Lassen Volcanic National Park Field Trip

This fall I’m taking two classes: one is an Introduction to Geographic Information Systems at Diablo Valley College, and the other is a field studies class through Merritt College: Biol62H — Natural History of Lassen Volcanic National Park. This past weekend I went on the field trip portion of the natural history class to Lassen Volcanic National Park. I camped at Manzanita Lake Campground in the northwest corner of the park on Friday and Saturday nights in the “Tents Only” loop D.

Day One:

1. We met at the Loomis Visitor’s Center/Museum at 8:30 am to check out the interpretive displays and watch a film about the park.
2. Drove to the northeast section of the park and did the hike to Cinder Cone rim near Butte Lake.
3. Later we did the Lily Pond Nature Trail with an additional walk around Reflection Lake.

Day Two:

1. We met at the Manzanita Lake boat launch to do some bird watching but there was not too many birds out. We did see a Dipper (water ouzel), American Robin, a Stellar's Jay, Belted Kingfisher, and an immature Wood Duck.
2. After, we drove to the Devastated Area to do the interpretive trail there, but it was closed for trail work.
3. Met the trailhead for Lassen Peak (trail also under construction) for a short discussion about the flora/fauna/geology of Lassen Peak area.
4. After we drove to the Bumpass Hell trailhead for a hike into Bumpass Hell, an active hydrothermal area.

A few volcanic fun facts I learned about Lassen on the trip:

• Lassen Peak is one of the largest lava plug dome volcanoes in the world.
• Currently, it is the last volcano to have erupted in California with major events happening from May 14, 1914 through May 22, 1915.
• Lassen V. N. P. has examples of all four types of volcanoes: sheild—Prospect Peak, cinder cone—Cinder Cone, lava plug dome—Lassen Peak, and composite/stratovolcano—old Brokeoff/Tehama.
• Cinder Cone National Monument and Lassen Peak National Monument were both established by Theodore Roosevelt on May 6, 1907.
• After the eruption of Lassen Peak, Congress created Lassen Volcanic National Park in 1916.

A few common species of trees in the Lassen area that we identified:

• White fir, Abies concolor
  
• Red fir, Abies magnifica
  
• Mountain Hemlock, Tsuga mertensiana
  
• Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi
  

• For more information visit the official Lassen Volcanic National Park website: www.nps.gov/lavo
• View my photo album slideshow on flickr

~OR~

• Here is my GPS track map with photos at Everytrail:

Lassen Volcanic National Park Field Studies
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Sweeney Ridge GGNRA Night Hike

On Wednesday night I drove to San Bruno to meet my friend Marie for a night hike at Sweeney Ridge—part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). We started from the Sneath Lane trailhead and walked along the paved Sneath Lane Trail to the top at Sweeney Ridge trail. It was foggy higher up so we couldn’t see anything except mist, but lower down under the “fog line” I was able to get a shot of the city lights below us. The only wildlife we encountered was a banana slug that seemed a little out of place slithering along the pavement. We did see a dismembered fawn’s leg along the trail—probably the remnants of a coyote or mountain lion kill.

Trip Stats:

• Trailhead: Sneath Lane (end of the road).
• Mileage: ~3.75 round trip
• Elevation +/-: 760 ft.
• High Point: 1214 ft.
• Low Point: 600 ft.
• TH Facilities: None

View a few photos here on flickr.

View map with photos of my route on EveryTrail:

Sweeney Ridge GGNRA Night Hike

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First Hike of 2010

My mountaineering friend Emilie invited me to go on a day hike with two of our friends at Huddart Park, a county park in San Mateo near Woodside, California. I haven’t done much Peninsula hiking and have never been to Huddart Park, so I thought it would be nice to start the new year with a hike in a new area.

The weather was nice and foggy with a little mist—perfect for hiking in redwood trees. With the moisture came lots of fungi, moss, lichen, and banana slugs. We even saw two rough-skinned newts cruising around with each other. We did have to dodge some horse apples, but the trails were remarkably root-free and not too muddy. Some trails where even paved, which was a bit odd, but minimized my normal stumbling on every rock and bump.

Overall it was a nice park, worth the small entrance fee, and a pleasant way to start the new year!

