Some of this should look familiar!
https://www.backpacker.com/trips/san-francisco-top10-dayhikes
I am a hiker and outdoor enthusiast living in Northern California. I seek to start and contribute to discussions about hiking, trails, trail running, public lands, travel, adventure, hunting, fishing, a bit of history, and related topics.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Lafayette Reservoir Upper Loop
Super Bowl Sunday, the greatest game on earth, the championship of the planet, and the best place to get your yearly dose of unbridled commercialism all in one sitting.
Or, don't sit! After dropping my boys off for their Super Bowl parties, the girls and I went for a hike on the Lafayette Reservoir's upper trail loop. "Its only about 4 miles," Mary had told me, "We'll surely be back in time to catch the second half." I figured that she knew what she was talking about, and didn't bother to question her sources and methods. I just put the girls in the car and we hit the trail.
We unloaded at the trailhead near Campolindo High School. It was just before 4 p.m. and the sun loomed high in the sky. After crossing through the gate, we headed left on the trail and began an immediate steep climb on the fire road/trail that circumvents the Lafayette Reservoir from the hills surrounding it. It was challenging for an 8 and 10 year old. But we have now taken the girls on enough of these hikes, so they understand that climbing up hills is no longer an opportunity to negotiate. Just about the time my leg muscles began to ache, the top was in sight.
And then it wasn't. This trail is full of false peaks, those little baby hills that obscure the greater climb to a higher summit beyond. I have seen enough of these in my journeys to know better, but such hills can be a psychological nuisance to young hikers. With one foot in front of the other the girls figured out a way to make it work. We made to the top in 10 minutes or so and located the bench for a quick rest.
Without having consulted my GPS, I think this hill was the highest on the trail. It offered sweeping views to the east and south. I could see Mt. Diablo and Las Trampas in the distance. The hill sits atop an open space that is like a nest carved out in the middle of suburban sprawl. The Reservoir sits at the bottom of this bowl shaped open space. It was still very much in the distance from our first perch.
And then there was a second hilltop, and a third. This hike is a mess of ups and downs. It could be a metaphor for life, or perhaps for bipolar disorder. There is very little flat and a whole lot of steep. It is really one of the best trails I have seen for interval training (even better than the Kings Canyon Loop). Like the switchbacks on the return run at Kings Canyon, they are almost the perfect size hills, just big enough to exhaust you, then flat on top for recovery, then a good downhill to work the hamstrings. I would recommend this trail to any area runners or people looking to get in shape for long hikes.
Somewhere in those hills we lost track of time. More accurately, I would say that we were falling behind schedule. You see, the hike isn't really 4 miles, it was more like 5 (+??) , and we were only a couple miles into it and the shadows were getting longer. I should have know this because I have done this hike before! But it has been some time, and I have hiked a lot of trails. Coming off travel to Sacramento I did not do my usual map check and mission planning. I had been a bad boy scout.
We dropped down to the dam, a ceremonial halfway mark. We were greeted by five dead trout at a fish cleaning station, and the proud fisherman/daughter pair who had hauled them in. I observed that the fish were all of similar shape, about 14 inches long. This prompted my inquiry as to whether they were recently stocked. The fisherman replied yes, he been nailing them all day with power baits and had a great Super Bowl feast ahead. I resolved to get my girls out there when the opportunity presents itself. Crossing over the dam we observed pelicans out on the water and in the sky. Inga thought she saw a whale, but it was just ducks.
As the sun hung real low in the sky we stopped briefly at a kid's playground on the far side of the dam. The apparatus was an attractive nuisance and the girls didn't want to leave, but we had miles to go. We then began our ascent in earnest. Somewhere halfway up the first big hill out of the reservoir, we heard an owl and Mary thinks she saw it take off and fly away through the oaks. Nearing the ridgeline again, the girls started verbally expressing their fatigue. Inga wanted to be carried and I agreed to do so briefly. Of course, this only prompted Fiona to chime in and she's getting big enough that I can't rightly carry her very far down the trail. As darkness began to set in we stopped for a few opportune silhouette photos. The stars opened up in the night sky.
