Apr 21st, Redwood Regional Park 4 Miles, 850 K cal, 1365 ft Altitude, 1hr 50min

It was expected to be a hot Sunday, so we decided to go to Redwood Regional Park. This was our first time and the park was not open by the time we reached. We had to wait for 15 mins to enter but it was worth it. Except for the uphill hike to the ridge, it was pretty easy.  The redwood trees were gorgeous and it was very quiet, except for a few bikers, hikers and dogs... It ended up being a pretty short hike but we intend to go back another day for a larger loop.

Canyon Meadow staging area- Orchard Trail - West Ridge Trail - Fern Trail, French Loop trail - Briddle trail
Total hike time: 1 hr 50 Min
Difficulty: 4.0/10

Redwood trees all around

 

Banana Slug

Eucalyptus trees shedding bark

beautiful when sun rays stream through the foliage

Apr 15th, Mission Peak, 6.45 miles, 3 hr, 1400 K cal, Elevation 2,507 ft

We gave rest to our feet for the past 2-3 weeks either because of weather not permitting or due to other activities that we were engaged in. You know what I am talking about :). We had hiked exactly a year back to Mission peak  from the Ohlone side, which was less steeper but distance was longer. This time we wanted to experience the hike from the shorter but much steeper Stanford Ave entrance. Well, we paid for the 2 weeks rest we took. It was a little bit difficult and there was absolutely no shade throughout the hike. This route is probably one of the most popular hikes in East Bay, so there were hundreds of hikers though out. One would never feel left out or feel as if we were going too slow. You can always find someone who is behind you taking a break or struggling to hike. Since we have the upcoming Yosemite hike, we decided not to take break for the next few weeks to prepare for it. We also have a new member in our team who did very well while the old timers were gasping for breath. Well done everyone!!

Total hike time: 3 hr
Difficulty: 7.0/10

Before the last 0.5 mile to reach peak

Time to FB check-in @summit

Crew taking rest for few minutes@summit

Greeenery all around

San Ramon cows give way to hiker but Fremont cows
don't seem to care