On Sunday, the forecast for Gilroy predicted a high of only 82, which struck me as an engraved invitation to stop in on Henry Coe State Park on the rare sub-100 day in August. Naturally, it was at least 10…
Day hikes I’ve done
Trail restoration at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
by tmangan • August 8, 2007 • 0 Comments
VOCal, the outdoors volunteer organization, is getting a crew together this weekend to restore the River Trail at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park near Felton. About the Project: Volunteers will conduct extensive maintenance and rehabilitation of the very popular “River…
Butano revisited
by tmangan • August 6, 2007 • 1 Comment
I made another dash down to Butano State Park and did some more poking around on trails I missed Sunday. I’ll just jump straight to the pictures this time: One of the crossings on the Six Bridges Trail, which starts…
Latest hike: Butano State Park
by tmangan • August 6, 2007 • 5 Comments
My feet found fresh voice for their complaints along around mile 12. Right ankle decided with no prodding whatsoever to convey aches (and angst: what if I’ve got plantar fasciitis?) as I was working my way down the Jackson Flats…
Latest Hikes column: Portola Redwoods State Park
by tmangan • August 2, 2007 • 3 Comments
Posted at Mercurynews.com: The Old Tree is just a dot on the map of Portola Redwoods State Park – until you stand before its mind-boggling bulk and try to take it all in. It’s 297 feet tall, 12 feet across,…
Yet another Portola Redwoods State Park hike
by tmangan • July 30, 2007 • 0 Comments
It can’t be an epic adventure every week (and given my proclivities for safe, easily accessible nearby trails, my adventurers aren’t all that adventurous anyway). This week it was a few hours at Portola Redwoods State Park with Mike Wimble…
Four wide open space preserves
by tmangan • July 22, 2007 • 5 Comments
I couldn’t tell what the four guys in the big red fire truck from the California Department of Forestry were up to. Didn’t smell smoke, though, so I figured it must’ve been a Sunday training hike. About six steps into…
Latest Hikes column: Sanborn-Skyline County Park
by tmangan • July 19, 2007 • 0 Comments
From my Hikes column at the Mercury News. Early birds get the trails to themselves at Sanborn-Skyline, the popular Santa Clara County park just west of Saratoga. While the early hikers get the best rewards at pretty much any park,…
Stone walls at Ed Levin County Park
by tmangan • July 17, 2007 • 11 Comments
Arlene, a local hiker, asked me about the stone walls at Ed Levin County Park. She said she’s been to the park but hasn’t seen the walls. Perhaps she’s among the sane folks who avoid hiking to the heights behind…