Trip Stats:

• Location: Huddart County Park, Woodside, CA
• Trailhead: Ranger Station Parking Lot
• Mileage: 8.14 round trip, figure-8 loop
• Elevation Gain/Loss: ~1,760 ft; low point 666 ft, high point 2,010 ft
• Trails Traveled: Dean Trail, Chinquapin Trail, Archery Fire Road, Dean Trail, Crystal Springs Trail
• Terrain: Well-maintained single and double track, some trails with asphalt. Good sturdy trail signage. Only a few obstacles—a couple downed trees, a few locked horse gates.
• Flora & Fauna: Redwood forest and mixed evergreen with lots of madrone and tan oak. Lots of moisture, fungi, banana slugs, fog, spider webs, newts.
• Facilities: Bathrooms with water at various picnic areas in park. $5 entrance fee. Maps available.
• Flickr photo album

EveryTrail GPS Track with Photos: Huddart Park: First Hike of the New Year

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Christmas Day Hike in Suburbia

I'm visiting my family in Southern California and Christmas Day I decided to do a little exploring behind my dad's house in San Juan Capistrano. There is a little ridge behind his housing tract on the other side of Trabuco Creek and I wanted to know what was on the other side.

When I lived down here I didn't do much (if any) hiking so it was a real treat to get up high and get my "topographic bearings." Suburban sprawl is definitely a theme here and I could see roads, communities, and cities that didn't exist when I was a kid. The views were nearly unobstructed. I could see north through the smog to Mt. Baldy capped in snow and south through the gap in the hills to the Pacific Ocean. To the east was Saddleback Mountain in the Santa Ana Mountain Range with Santiago Peak the tallest in the range at 5,687 feet. To the west was I-5 and more rolling hills. I also saw some remnant straggly orange trees left over from the old Rosembaum Ranch property back when Orange County's name brought to mind something other than a teen TV series and tract home sprawl.

I didn't have a trail map (or any map) and was using a satellite image from the EveryTrail iPhone app. I thought I saw a loop trip that I could do but I was thwarted by private property. I ended up calling my dad to come pick me up in Ladera Ranch as I was running out of time and needed to get home in time for Christmas dinner at my uncle's house in Capistrano Beach.

Note: More pictures to come. I don't have the proper USB cable here in Orange County, so I will need to wait until I get back to Oakland to add them. In the meantime, view the EveryTrail GPS track map with my iPhone photos:

village san juan / rosenbaum ranch to ladera ranch via trabuco ridge trail

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Hike #2 Trails Challenge ’09

Yours Truly contemplating the interesting trickle that was Murietta Falls on our visit.

Ohlone Regional Wilderness: Lake Del Valle to Murietta Falls & Stewart’s Camp Backpack For my second Trails Challenge 2009 hike (see original post about EBRPD's Trails Challenge) I chose a recommended hike that I’ve wanted to do for quite awhile now—Murietta Falls in the Ohlone Regional Wilderness south of Livermore. Murietta Falls is supposedly one of the tallest waterfalls in the Bay Area falling 100 feet over a huge chunk of serpentine rock jutting out of the surrounding grassy oak savanna and draining into La Costa Creek. The Trails Challenge trail guide lists it as “the longest continuous drop waterfall in Alameda County.” This waterfall however doesn’t have much water volume and can be less than spectacular or even dry if visited too late in the season or in a low water year like this year. The Trails Challenge guide lists it as a “winter” hike just for this reason, but I was willing to risk it as the weather was still cool—the San Francisco Bay Area's valley interior can get blistering hot—and since spring has sprung, I was hoping that the wildflowers would be out. Another consideration was that all of my trail guides stress the strenuousness of this trail. I figured I would better enjoy this hike as an overnight backpack which shortens the daily mileage and elevation gain/loss, and luckily, since stewart’s camp trail camp was available and only half a mile away from the falls I could. On our visit it turns out the falls were more of a dribble than a gush, but fortunately my hiking partner Amy's and my efforts were more than rewarded with vast views of lush green hills, fields of beautiful wildflowers, soaring raptors, frog-filled ponds, coyote howls and sweet solitude. View all of my photos from this hike on flickr. Trails Challenge Hike #2 Stats: Date Completed: April 2 – 3, 2009 Location: CA, Ohlone Regional Wilderness (south of Livermore) Mileage: ~14 mi round trip Elevation: +/-4485' RT, ; lo pt 750; hi pt 3,372' Trails Challenge Total Miles: 21

Google Earth image of our route. Click for larger view.

