3/25 Sycamore Canyon from Blackhawk

15 of us were the lucky participants in a hike made possible by the generosity of Pat Krock's son, Alan. We met at his home in Blackhawk and proceeded to the end of Deer Meadow Drive where the Sycamore Canyon road begins. We had lunch along the north side of Blackhawk Ridge where we enjoyed views of the rock formations across the canyon. The distances on the trail posts were misleading; we hiked just a bit over 4 miles. Elevation gain/loss was 1076'

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3-18 North Sonoma Mt

18 of us made the trip to North Sonoma Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve. The day couldn't have been more perfect and we all agreed that the experience was well worth the 60+ mile drive. The hike was approximately 4 miles on an exceedingly well engineered trail. The elevation gain/loss of just over 700 feet was not really very noticeable until the last section toward the overlook. Plenty of flowers and wonderful views!

For information on the park and a downloadable map follow this link.

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03-04-2015 Cascade Canyon

The last time our group hiked this trail was Feb. 2012 (check the archive for those pictures). This time there were an abundance of Fritillaria, but the shooting stars were about finished blooming. 9 of the 15 hikers went on above the falls for perhaps another half mile.

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2-25-2015 Highland Ridge, Morgan Territory Regional Preserve

A dozen of us walked the grassy hills of Morgan Territory Regional Preserve beginning where The Highland Ridge Trail crosses Morgan Territory Road. We took Highland Ridge Trail up to the ridge, then returned via Raven and Fox Trails. Adding numbers on the map gives the length as 3.8 miles, while the route on Google Earth totals 4.2 miles. Either way, it felt longer with an elevation gain/loss of 1662 feet. A truly beautiful day!

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2-18-2015 Diablo (Pine Canyon)

A dozen of us walked a 3.7 mile loop with driver shuttle. We began where Burma Road crosses Northgate Rd., taking Buckeye Trail to Stage Rd, then picking up Burma Rd at Pine Pond and returning to Northgate Road via Little Pine Creek. Mary shuttled the drivers back up the hill to get their cars. It was very green and there was running water in the various creeks (and along and across the road!) for the first time in several years. More flowers than we expected, too. We missed Jeanne and Karoline...everyone sends best wished!

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2-11-2015 Dutra & Sky Ranch

A dozen of us enjoyed the green hills of the Dutra and Sky Ranch properties of Muir Heritage Land Trust. The mud was only bad in spots and the day couldn't have been nicer. Early flowers included ranunculus, ribes and oso berry. 3.8 miles.

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2-4-2015 Rossmore East Ridge

Fog, fog and more fog! Ten of us braved a day of pea soup fog to hike the east ridge of Rossmoor. We started at the top of Cactus Ct and returned to the valley via Autumnwood Drive. No views today, just fog. It was so damp out that we adjourned to Jeanne's house to eat our lunches, socialize and watch the birds and squirrels at Jeanne's feeders. Polly's husband, Bob, ferried drivers. Walking the entire circuit added up to 4.5 miles.

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