 miles)
Ten of us met at Rancho Laguna Park in Moraga and walked south west to San Leandro Reservoir and then retraced our path. It is very dry and the reservoir quite low. There were numerous birds and even a sighting of a family of wild pigs. Just under 3.7 miles
Caples Week 7-18 to 7-23
Donita, Phred, Elaine and I walked from the parking lot at Red Lake up as far as the cliff where the rock fringe grows.
We met at 8:30 and four high clearance vehicles took us into the Schneiders Camp trailhead. Here there were plenty of flowers!! Judy returned early as the altitude was bothering her. Phred wandered about taking pictures. The rest of us made it to the ridge and then Elaine, Polly and I turned around while the rest went on to the spot where you can look down on Showers Lake. Cynthia soon returned to join the three of us.
This was the Woods to Winnemucca day. Hikers we met who were not familiar with the norm for that area were enthusiastic about the flowers, while we kept thinking of what we weren't seeing. The most obvious thing was the lack of almost any snow on Round Top and none at Winnemucca. However there was still outflow from the lake. Among the flowers we did not see were Labrador tea, Marsh marigold, Ipomopsis, Penstemon newberryi, P. speciosus, the Triteleia ixioides (Pretty face), and lots of the tiny flowers which are such hidden treasures.
Cynthia, Polly and I returned the way we came. The others made the circle up to Round Top Lake and down the Mines Trail.
Donita, Cynthia, Polly and Karen took the trail up to the Meiss Col and then followed the unmarked trail up the ridge to the spot we call the "hidden garden". We went up the usual way, leaving the PCT before the pond and following the posts up the ridge. On the exposed slope everything was very dry and very little remained in bloom. But we did find enough to make the effort worth while. We cut down to the north end of the pond where Lee reported she had seen Elephant's heads and tiny yellow Mimulus. We rejoined the PCT and returned the way we came
For our last day Susan, Judy, Polly, Cynthia and I hiked up the old Hwy 88 route from Red Lake clear to the overlook parking area where we left a shuttle car. Conditions were much the same as they had been on Sunday, but because it was morning rather than afternoon we saw things differently.
This bunch includes pictures from around Caples Lake, from the birthday celebration for Polly, and a few from the drive home.
We started from the Skyline Gate Staging area for Redwood RP and followed the Bay Area Ridge Tr segment across Pinehurst Rd and into Huckleberry Preserve. There we stayed right and made a CCW loop thru the preserve, returning the way we had come. About 3.5 miles
This is a hike last done in 2005! (at least as nearly as I can tell from the spreadsheet). We started from the parking lot where we usually start our Strawberry Canyon hikes. The original plan was to take Grizzly Peak trail to Tower trail and that down to Golf Course trail. One look at the steep, narrow, leaf filled rut of the Tower trail led us to extend the hike a bit and circle back around the Gillespie Youth Camp. All very well, but the trail markings are rather sparse and finding the trail past the facilities took some guessing. The 2.5 miles was plenty and we were glad to be back before noon.
Heavy, smokey haze meant we didn't have much of a view today.The trail map is deceptive as the trails are mostly quite rough and not as well maintained as they could be. After returning to the flat area we went out to the old Sante Fe ferry terminal and then back to the cars. Only a bit over 2 miles but the up and down made it feel like more.
This is the area between where Wildcat and San Pablo Creeks empty into San Pablo Bay. Since the 1950's it has been operated as a landfill. Now it includes a loop trail which is part of the SF Bay Trail. We all circled the "Garbage Mountain" with Susan, Elaine and Gayl taking the Upper Trail and the rest of us following the lower loop trail. We started in fog and ended with bright sky and a light breeze. Just under 3 miles
A nice group today: 14 for the hike (plus Oscar and Sunny) and then 17 for lunch and a party to celebrate Jack's 90th Birthday (today!!). We huffed and puffed up the Briones Crest Tr and then returned via the Deer Creek Tr. It was under 3 miles but we all felt that we earned our cookies!