Topographic map of my route. Click for a larger view. More Information: Ohlone Regional Wilderness official site Two-Heel Drive’s Murietta Falls day hike report Calipidder’s Murietta Falls day hike report Tom Stienstra’s Ohlone Wilderness article on SFGate

Hike #1 Trails Challenge ’09

Western Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum grande) seen on French Trail.
Roberts Regional Recreation Area & Redwood Regional Park Loop As I wrote a couple weeks ago the East Bay Regional Park District is hosting its annual Trails Challenge. Last Thursday I hiked my first official challenge trail of 2009. I chose a “summer” recommended hike as it was a nice warm sunny spring day and this route would be shaded by redwoods and oak woodland most of the way with just a smidge of chaparral and grassland. Being midweek I had the first half all to myself, but later in the afternoon I was joined by equestrians, mountain bikers, and dog walkers. Along the route, I was pleasantly greeted by plentiful wildflowers and a “serpentine prairie” right here in Oakland. Date Completed: March 26, 2009 Location: CA, Oakland, Roberts Regional Recreation Area & Redwood Regional Park Mileage: ~7.1 mi round trip Elevation: +/-1700'; lo pt 822'; hi pt 1,535' Trails Challenge Total Miles: 7
	California tortoiseshell butterfly (Nymphalis californica). It briefly landed on Dunn Trail in the Serpentine Prairie Preserve part of Redwood Regional Park.
Links: View all my photos from this hike Read more about the Trails Challenge Learn more about the serpentine prairie Roberts Regional Recreation Area official website Redwood Regional Park official website
	Backlit sword fern on Graham Trail in Roberts Regional Recreation Area.
Topographic map of my route. Click for a larger view.

The Trillium of Tres Sendas

The day before St. Patrick’s Day it rained here in Oakland and I thought it would be really wonderful to go traipsing around the lush forest floor of Redwood Regional Park. I knew the rain would make the understory fresh and green and fill the creeks and tributaries, and also unfortunately make the trails muddy, but keep the crowds away. I decided to try some new trails including East Ridge Road and Prince Road, but what I really wanted to explore was more of Tres Sendas Trail. From previous visits I knew that Tres Sendas was flanked by watershed and deep within the shade of redwoods, so it would be particularly nice on a wet cloudy day. My decision paid off as I was rewarded with dozens of blooming trilliums along the path of Tres Sendas. Normally I only see trilliums with their buds munched off by ravenous deer or shriveled up long past their prime. The trillium is a pretty easy wildflower to identify and remember as there are three leaves, three sepals, and three petals... hence the “tri” in trillium. As you can see from the photos above the flower can range in color from white, to pink, to purple. I’ve seen two kinds of trillium in the local redwood forests. One is the Trillium ovatum pictured above, also called Western Wake Robin or Pacific Wake Robin, and the other is Trillium chloropetalum otherwise known as Giant Wake Robin, Giant Trillium, Common Trillium amongst other common names. Coincidently, Tres (as in Tres Sendas) means three in Spanish! Tres Sendas = Three Trails. Unfortunately, I was only able to explore the lower half of Tres Sendas as I took a wrong turn on French Trail and spent too much time lollygagging, and so chose a more familiar trail to return to the trailhead insuring that I got back to my car before dark. My Links: All photos from this hike Just my Trillium photos from multiple hikes All my Redwood Regional Park blog posts View topo map of my route Outside Links: Wikipedia: Trillium Redwood Regional Park EBRPD official site PDF download the official map

Trails Challenge 2009 EBRPD

The deadline to register for the East Bay Regional Park District's Trails Challenge 2009 is quickly approaching! It's a yearly event that the East Bay Regional Parks Foundation hosts to get us out exploring our parks.

In past years there was a registration fee for participants which included the Trails Challenge guidebook, a t-shirt, and a pin upon completing the challenge. This year registration is FREE for participants living in Alameda and Contra Costa counties thanks to sponsorship from Kaiser Permanente and a few changes including an online trail guide instead of a mailed printed guide and making the t-shirts available for pick up at select park visitor centers instead of mailing them out. The fee for non-district resident participants is $20.

So what exactly is the challenge? Hike at least five trails picked from the official Trails Challenge 2009 trail guide OR hike 26.5 trail miles of your choosing in the EBRP District and log them in the official Trails Challenge 2009 log. You have to complete the trails and submit the log by December 1, 2009 to receive the 75th Anniversary commemorative pin.

