May 12th, Las Trampas Trail, 5.02Mi, 1819Ft

Even though I did not do this hike, the rest of the gang did. They claim it was intense, but who knows....!.. The rest is their report:
We took the Chamois trail up and then continued on the Las Trampas Ridge Trail and finally looped back on Bollinger Creek loop trail. It was mildly hot with a light breeze. Beautiful views as always and we did see a dead baby rattlesnake at the start of the hike. The green views have started to dry out.

Time: 2 Hrs
Difficulty: 6/10

May 6th Pleasanton Ridge Trail 4.66Mi, 1200Ft

 This was definitely not a tough trail. There were multiple trails & loops. There was a Olive Tree grove at the top. Hopefully, we'll repeat the hike when the olives are ready to be harvested!

Time: 1.45hrs
Difficulty: 4/10

Olive Trees

Sun rise

View from one point

Hiking gang

April 28th, Mission Peak Trail (7mi,2530 ft)

We were charged up to take on this new challenge.Based on last week's experience with the hot weather we decided to leave early  by 6AM. Some of the members of our team dropped off this time considering the time it takes & difficulty level. So, I would say this time it was a couples only hike. I also tried as many ways as I could to avoid Mission Peak Trail but ended up going along.. Somehow I had a feeling that the Mission Peak Trail was not as scenic as Easy Bay Trails. But that's not the case. Even though for much of the hike there wasn't any shade we didn't feel the heat as we had started early. I had always heard though friends how popular this hike is & now I am convinced & motivated to do it one more time especially after seeing a 75 year old man hiking to the summit. The last stretch was a bit hard but we had no major issues in reaching the summit. We took 15 minutes break  to eat a light breakfast.

Time -2.50min
Difficulty - 7/10

Taking a shot

Beautiful wild flowers

Mission Peak from where we are

Scenic View

Trio enjoying the views

April21st, Las Trampas Ridge Trail (4.28mi)

It was a very sunny day. We should have started earlier to take advantage of good weather.But we started at 8.15AM instead, by that time it was already very hot.  This time we were well equipped with knee braces and hiking poles etc. While going to the peak, there was very little shade. Through out the hike we had very beautiful views of the Bay & Mt. Diablo. While coming we took another route along the creek which had very good shade. But at the end of the hike everyone was tanned :)

Time-2.03
Difficulty-5/10

Mar10th, Rocky Ridge Trail (4.8mile)

We started at 8.10AM. It was moderately good weather until we reached the top. Initial climb was a bit hard, but we cruised through. The views on both sides of the trail were very scenic. I had been on this trail in Jan  and at that time all the hills were brown. Today it was lush green hills 360 degrees around.
We had a bit of tough time dealing with 30miles/hr wind & fog, especially since some of us had left our protective gear behind in the car. But hats off to all on completing the hike with no complaints. My knee braces helped me a lot. Please be better equipped (knee braces, hiking poles etc) for your next hike.
Miles: 4.8, 1800 ft elevation
Time: 1hr 50min
Difficulty: 4/10

Sky is the limit

Crew resting for few minutes

Feb 19th Marble Falls Trail Sequoia National Park


Day 2 in Sequoia we wanted to explore more in National Park. Initially we thought of going for a short hike. But our gang leader motivated us for a much longer one. It was already around 2.30 PM. It was total 8 mile hike & we knew we started late. On our way to the Trail we spotted Deer. Although the Trail was a bit dangerous for small kids we didn't leave them behind. Some parts of the Trail was wilderness at it's best.
Well, next time we plan early to complete what we left behind :)

Mar 4th, Monarch Ridge & Diablo View Trail


We (SL, SY, SC) started at around 8.05AM from Valley View Park. It was perfect weather throughout. We could get much of D-Vitamin needed for the rest of the week. The initial part of the Trail was very easy. We took little diversion from the actual Trail route and to challenge ourselves. One of the residents bulldog cheered us in both directions. We also happen to spot Jackrabbits. From Monarch Ridge Trail to we went on to Diablo View Trail all the way to the top. It was around 1000 steps to reach to top. Much nicer views from the top. Overall it was 5.6 mile hike.

Dec10th-Tassajara Ridge Trail

Dec10th  Tassajara Ridge Trail Elevation 1100ft, 3.8mile

Sridhar & I went on this Trail. We started at around 2 PM. It was a bit cold & windy that day. The initial climb was little hard for me while Sridhar was able to cruise through. It took about 1.40 min with few minute breaks here & there to enjoy the views. Some areas on the trail has lots of poop not fresh though which made me feel that I was on Indian roads.

View from one spot

Oh Baatasari edi ne jeevita rahadhari