We made a loop from the Skyline Entrance to Redwood RP, following the West Ridge Tr to Tres Sendas, then down to Stream Tr and back up to the parking lot. We started in dense fog and ended with sunshine and bright blue sky. The trails are quite dusty and everything is terribly dry. Under 3 miles.
The intent was to start from the upper bend on the road on the hill to the east of the marina. Turns out it is closed except for service vehicles, so we defaulted to parking along the road and walking the east shore trail as far as the bridge. 4 miles
Delia and John Taylor were our leaders today. The route was an out and back of just under 4 miles along the Wildcat Creek Tr from the Alvarado staging area off McBryde Ave. That took us halfway to Jewel Lake in Tilden
The walk started on pavement and Delia told us that at one time a development of 3000 homes was planned in the canyon. Read about it at
And Gayl half remembered something about an even earlier history of the area. In 1914 a sanitarium opened here. If we had know more detail, the site would have made for an interesting side trip as it is only about 1/4 mile up the Belgum Trail. There is not much left as the house was burned by vandals in the 1970s. Read about it at
It was a cool gray day to start and very pleasant for walking. We were a small group and seemed to stay together more than has often been the case. The grape leaves were mostly green, the poison oak red or leafless; most of the colors were very soft. A very nice 3.5+ mile hike. One difference from our earlier visits - we returned to the cars via Castle Rock Tr (starting at the gate just north of the sharp u-turn in the trail) rather than along the main entrance road. It was about the same length and deposited us right at the cars.
We went up the Windmill Tr (the fireroad in the valley) to the gate on the saddle, then right along the Franklin Ridge Tr with wonderful views. We took the turn for the Canyon Loop Tr, then off on the single track Woodland Tr. This was the reverse of the route we took the first time we hiked this way in 2017 shortly after this section was opened to the public. We had the Homestead Picnic Area all to ourselves for lunch. Just over 3.5 miles
10/20 - no hike, rain forecast
With no idea what the weekend deluge had done to park trails, we stuck to pavement, starting from Rodgers-Smith Park on Grayson Rd in Pleasant Hill we took sidewalks to the Canal Trail crossing just east of Pleasant Hill Rd. The trail is generally north from there. We went as far as Taylor Blvd. At the end we made a loop thru Las Juntas Park. A bit over 3 miles.
Susan and Geoff arranged a curator led tour of the Inuit Print exhibit at St. Mary's College Museum of Art. "Collective Memories: Stonecuts from Cape Dorset" is open to the public until December 12. https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/collective-memories After the museum tour, some of our group walked to SiSi's coffee shop.
There was a bigger than usual group today, fifteen of us plus 4 dogs, all glad to be out after the rain. We walked from the Inspiration Pt parking lot to the junction with the trail to the Rotary Peace Grove and then retraced our steps. About 4 miles.
It was a beautiful fall day, crisp and clear and perfect for walking. There were still grapevines with colored leaves and the creek was flowing and making happy noises over the stones. We went as far as the picnic tables under the huge oak... about 3.75 miles
This was a short morning stroll on a lovely clear day before Thanksgiving. We followed the old Donald Drive past the EBMUD tank to the gate leading onto watershed land. Once we reached the lower tank, we took a single track trail around a knoll and then eventually thru another gate for the final bit up to the paved road. About 1.75 miles
The main item of interest was the labyrinths which are scattered on the east side. We have often seen two of them, but Lynn pointed out two small ones on a ledge above the one in the deep quarry and said she had seen another off the main trail. Our route took us via an un-official trail north of the overlook to the southern end of Volcanic Trail and another labyrinth; then we meandered further north to the overlook for the "heart" labyrinth. Lynn pointed out the trail which connects Wilder with the park. About 2.4 miles for the five who started from the Skyline entrance; about 3.3 for Lynn.
We walked from the Coach Dr entrance up to the ridge and across to the Manzanita Hill Loop and back. It was an extremely foggy morning, very wet and drippy. But it was an enjoyable walk and one we hadn't done for 4 years. There is lots of death in the manzanita grove and evidence of new infections, but also lots blooming and seemingly surviving. About 2.75 miles.
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