I signed up this afternoon and am really excited about it. If you want to join in on the fun hurry, because registration closes March 31st!

For more information visit these links:

• Trails Challenge 2009 information+registration
  
• East Bay Regional Parks District
• My previous EBRPD related blog posts
• My photos taken in the EBRPD
  

Logo/Image Source: East Bay Regional Parks Foundation

Trip Report: Emilie’s Training Hike Mount Diablo State Park

Ksenya and Emilie on the North Peak Trail on our way to Mt. Olympia.

My friend Emilie is training to climb Denali — a.k.a. Mount McKinley — in Alaska this summer, so she invited a few of her hiking friends to join her on a training hike in Mount Diablo State Park. I was hesitant to go as it sounded a little ambitious for me but Emilie assured me that she would be carrying a 35 pound pack thus slowing her down a little bit. The weather forecast being for rain, several of Emilie’s friends dropped out, but her friend Ksenya and I weren’t afraid of a little water and mud. It ended up being quite nice weather for a strenuous hike as it was breezy and cool with partial cloudiness. Blue sky would pop in and out between the clouds making for some nice views here and there. The only drag was the sticky clay mud in some areas, but I just pretended the extra mud weight clinging to my boots was snowshoes weighing my feet down — training for next week’s snowcamping trip. Dayhike Stats: Date: January 24, 2009 Location: CA, Clayton, Mount Diablo State Park Mileage: ~10.25 mi round trip Elevation: +/-3,578'; lo pt 530'; hi pt 3,306' Trailhead: end of Regency Dr., City of Clayton Open Space TH Lat/Long.: 37.92208099, -121.9267883 TH Facilities: none Trails Hiked: Donner Canyon Road, Meridian Ridge Road, Prospectors Gap Road, North Peak Road, North Peak Trail, Mt Olympia Road, Olympia Trail, Cardinet Oaks Road, and back to Donner Canyon Road. Route Type: lollipop loop Trail Terrain: mostly steep fire road; some rocky/gravely single track. Flora: oak woodland/savanna, foothill woodland with gray pine, chaparral, & riparian; lots of mistletoe on oaks in Clayton Open Space & daffodils along Donner Canyon Road. Why Go?: nice views to the north and east of Clayton, Pittsburg, Antioch, the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers and beyond; lots of elevation gain = good backpacking/mountain climbing training; landmarks visited: Meridian Point, Prospectors Gap, and Mt Olympia Caveats: steep and long — not for the beginner or couch potato or those with bad knees. Fire roads are exposed to the elements. Lots of sticky clay mud when wet. Official Website: California State Parks Mount Diablo Other Websites: Save Mount Diablo & Mount Diablo Interpretive Association View my photo album.

(Google Earth image of our route. Click for a larger view.)

(Topographic map of our route. Click for a larger view.)

