Dan's Outside

Back from Calero

I had a nice hike at Calero Park this morning – even if I didn’t end up exactly where I planned to go. More later – words and pictures, I hope.

OK. I’m back. Here’s that “more” I promised earlier.

Calero Reservoir is south of Almaden Valley (which is in south San Jose in south Santa Clara Valley) and is noted mostly as a place to go boating. Calero County Park is more or less south of the Lake and seems to be very popular with equestrians.

I started at a parking lot near the park headquarters and headed out on a trail past a small lake full of reeds. From here the trail continued to ascend until it topped out on a hill with a water tank, from which it descended to a junction with the Javelina Loop trail and the Figueroa trail.

At this point I intended to take the Javelina Loop but I wasn’t paying attention to trail signs. I headed left down a pretty valley with a combination of open grassland and oak forest, crossed a small creek, and came to trail junction that made no sense at all in the context of where I thought I was. Orienting my map to the sun, I quickly figured out that I had taken the Figueroa Trial instead of the Javelina Loop so I continued on it, returning to the parking lot by a slightly different route than I intended.

This is the first time I’ve taken more than a brief stroll at this park, and I’ll be back. There are some very pretty oak covered hills and valleys here, and I want to explore the areas on the Javelina Loop and beyond.
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May 2, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Back from Calero

Yesterday's hike

I had time for a short Almaden Quicksilver hike yesterday. I could have had more time but I’m afraid I didn’t leave as early as I might have. I drove down to New Almaden and hiked up one of my old standby routes, the trail past English Camp and then via Castillero Trail to the Bull Run area. (I was distressed to find that cyclists had ridden all over a meadow near the ridgetop Catherine Tunnel, apparently so that they could use an old mining berm as a jump.)

This was the first day on which it really felt like a summer hike. The sun was bright and warm and the smells were no longer those of wet winter vegetation and soil, but were instead the smells of drying chapparal and grass.

I didn’t have much luck on the photography front. The midday light was difficult, especially with some haze in the air. I took a few trail shots and a series of pictures of a very old easy chair that had inexplicably appeared by one of the old buildings found in this park – it seemed interestingly incongruous with its ridgetop surroundings. However, in the end nothing was worth posting.

In a few minutes I’m going to head down to Calero Reservoir, an area not far from Almaden Quicksilver Park and through past which I’ve ridden my bike hundreds (really!) of times. I found a trail map of this park and I’m going to explore a trail that heads away from the reservoir toward the park boundary.
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May 2, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Yesterday's hike

Eastern Sierra Sunset Near Mammoth

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A new version of a photo taken last May 25.
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April 30, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Eastern Sierra Sunset Near Mammoth

Another version of the Oak and Rocks photo

Black and white or color? I can’t decide…

Oak and Rocks. Castle Rock State Park. April 25, 2004.
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April 27, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Another version of the Oak and Rocks photo

Another Castle Rock Photograph

Castle Rock State Park. April 25, 2004.
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April 26, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Another Castle Rock Photograph

Castle Rock Loop

I had time for a 5.5-6 mile loop at Castle Rock State Park this morning. I hiked out past Goat Rock to near the trail camp, then turned around and followed to lower trail back past the waterfall.

Oak and rocks. April 25, 2004.

Trail detail. April 25, 2004.

Plant on Rock. April 25, 2004.
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April 25, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Castle Rock Loop

Joining the hordes on Mission Peak

I did my Mission Peak climb this morning – joining hundreds of other people on a spring pilgrimage to this high peak overlooking the Bay Area.

Saturday morning hikers on the trail to Mission Peak. April 24, 2004.

I ascended on the main “highway” (a gravel road) from Stanford Avenue off of Mission Blvd. After I reached the summit – a nearly 2000 foot climb – I traversed south along the ridge toward Monument Peak.

Rocks and grass below Mission Peak. April 24, 2004.

I ran out of time a bit short of this second peak, at a beautiful meadow filled with yellow flowers. I returned to the base of the peak and then cut left down the Horse Heaven trail to pick up the lateral down the little valley past the residences right below the peak.

