“Is that the Sierra over there?” I asked. “Has to be,” Vindu replied. We were on that great rarity at Mount Diablo State Park – a relatively flat stretch of trail — and had just finished a mildly excruciating climb…
Trails
First hike of 2007
by tmangan • January 1, 2007 • 2 Comments
Silicon Valley humor that nobody else would find humorous: We’ve hiked six miles at Montebello Open Space Preserve and we’re resting up at a trail stop close to the parking lot. A philosophical discussion of Karma arises (nothing but the…
Beyond the Grizzly Flat trailhead
by tmangan • December 24, 2006 • 1 Comment
Skyline Boulevard, otherwise known as California Route 35, runs along the spine of the Santa Cruz Mountains and is among the prettiest drives in the Bay Area. One of the nice things about Skyline is that if you take a…
Mission Peak again? Yeah
by tmangan • December 9, 2006 • 1 Comment
I’d do all my hikes at Mission Peak if the weather’d cooperate like it did on Saturday. Cloudy skies, light rain, prodigious mud and gale-force winds might not sound like cooperative conditions, but when you’ve done this hike several dozen…
What to do about mountain bikes
by tmangan • December 5, 2006 • 2 Comments
Tom Stienstra dives into the thicket, recommending: — Single track for bikes. In each district, rangers should convert a significant amount of single track trails for the use of mountain bikes only. The trailheads would be signed, “No horses, no…
10 miles at Purisima Creek Redwoods OSP
by tmangan • December 4, 2006 • 1 Comment
On Sunday, I hiked with a bunch of folks from Bay Area Linkup who gathered at Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. The trailhead is on Highway 35, otherwise known as Skyline Drive, a few miles north of Woodside. The…
Mission Peak in high winds
by tmangan • December 3, 2006 • 0 Comments
I have a hundred-dollar windbreaker imported from England, where they need such attire to fend off those North Sea gales. I had this jacket on Saturday when I stepped out of the Hiker Hauler at the base of Mission Peak,…
All the way to Black Mountain
by tmangan • November 25, 2006 • 3 Comments
There’s an easy way and a hard way to get to Black Mountain, a 2,800-foot summit in the Santa Cruz Mountains west of San Jose. I’ve done the easy route a couple times with Mike and Kathy’s hiking group for…
Zion in the off-season
by tmangan • November 22, 2006 • 1 Comment
Sunset magazine suggests checking out Zion National Park after the crowds thin out. I know folks whine and complain about the summer throngs at Zion but there’s something refreshing about being in a place that so totally overshadows the inconsequential…