Trip Report: Mission Peak Dayhike

Mission Peak from the Stanford Ave. trailhead parking lot, Fremont, CA.
Rumored to have amazing views, I've wanted to hike Mission Peak for a while. So after watching Obama's inauguration, and being a mostly clear, warm January day, I headed down to Fremont for a butt-kicker of a hike. Just before reaching the trailhead, I stopped to enjoy a western bacon cheeseburger guilt free (one of my favorite guilty pleasures) as I knew I would definitely be burning it off on this one. Dayhike Stats: Date: January 20, 2009, Inauguration Day Location: Fremont, CA, Mission Peak Regional Preserve Mileage: ~6.3 mi round trip Elevation: +/-2100'; lo pt 378'; hi pt 2,517' Trailhead: end of Stanford Ave., Fremont TH Lat/Long.: 37.50419998, -121.908493 TH Facilities: toilet, water fountain, picnic table Trails Hiked: Hidden Valley Trail, Peak Trail Route Type: up and back Trail Terrain: steep double track/fire road with gravel; rocky near top; rated strenuous. Why go?: 360° views; oak savanna/grassland; ground squirrels galore, coyote, birds of prey; dogs allowed (pick up poo bags please); Plenty of benches with views along route. Caveats: cows = muddy when wet; popular = people & trash (pack it out!); 2100' elev. gain in 3 miles = strenuous; gravel on a steep grade = slippery Official Website: EBRPD Mission Peak Regional Preserve View the photo album.
	Coyote looking for a meal.
Invasion of the Ground Squirrels & One Coyote I've never seen so many ground squirrels in my life. There were hundreds and that is no exaggeration. They were chirping and chasing and digging—doing squirrel work. Near the summit I saw a hunting coyote stalking the plentiful ground squirrel prey. Thankfully I didn't see him actually eat any, but I was hoping he scored a delectable dinner eventually.
	The artifacts of a consumer culture.
Trashy Lazy People On the hike up, I noticed an inordinate amount of plastic water bottle and orange peel discards. At a semi-flat spot just below the peak there were these two trash cans overflowing with plastic garbage. There was also plastic garbage strewn about the summit. It's sad and maddening that people find it acceptable to trash such a beautiful place. What's worse is that they carried this stuff up the hill full. They can't carry it back down empty thus lighter? I realize some of the offending parties who normally wouldn't litter felt entitled to use the trash cans, even though filled way beyond capacity, just because they were there, and hey, we are tax payers and some "public servant" is going to come up here and clean up after us right? Well I picked up and carried out several bottles begrudgingly, as I feel litter bugs should be forced to wallow in their own filth, but unfortunately they are already deep in it and are so oblivious they don't realize it. Where is Woodsy Owl when you need him?
	Me standing with the flag on Mission Peak which is not the actual peak.
The Peak is Not The Peak The actual peak of Mission Peak is not the flag pictured above. It is the lump behind me in the photo. While standing next to the flag, I noticed that the hump behind me was higher so I went exploring. There is a surveyor's mark and a little hand made sign consisting of a sawed railroad tie and nails acting as text. The few people that were up there when I was just went to the flag and then off they marched back down the hill. I didn't realize it at the time, but the metal post thing with the funny pipes sticking out of it that the flag is attached to actually points out landmarks. I'll have to see if there is a key. The metal post has numbers so somewhere there has to be an explanation.
	My shadow and the official(?) railroad tie and nail sign marker for Mission Peak.
(Topographic map of my route. Click for a larger view.)