We finally made it back to the car after dusk. We had no flashlight but the waning moon gave us enough light to see the shiny reflection of our car, now the only one left at the trail head in front of someone's driveway. Arriving home just in time to catch the last quarter of the Super Bowl was just right. Not a waste of a whole day, but also catching the key moments in the exciting end to the game. Eagles Won - Markeys Too!
Or, don't sit! After dropping my boys off for their Super Bowl parties, the girls and I went for a hike on the Lafayette Reservoir's upper trail loop. "Its only about 4 miles," Mary had told me, "We'll surely be back in time to catch the second half." I figured that she knew what she was talking about, and didn't bother to question her sources and methods. I just put the girls in the car and we hit the trail.
We unloaded at the trailhead near Campolindo High School. It was just before 4 p.m. and the sun loomed high in the sky. After crossing through the gate, we headed left on the trail and began an immediate steep climb on the fire road/trail that circumvents the Lafayette Reservoir from the hills surrounding it. It was challenging for an 8 and 10 year old. But we have now taken the girls on enough of these hikes, so they understand that climbing up hills is no longer an opportunity to negotiate. Just about the time my leg muscles began to ache, the top was in sight.
And then it wasn't. This trail is full of false peaks, those little baby hills that obscure the greater climb to a higher summit beyond. I have seen enough of these in my journeys to know better, but such hills can be a psychological nuisance to young hikers. With one foot in front of the other the girls figured out a way to make it work. We made to the top in 10 minutes or so and located the bench for a quick rest.
Without having consulted my GPS, I think this hill was the highest on the trail. It offered sweeping views to the east and south. I could see Mt. Diablo and Las Trampas in the distance. The hill sits atop an open space that is like a nest carved out in the middle of suburban sprawl. The Reservoir sits at the bottom of this bowl shaped open space. It was still very much in the distance from our first perch.
And then there was a second hilltop, and a third. This hike is a mess of ups and downs. It could be a metaphor for life, or perhaps for bipolar disorder. There is very little flat and a whole lot of steep. It is really one of the best trails I have seen for interval training (even better than the Kings Canyon Loop). Like the switchbacks on the return run at Kings Canyon, they are almost the perfect size hills, just big enough to exhaust you, then flat on top for recovery, then a good downhill to work the hamstrings. I would recommend this trail to any area runners or people looking to get in shape for long hikes.
Somewhere in those hills we lost track of time. More accurately, I would say that we were falling behind schedule. You see, the hike isn't really 4 miles, it was more like 5 (
We dropped down to the dam, a ceremonial halfway mark. We were greeted by five dead trout at a fish cleaning station, and the proud fisherman/daughter pair who had hauled them in. I observed that the fish were all of similar shape, about 14 inches long. This prompted my inquiry as to whether they were recently stocked. The fisherman replied yes, he been nailing them all day with power baits and had a great Super Bowl feast ahead. I resolved to get my girls out there when the opportunity presents itself. Crossing over the dam we observed pelicans out on the water and in the sky. Inga thought she saw a whale, but it was just ducks.
As the sun hung real low in the sky we stopped briefly at a kid's playground on the far side of the dam. The apparatus was an attractive nuisance and the girls didn't want to leave, but we had miles to go. We then began our ascent in earnest. Somewhere halfway up the first big hill out of the reservoir, we heard an owl and Mary thinks she saw it take off and fly away through the oaks. Nearing the ridgeline again, the girls started verbally expressing their fatigue. Inga wanted to be carried and I agreed to do so briefly. Of course, this only prompted Fiona to chime in and she's getting big enough that I can't rightly carry her very far down the trail. As darkness began to set in we stopped for a few opportune silhouette photos. The stars opened up in the night sky.
We finally made it back to the car after dusk. We had no flashlight but the waning moon gave us enough light to see the shiny reflection of our car, now the only one left at the trail head in front of someone's driveway. Arriving home just in time to catch the last quarter of the Super Bowl was just right. Not a waste of a whole day, but also catching the key moments in the exciting end to the game. Eagles Won - Markeys Too!
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