10/21 Tilden

A big group today - 15 - walked from the Tower Trail trailhead on Grizzly Peak Rd down to South Gate Rd and then up Vollmer Peak Tr to Seaview Tr. We detoured out the ridge for a while and ended up at the picnic tables across from the Steam Train parking lot for lunch. Some of us walked the half mile back to the cars; other drivers were ferried back. Distance was about 2.5 miles for most.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/De7Gy5

10/14 Huckleberry Preserve

Ten of us enjoyed the shade of Huckleberry Preserve on another very warm October Wednesday. We started from the Pinehurst trailhead and walked a counter-clockwise loop up to the ridge and back. The walk was shorter than Shirley intended as we omitted a loop of about .7 miles by cutting down a short trail just after the second lookout spur...even so the 2.7 miles felt like plenty on such a muggy day.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/03dw01

For your reference there is an EBRPD plant checklist for Huckleberry available at:
http://www.ebparks.org/Assets/_Nav_Categories/Stewardship_Resources/Wild+Plant+Checklists/HUCKLEBE.pdf
The online version of the map includes the numbered posts and the plants to be found at those locations

Catching up!

10/7: Mt. Diablo-Amphitheater

13 of us hiked a "lollipop" route from the red corral trailhead on Morgan Territory Rd to the Amphitheater and back via Crestview, Highland Ridge and Morgan Creek Rd. It was almost too warm, but the hike is an interesting one which we should repeat in the spring. The Indian grinding holes in the Amphitheater were everywhere. No wonder as there were huge oaks in the area. We were very surprised by the number of galls on the leaves of many of the live oaks; there were places where the broken bits on the ground looked almost like flower petals. Delia identified the galls as andricus crystallinus.

A side note: we talked to a horseman at the red corral as we began the hike and met him again at the intersection of the Amphitheater Tr and Old Finley Rd. Close to the end of our chat it was discovered that he is the husband of the acquaintance of Shirley's who had recommended this hike!

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/27KE9q

9/30:  Garin/Dry Creek

13 of us walked from the main entrance to the park (end of Garin Rd) to the May St. entrance and back. About half way back the group split with 7 of us going up the steps to the ridge and then to the Ridge View Trail. The other six stuck to the valley, returning the way we had hiked earlier. The Valley group walked about 4 miles, the Ridge group about 4.25.

It was a gray day with off and on showers which left everything smelling good and refreshed all our spirits.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/70jYY8

9-23 Briones Res. South shore

Ten of us did the hike along the south shore of Briones Reservoir, beginning at the Bear Creek parking lot and ending at the lot by the dam. The day was reasonably warm and we were glad of the shade. Even tho we know everything is dry, the shriveled Mimulus and Baccharis, leafless gooseberries and drooping ferns made a big impression. Maples and oaks were beginning to loose their leaves; there were berries on the honeysuckle and Madrones. We did see some healthy flower buds on Manzanitas, tho. EBMUD has pumped in water for extra storage, so the reservoir was much fuller than when we hiked the trail in Oct of 2013.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/imgn2q

9-2 Tilden

There was concern as we started up Wildcat Canyon Road to Inspiration Point as a huge truck loaded with hay turned up just ahead of us. Luckily it pulled off at the old El Toyonal junction. Some of those curves are very sharp; definitely not made for trucks that size! 

12 of us started from Inspiration point and walked out Nimitz Way and down Laurel Canyon Trail to Jewel Lake and the Environmental Education Center. Monique shuttled Shirley and Juanita back to the cars, while 6 of us walked up Meadow Canyon. Shirley picked up the other 3. Sounds more complicated than it was. 3.4 miles for the shorter hike; 5.25+ for the longer one.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/o09o16

Apologies for failing to post the last few weeks...the Photo Archive does contain the details of  those hikes and links to the photos.

07/12 - 07/17 Caples

Caples! A wonderful tradition continued last week as we gathered at Caples Lake Resort for our annual Sierra fix.

