Hiking Around San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond

Today was a nice sunny day, so we decided to go out for a trek in the afternoon. The temperature was quite high in the early afternoon but by 3:00 it was falling and I knew that the more time I hiked, the cooler it would get. I arranged a ride to drop us (myself, kids and my friend) off at Sunol Regional Wilderness Park, which was our planned starting point. I was hoping to travel up from that  (east) side of Mission Peak, which I know to be very scenic and pleasant compared to its barren opposite-commonly known as the “Stanford Trail.” Although the slope of the Stanford Trail can knock the wind out of you on the ascent, I figured going down it would be a quicker way back home after a five and a half mile hike.  I hit the Ohlone Wilderness Trail from the start and followed it up. In the beginning, the trail was on a gentle hill, while the vegetation nearby had been dried up by the summer sun. The initial climb was a bit strenous for a while, but after I hit the trees, the slope becam