Mission Peak from Ohlone College


Today my friends, my kids, and I decided to go Mission Peak via Ohlone College. This route is my favorite since it is less strenuous compared to the Stanford route. In addition, This route is also less crowded and it has more plant life and shade.  I was happy to choose this route, since it was almost 80 degrees outside when we started the hike. In the beginning of the hike, there is a very nice cave (above).

After the initial steepness, the trail becomes a pleasant walk in a valley. On the east side of the hills, there is a thick forest. From that side, we overlooked the Sunol wilderness, and were able to see a hazy Mt. Diablo in the distance. Beyond the trees, the trail converges in to a gravel road, which we followed for a mile and a half. Then, it diverged and lead us back to the Sunol-Stanford trail. On the way, we passed the takeoff zone for the hang gliders and para gliders. Soon after, we found ourselves at the base of Mission Peak. The climb to the summit, although only a quarter mile, is very steep. Now a days, Mission Peak has become a popular hiking destination, and it was very crowded up there. We saw a snake on the way to the peak, which has become a common sighting in the summer.  At the top, the shimmer of the bay and the clouds pallet of colors were illuminated by the setting sun. We hiked a little bit more on southern side of the peak and since it was already past 6.30pm, we decided to head back the same way.

As usual I was carrying my NewYu. It logged 7 miles (Fourteen thousand plus a few hundred steps) of my hike. It is very encouraging looking at the NewYu portal and see that over the week I am achieving my 60,000 steps per week.  Another thing I am very glad of is that both of my kids are now in to hiking. Goodbye for now, till next week's hike :D.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Windy Hill Open Space Reserve

Image
Hike Date: 10/23/11 This week we decided to hike Windy Hill Open Space Reserve. We reached there by Highway 280 taking Alpine Road exit to Portola Road. There is a nice parking lot accommodating 30 cars at the trailhead. The day was clear and temperatures in high 60s. The trail starts behind the restrooms. The trailhead is around 600 feet elevation. In 0.1 miles from the entrance we came across a nice and small Sausal Pond.  We took the Ridge Trail along the pond. In 0.6 miles you come across many forks on the trail. The trail does not gain much overall elevation change but goes up and down. We always kept the left and in 1.2 miles we merged into Eagle Trail, which ascends mildly. Eagle Trail goes along the Alpine Road for 0.7 miles along one side and a creek on the other side. At the end of Eagle Trail there is another entrance to the park. At this entrance we crossed the bridge on the creek and got on to Razorback Ridge Trail. This trail ascends very steep in the dense tall R...
Read more

Saratoga Gap Open Space Reserve

Image
Hike Date: 11/13/11 Today I decided to hike in Saratoga Open Space Reserve. It is located at the intersection of scenic Skyline Boulevard (SR 35) and highway 9.  I reached there by taking Route 9 from Saratoga Avenue off highway 85. There is a free parking at the trailhead with approximately 20 cars capacity. It was a nice and clear day with temperatures in 50s.  I started on Saratoga gap trail. The trailhead is at 2730 feet elevation. Initial part of the trail goes on side of the Skyline Blvd. You can hear the traffic noise drift from the highway. Most of the trail is shaded with tall trees.  After walking for 1.7 miles you come to an intersection where Charcoal Road, Table Mountain trail and Saratoga Gap trail. I took the Table Mountain trail, which descends more than 1100 feet over 2.7 miles winding trail. On the way you cross multiple water streams. This part of the trail is in Steven’s Creek County Park. Elevation at the Table Mountain stands at 1730 fe...
Read more

Purisima Creek Redwoods, Half Moon Bay

Image
This week we decided to hike the Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve, near Half Moon Bay. You can reach the park by taking 92 West to Half Moon Bay. Then you take Higgins Canyon exit at 1 South, which leads a very narrow road for 4.2 miles to the trailhead on the left side of the road. This park has 4 entrances. We chose the trailhead at Higgins Canyon entrance. This parking lot only caters for 8 cars at this entrance. There are many trails options within the park. We decided to do a loop hike including Bald Knob (2102 feet elevation). The trailhead is at 400 feet elevation. The weather was cloudy and little chillier with temperatures in mid 50s. We started our trek with a flat mile long Purisima Creek trail. The landscape was extremely green. This park gives you a feeling that you are hiking in a dense rain forest. The stroll was along the water stream was extremely pleasant. My son and me crossed a slippery fallen tree bridge over the water st...
Read more