Field of yellow flowers between Mission and Monument Peaks. April 24, 2004.

I used to climb this peak regularly when I taught at Ohlone College – I even ran up it a few times. Back then it was surprising to see a dozen other hikers. Today I saw several groups of about 20 (including the nice but apparently somewhat obsessive folks from INCH), plus all of the other individual hikers and small groups. The other interesting change is that this has become one of the most ethnically diverse hiking crowds that I have seen – much more so than at my usual stomping grounds at Almaden Quicksilver Park.
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April 24, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Joining the hordes on Mission Peak

Mission Peak Photographs

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photos
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April 24, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Mission Peak Photographs

Mission Peak Photographs

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Sunrise. Mission Peak Ridge, California. October 28, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Fence and Fog. Mission Peak Ridge, California. September 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Rock Formations, Mission Peak Ridge. San Francisco Bay Area, California. September 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Mission Peak and Mount Diablo. September 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Morning, Mission Peak Ridge. October 28, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Mount Diablo, Fog. Mission Peak, California. September, 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

First Light on Mount Diablo. Mission Peak, California. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Sunrise, Rocks, Mount Diablo. Mission Peak, California. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (Sales)

Mount Diablo from Mission Peak, Dawn. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (Sales)

Randy, John, Tom. Thanksgiving Dawn Hike, Mission Peak. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell

Mission Peak and Mount Diablo, Sunrise. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Ridge Road and Grassland. Mission Peak. September 22, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Fence and Trail. Mission Peak, California. October 28, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Morning, Mission Peak Ridge. September 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Two Monoliths, Mission Peak (monochrome). September 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Morning Light, Fog, Diablo Range. September 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Two Monoliths, Mission Peak. September 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Mt. Diablo, Fog. Mission Peak Ridge. September 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak Tree, Morning Light. Mission Peak. July 16, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Hikers with Black Umrellas. Mission Peak. July 1, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Summer Grass. Mission Peak. July 1, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Rocks, Grass, and Clouds. Mission Peak. April 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Starting Up the Trail. Mission Peak. March 11, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Cows, Spring Grass, and Snow. Mission Peak. March 1, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

>Ridgeline Hiker. Mission Peak. March 11, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Hiking to the Snow. Mission Peak. March 11, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Snow. Mission Peak. March 11, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Snow and Clouds. Mission Peak. March 11, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Two Hikers. Mission Peak. January 28, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Cattle. Mission Peak. January 29, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

The Happiest Man on Mission Peak. January 22, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Mission Peak Trail. January 22, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales).

Cow. Mission Peak. January 22, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

California Poppies. Mission Peak. May 14, 2005. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Green Hillsides. Mission Peak. April 16, 2005. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

<img src="http://outside.danmitchell.org/images/GreenHills20050416.jpg&quot; height="587" width="820" border="0" alt="GreenMissionHills2005|04|16: Green Hillsides. Mission Peak. April 16, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
"GreenHills2005|04|16"“>

California Poppies near summit of Mission Peak. April 16, 2005. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Lupine and Fog. Mission Peak. April 16, 2005. CCopyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Rocks and Fence. Mission Peak. April 16, 2005. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Green hills and fog. Mission Peak. April 16, 2005. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Fog below Mission Peak. April 16, 2005. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Clearing Fog. Mission Peak. April 16, 2005. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Lupine. Mission Peak. April 16, 2005. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

California Poppies. Mission Peak. April 16, 2005. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Man on Mission Peak. June 27, 2004. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Cattle on Mission Peak. June 27, 2004. CCopyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Rocks and grass below Mission Peak. April 24, 2004. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Field of yellow flowers between Mission and Monument Peaks. April 24, 2004. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Saturday morning hikers on the trail to Mission Peak. April 24, 2004. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Thistle on the Mission Peak trail. April 24, 2004. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Pink and white flowers on the Mission Peak trail. April 24, 2004. Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

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April 24, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Mission Peak Photographs

New Almaden Trail Photo

New Almaden Trail near Mockingbird Hill. April 18, 2004.
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April 20, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on New Almaden Trail Photo