07/12 - Old Hwy 88
https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/J7E682
Lee, Ulla and Karen did a reconnaissance hike.
Lots of flowers and thus very slow progress; a little over 1 1/2 mile up and back.

07/13 - Winnemucca and Round Top Lakes etc.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/r0Cp9u
Ulla, Lee and Karen started from Woods Lake. At Winnemucca, Debbie joined them and they went up to Round Top Lake, explored the moraine on the south shore and took the Lost Mine Trail back to Woods Lake. About 6 miles.
Susan, Monique, Juanita, Ron, Polly, Jeanne, Debbie (and Debbie's son-in-law and grandson) started at the pass and went to Frog Lake. From there Susan and Monique headed up the slopes of Elephant's Back. The others came on to Winnemucca where all paused for lunch. All but Debbie returned to the Pass.
Arriving later, Phred and Elaine went as far as Frog Lake.

07/14 - Emigrant Lake
https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/Mwp41H
Debbie, Phred, Elaine, Lee, Ulla and Karen hiked from the dam to Emigrant Lake and then took the trail labeled "Kirkwood Mdw" hoping to find an easy/direct route over the saddle to Kirkwood. The result was a hike that felt much longer than it actually was...somewhere around 7.75 miles as it is hard to judge just how we zigzagged up the ski run. Once on top of the saddle we were a bit lost and ended up taking a longer than necessary route down to the village.
Jeanne, Ron and Sylvia did some car-based exploring; Juanita went to Reno; Susan, Dan and Bridget, Monique and Polly walked up the Meiss Crest and then headed over to Grover Hot Springs.

07/15 - Diminished numbers
https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/5W546r
Juanita stayed at Caples and went kayacking; Phred, Elaine, Monique and Jeanne walked the Old Highway section before heading home. Susan and Polly did a similar hike, starting later. They continued up the road and went as far as the historic area just below the pass.
Ulla, Lee and Karen drove over the pass and down the Blue Lakes Road. There were several objectives: document the Charity Valley Trailhead (done), find the start of the Thornburg Canyon Trail (unsuccessful on the ground, easy on Google Earth once home), explore some of the lakes near FS Rd 204 and along that section of the PCT. Their main walk was from a parking spot above Lower Sunset Lake, along the PCT, lunch at Lily Pad Lake and on to an unnamed lake and back; just under 4 miles

07/16 - Meiss Crest
https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/w8J4G5
There were only 5 of us as Juanita decided to head home. Ulla was ahead on the trail up from the parking area and when she found she had passed the trail we intended to take, decided to walk on down into the meadow. Susan, Polly, Lee and Karen meandered up the hill toward the crest, roughly following the old fence posts, We found a wonderful garden at the edges of a swale nestled between two dark rock ridges. We made it to the first peak on the ridge for lunch, but didn't linger as the clouds were building in and thunderstorms were predicted. We got a bit of rain as we started down to the main trail, but not enough to really matter. We met Ulla at the trailhead. Our mileage (again approximate since we wandered a great deal) was about 4.5 miles with an elevation difference of +525' from the parking lot to the peak.

7/17 - departure
https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/1P2939
Susan and Polly went on to Bishop; Lee, Ulla and Karen drove back home.
Along Mormon Emigrant Rd we saw a trailer with wooden carts. I'm fairly sure they were for a re-enactment of the Mormon Battalion trek in the summer of 1848 which established this route. An article on such a re-enactment can be found at:
http://www.folsomtelegraph.com/article/about-300-folsom-el-dorado-hills-area-mormons-retrace-steps-pioneers
 Altho the article is from several years ago, it is still relevant.

07-08 Chabot RP

A dozen of us (plus Meadow!) walked from Chabot Park at the end of Estudillo Ave. up to the Lake Chabot dam. Then we followed Bass Cove trail to the junction with Columbine and Hawk Ridge trails. We went a short distance up each before returning to the bench near the junction for lunch. Total distance was about 4 2/3 miles

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/67B3HG