Some of you might be saying to yourselves, “Tom, why do you keep going back to the same ol’ places.” Laziness, mostly, but there are times when knowing the terrain like the back of one’s hand (though, come to think…
Day hikes I’ve done
Pinnacles revisited
by tmangan • April 1, 2007 • 2 Comments
OK, back to nature. Last weekend I went along with the FOMFOK hiking group on its annual Pinnacles National Monument trek, which is always great fun amid good people (or good fun among great people, depending on how muddy the…
The people you meet on the trail
by tmangan • March 19, 2007 • 0 Comments
Kathleen used to work in the research library at the paper. I used to take a shortcut through her office, right past her desk. Probably passed it a thousand times. Yesterday I was at the Sunol Regional Wilderness, sitting on…
Tramping through Las Trampas
by tmangan • March 4, 2007 • 3 Comments
The daring adventurers of California’s past — who energetically cut down most of the trees, polluted most of the streams and killed off all the grizzly bears — did do something beneficial for ensuing generations: they spent lifetimes buying up…
At Santa Clara County’s newest park
by tmangan • February 24, 2007 • 3 Comments
The fact that’s there’s not much to recommend a hike at the new Coyote Lake — Harvey Bear Ranch County Park is, oddly enough, reason to go anyway. Santa Clara County bought the old Harvey Bear Ranch a few years…
Steep Ravine, Matt Davis trails, Mount Tamalpais summit
by tmangan • February 20, 2007 • 4 Comments
Mount Tamalpais is the biggest hill in Marin County, which is just over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. I’ve been meaning to check out the trails there pretty much since I first began hiking, but the long drive…
Scenes from Coyote Hills Regional Park
by tmangan • February 17, 2007 • 0 Comments
Coyote Hills Regional Park is along the San Francisco Bay’s Fremont shoreline. The hills are more like humps and half the trails are paved. A nice place for an easy stroll, and an excellent place to snap off a few…
Sizing up Mount Sizer
by tmangan • February 17, 2007 • 1 Comment
The idea of having 80-some thousand acres all to yourself is hard to get your head around — it’s not like you can act on such knowledge. Heck, it’d take 20 years to explore it all on foot, and while…
A waterfall hike minus the water
by tmangan • January 28, 2007 • 0 Comments
Sunday was time again for the annual waterfall hike at Uvas Canyon County Park, hosted by Mike & Kathy of FOMFOK fame. Last year, Uvas could’ve given a few of the lesser Yosemite falls a run for their money. We…