Backpacking: Butano State Park Trip Report

View of the sun getting ready to set from the Landing Strip near the trail camp on Butano Fire Road.
Figuring I should take advantage of not having to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving and wanting to burn off all that turkey and pie, I asked my friend Brian to join me for a short backpacking excursion. Originally I thought a two-nighter from Hetch Hetchy to Rancheria Falls in Yosemite might be nice, but then I remembered how gnarly traffic would be on Sunday coming home through Tracy and the Altimont Pass...BLECH!!! So I narrowed it down to this local one-nighter at Butano State Park returning home Saturday rather than Sunday to avoid the holiday return traffic frenzy. Backpack Stats: Date: November 28 & 29, 2008 Location: CA, Bay Area, Pescadero, Butano State Park Mileage: ~11.25 Elevation: +/-2,081' ; lo pt 281'; hi pt 1,690' Trailhead: Mill Ox Trail TH Lat/Long.: 37.208,-122.333191 TH Facilities: NO toilet, water, or phone at trailhead; phone at entrance; water & toilet at picnic area on right after entrance station. Trails Hiked: Mill Ox, Jackson Flats, Canyon, Trail Camp, Butano Fire Road, Mill Ox Route Type: Loop Trail Terrain(s): single track: steep in parts, slippery when wet, roots, some gravel higher up; fire road well maintained (mountain bikes allowed on fire roads). Camp Lat/Long.: 37.22451,-122.291451 Camp: designated trail camp first come first pick; pit toilet, trash cans, NO WATER—pack it in or be prepared to hike for it; No fires, stoves only, some sites have log table w/bench Plant Communities: Riparian, Redwood Forest / Mixed Evergreen, "Vernal Wetland", Chaparral. Why go?: newts, lots o' banana slugs, fungi & lichen, nice sunset from the abandoned landing strip by camp. Trail camp is not heavily used, local solitude. Official Website: Butano State Park View the entire flickr photo album.
	Fire-breathing newt crossing, BEWARE!
	Brian molesting a newt for my photographic exploitation.
Newts, & Slugs, & Fungi, Oh My! This was my first time visiting Butano State Park and I was quite impressed with the sheer numbers of newts, banana slugs, and variety of fungi and lichen. This is one moist park! I was also quite amused by all of the "Slow! Newt Crossing" signs. I'm really not sure it is possible to drive slow enough to see a newt actually crossing the road in front of me, but I tried my best. Along the trail I spied a clump of fungi I had never seen before. It was a series of almost translucent white finger-shaped stalks pointing out of the leaf litter only a few inches high. Once home I found out it was named appropriately enough: Fairy Fingers. There were many other species, some of which I had seen before in other redwood parks but never took the time to figure out what they were. This time I did a little research after getting home. Three of the species I identified were: "Fairy Fingers" Clavaria vermicularis "Lungwort" or "lung lichen" Lobaria pulmonaria "Sulfur Shelf" or "Chicken of the Woods" Laetiporus conifericola
	Clavaria vermicularis a.k.a. Fairy Fingers
	Enjoying the little camp table at site #1 and a few afternoon rays of sunlight. The redwood canopy above creates a very damp & chilly environment
Butano Trail Camp As with most of the local backpacking opportunities in the bay area, camping is restricted to a trail camp. Often this situation feels like all the disadvantages of car camping mixed with all the disadvantages of backpacking (all work and no solitude). But not so this time. We practically had the whole trail camp area to ourselves except for one very quiet couple—not visible or audible to us at our site. I don't know if this relative vacancy was due to Thanksgiving weekend and everybody traveled out of the bay area, or if the masses were too busy shopping to hike, or if the camp is just deserted like this most of the time in the off-season. Or maybe it was because there is no water at this trail camp so you have to pack it all in or hike back out in search of the closest running creek. In any case, this solitude created some much welcomed peace. Butano trail camp does offer some amenities such as a pit toilet and trash cans, and some of the sites have little log benches and tables (site #2's was squished under a felled conifer). Also this camp doesn't seem to have the racoon problem of other local trail camps (let's keep it that way people...don't leave out any trash or food "rewards").
	One of MANY banana slugs near camp.
One potential downside is that the camp area is shaded by a reasonably thick redwood canopy, so in the event of fog or recent rain bring some extra dry warm layers and a tent or tarp over and under your sleeping bag because everything left out WILL get wet just from the surrounding moisture and there won't be much sunlight to dry it off the next day. Also be prepared for curious, moisture loving banana slugs crawling on your stuff. Have no fear of the slug. They won't hurt you, but they will leave a slime trail that does not wash off easily. If at camp you find yourself craving views, you are in luck. Not far from camp along Butano Fire Road to the west there is an abandoned landing strip of sandstone gravel surrounded by chaparral and knobcone pine with nice views of the valley to the south and west. After setting up camp, we took a stroll over to the landing strip to explore and watch the sun dip into the blanket of coastal rolling fog with colors turning from silver to yellow to orange to pink to red.
(Topographic map of our route. Click for more viewing options.)

Bear Attack: Lessons to be Learned

I just got done reading an article on backpacker.com's blog: Getting Beyond the Bear. It was a pretty scary and graphic story about a father and daughter surviving a bear attack in Glacier National Park. I'm glad the two victims survived and lived to tell the tale. However, my frustration with outdoor survival (or tragedy) stories is that they tend to avoid any criticism of the victim's actions. I understand that the victims have been traumatized enough, but I think these stories could have a more useful purpose besides scaring the reader if more objective analysis of the mistakes made would follow. So here are two mistakes that I noticed that were not addressed by the story involving bear pepper spray:

1. Bear spray was carried but not handy—Those “handy” mesh side pockets on backpacks are not so handy when it comes to accessibility. Whenever I store stuff in them I inevitably have to take my backpack off to reach it. Charging Momma Bear is not going to wait for you. Carry your bear spray like a cop carries a gun—near the front, easy to grab, unobstructed.
   
2. Hiking partner did not know how to release the bear spray safety tab—Know how to use the bear spray—that includes your hiking partners. The daughter saw the bear pepper spray laying on the ground (it fell out of the mesh pocket during the attack) and grabbed it, but panicked because she DID NOT KNOW how to release the safety tab. PRACTICE! Releasing the tab should be second nature because NOBODY can think clearly in a panic situation. Everybody reverts to instinct. Knowledge becomes instinct when practiced thoroughly.

(View my photos of Glacier National Park on flickr.)

