I had nothing to gain from this hike: I’ve already written a column about Big Basin for the Mercury News; the forecast called for rain all day; and it was with a group of over a dozen people, and I…
Day hikes I’ve done
Mount Tamalpais: get thee to the south side
by tom • January 31, 2008 • 7 Comments
If you like the sound of running water near the trail, the trail to be on is probably somewhere on the south side of Mount Tamalpais these days. I hiked a couple of the popular trails at Mount Tam yesterday…
Almaden Quicksilver history trail story published
by tom • January 31, 2008 • 1 Comment
Grab a copy of today’s Mercury News (look, you can always use the paper to pack your eBay auction items) if you’re interested in my article about Zack Taich, Mike Malone and the historic hiking map they created for Almaden…
Hike videos of the Berry Creek Falls at Big Basin
by tom • January 29, 2008 • 0 Comments
I’ve been meaning to link to these and now that it’s waterfall season, these videos are worth a look: Part 1. Part 2. Part. 3 Anna, the producer of these videos, has a bunch more at her YouTube profile page…
First time I climbed Mission Peak
by tom • January 28, 2008 • 1 Comment
For those who haven’t been reading along since the summer of 2004, here’s a look back at the day I figured out I could be a hiker. About three-quarters of the way up, I’m starting to tire out. I walk…
Latest hike: Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
by tom • January 22, 2008 • 5 Comments
One of my rules is: always visit the graveyard. There used to be as many as seven coal mines in these hills near Antioch in northeastern Contra Costa County. The towns that sprouted up around these mines are long gone…
Latest Hikes column: Calero County Park
by tom • January 18, 2008 • 0 Comments
This was posted yesterday but I got busy: It’s all horses and flowers at Calero County Park. Calero, near the southern edge of San Jose, is one of Santa Clara County’s most popular equestrian destinations – it even has corrals…
Hiking through history at Almaden Quicksilver County Park
by tom • January 14, 2008 • 2 Comments
“I never knew any of this was back here,” Zack the Eagle Scout says. We’re at Alamaden Quicksilver County Park, the site of what used to be a massive mercury-mining operation with shafts and tunnels bored all over the hills…
Interesting Scout project at Almaden Quicksilver County Park
by tom • January 12, 2008 • 2 Comments
A local Eagle Scout went out to Almaden Quicksilver and put together a 6.5-mile “participatory history hike,” linking old mining sites at the park. He printed a brochure with a guide to all the sites and included a quiz —…