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.


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