Day Hike: Las Trampas Regional Wilderness Loop

Finally, I went on my first secluded mid-week day hike. On Thursday I hiked in Las Trampas Regional Wilderness. I had never been there before and was intrigued by a former coworker commenting that his friends abandoned ship after only a couple miles in this park claiming it was too steep for them. I'm not sure if this was the route he took his friends on, and being in the East Bay hills I was expecting plenty of up and down, but it wasn't anything yours truly couldn't handle. It ended up being short and sweet with just enough steep ascent to get my heart thumping. Hike Stats: Date: November 19, 2008 Location: CA, Bay Area, Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, San Ramon Lat/Long: 37.81600189, -122.0496292 Trailhead: Staging Area End of Bollinger Canyon Rd. Facilities: toilets, picnic area, no drinking water or phone Trails Hiked: Bollinger Creek Loop, Las Trampas Ridge, Corduroy Hills, Las Trampas Ridge, Chamise, Bollinger Mileage: 3.75 Elevation: +/-881' ; lo pt 1,049'; hi pt 1,736' Route Type: Loop (w/ side trip spur to Eagle Peak bench) Terrain: single track & fire/ranch roads, cow ruts and mud potential, Corduroy Hills Trail steep in spots with rock & gravel. Flora: Oak Woodland & Grassland/Savanna, Chaparral, Riparian (winter/spring) Why Go?: Ridgetop, wide views; Geology, faulting, uplift, fossils; Dog friendly. Caveat: Cows = cattle gates & deep mud when wet Official Website: Las Trampas Regional Wilderness View the entire photo album here at flickr.
(Click for a larger view.)
Change of Plans Actually driving to Mount Diablo S.P. for a 7-mile summit loop hike, I noticed that the air quality was lousy and I wanted to reserve that hike for a crisp, clear day. Remembering that Las Trampas was very close to Mount Diablo, I switched on my GPS and told it to lead the way to the Las Trampas trailhead. But after arriving at my new destination, I realized it too might be better on a crystal clear day as most of the trails in Las Trampas head up for the many surrounding ridges with wide-angle views.
Panorama from Eagle Peak on a spur trail that breaks to the right off of Corduroy Hill Trail. There's a little hidden bench here facing east to facilitate taking in the view of Mount Diablo and the San Ramon Valley. (Notice the smog and haze.)
Flora Identification I brought my pocket-sized Pacific Coast Tree Finder with me this time, as usually I end up not being able to identify a tree after I get home despite taking a photo of it. I was glad I brought this little booklet. Along Bollinger Creek Loop Trail I added two new trees to my native plant repertoire: Northern California Black Walnut and Oregon Ash. Amongst the plants I already recognize were bigleaf maple, California buckeye, plenty of various oaks, bay laurel, and madrone trees. And on the higher trails were coyote brush, chamise, black sage (trail perfume!), lupine, pink flowering current, and toyon a.k.a. christmas berry.
	Northern California Black Walnut—Juglans californica var. hindsii
	Oregon Ash—Fraxinus latifolia (not the small tree in the foreground. I couldn't figure that one out.)
Fall is Where You Find It Those that say California doesn't have a fall season don't get out and hike much. California may not have the in-your-face color and temperature drop-off of the East Coast but the seasonal signs are here for those who bother to notice. Besides the quick set-of-the-sun behind Rocky Ridge and yet-to-be-filled, bone-dry Bollinger creek, other fall season signs at Las Trampas included pretty orange bigleaf maple foliage, the above mentioned yellowing walnut and ash trees, naked California buckeyes with their giant fuzzy green splitting seed pods, dangling bunches of dimpled blood-orange madrone berries, the smooth bright-red toyon berry clusters, the fuzzy cream-white blooms of coyote brush, the burnt-orange sprays of spent chamise blooms, even some yellowing cottonwoods. All-in-all a nice little fall hike in a nice little park. I will definitely return this winter to see Bollinger Creek flowing and what's on the other side of Rocky Ridge.
(Click for larger: Las Trampas Regional Wilderness loop hike topo map.)

Day Hike: Redwood Regional Park Loop II

Being one of the unemployed masses means I can hike when the gainfully employed world is stuck in their grayish beige cubes. This epiphany motivated me to get off my butt on a Friday afternoon and go on a local hike. Previously, on a rainy gray day I had done the mirror version of this hike, so I wanted to explore the "other side" figuratively and literally and start out at the opposite end of the park on a warm, dry (and windy) November day. Hike Details Date: November 14, 2008 Location: CA, Bay Area, Redwood Regional Park, Oakland Lat/Long: 37.8317, -122.18544 Trailhead: Skyline Gate TH Facilities: restrooms, drinking water, pay phone Trails Hiked: West Ridge, French, Mill, & Stream Mileage: 5.5 Elevation: +/-1,060' ; lo pt 735'; hi pt 1,345' Route Type: Loop Terrain: double track (small rocks); single track (roots); and then more well-maintained double track Why go?: Oak Woodland/Pine, Redwood Forest, & Riparian plant communities; dark forest feel at canyon bottom, spawning trout in Redwood Creek and newts in wet season, dog friendly park. East Bay Regional Parks official website: Redwood Regional Park
	Trailhead at Skyline Gate. Eucalyptus and pine trees, but no redwoods here. (I started on the high road and returned via the low.)
One is Never Alone My hopes of being a solo trail hog were soon dashed as I pulled into the VERY FULL trailhead parking lot. Either the economy is crappier then the government is letting on (which it is) or there are a lot of independently wealthy outdoor enthusiasts (I wish I was) or many people only work a half-day on Friday (I feel robbed for all those years of 8-hour Fridays) or who knows. All I know is I was not going to be alone this weekday. A bonus note is that many of these work truants traveling the trails owned big happy friendly dogs—and I love big happy friendly dogs.
	Pretty trail through the oaks.
Deep Dark Forest Starting out on a ridge at the Skyline Gate staging area, across the street from multi-million dollar bay-view homes, you wouldn't quite understand why this park is called Redwood Regional as you mostly see pine and eucalyptus trees ahead of you. And continuing down West Ridge Trail, you enter oak woodland filled with lots of California hazelnut, bay laurel trees, madrone trees, oak trees, huckleberry bushes, pine (not sure if they are Monterey or knobcone, but definitely pine) and many others. But descend farther, and the oak and madrone trees become older, the underbrush sparser, and the sunlight dimmer. As you get closer to the bottom of the ridge it gets much darker, and suddenly, you are amongst those giant conifer trees—Sequoia sempervirens a.k.a Coast Redwood, hundreds of feet tall, blocking out the majority of light. It feels as if you've entered a fairy-tale forest—moist, dark and cool.
	Oak trees on French Trail as I'm getting closer to the dark canyon floor.
	In the dark forest amongst redwood trees near the intersection of French and Tres Sendas trails.
Diablo Winds Today, due to the warm, dry air, this moist, dark coolness is welcomed, however it is accompanied with danger. The "Diablo Winds"— S.F. Bay Area's version of southern California's Santa Ana winds—are blowing hard. This weather phenomenon, like the Santa Ana's, is a dry, warm wind that comes out of the state's interior usually during the driest season of the year—fall. But when I speak of danger, I'm not talking about what most people think—fire; I'm talking about what loggers like to call "widow makers". Redwood trees have a self-pruning method that employs the help of winds. When their lower branches die and become a heavy burden, they usually get knocked off during a strong wind. Some of these branches are the size of a lesser tree's trunk. Hence, getting knocked in the head by one of these "widow makers" is a good way to get yourself injured or killed. While passing under these swaying giants, I kept an eye on the sky and my fingers crossed.
(Redwood Regional Park loop hike topo map. Click for larger.)

Day Hike: Muir Beach, Green Gulch, Marin Headlands Loop

PB090432
Originally uploaded by bondgurl

Since I was a having a week (being laid-off and all) Mary decided she would take the reins and plan a day hike for us. It was short but still a good workout and peaceful, and she also treated to a tasty lunch buffet after at a nearby nice English pub / cottage / restaurant: The Pelican Inn. (I think I could have eaten myself to death on their stilton cheese and French bread.)
Day Hike Notes:

• Date: November 9, 2008
  
• Location: CA - Bay Area - Golden Gate National Recreation Area - Marin Headlands
  
• Lat/Long: 37.86080933 -122.5752182 (NAD83 / WGS84)
  
• Trailhead: Muir Beach
• Facilities: portable toilets, no water
  
• Trails Hiked: Green Gulch, Coyote Ridge, Coastal Trail Fire Road
  
• Mileage: 4.5
  
• Elevation: +/- 888'; lo pt 16'; hi pt 903'
  
• Route Type: loop
  
• Trail Terrain(s): fire/dirt road double track; single track; muddy after storm in spots; some overgrown spots
  
• Other: coastal scrub / chaparral; green gulch farm / zen center; beach at trailhead; ocean views, some city & bay views, mostly exposed, windy on upper coast-facing ridges

View my photo album for this hike here.

click for larger map