If you live close to Rancho San Antonia you could meet us
by the Equestrian parking lot around 9:30. Contact Gilbert
for more details. We prefer that most people meet at Bechtel for
car-pooling. This is a short hike which should not take all day.
Pt. Reyes National Seashore is located north of San Fransisco
and is one of the most popular recreational parks in the Bay Area.
Erik said "let's go anywhere but Mt. Wittenberg," so this time we
will start at Five Brooks, 3 miles south of Olema along Hwy 1. We
hike up to the ridge (1300 feet) and down to the Wildcat Beach. If
there is low tide we may walk on the beach for a while
(tide
prediction). The hike continues through the "Lake District"
which consists of many small lakes. If the weather is nice and warm,
bring a swimsuit! We then complete the loop by hiking over the ridge
and back to Five Brooks.
The Bay Area's highest waterfall is little known and only rarely seen.
It is hidden away in wilderness in southern Alameda County where few
travel. It is Murietta Falls, named after the legendary outlaw of the
1800's, Joaquin Murietta. It is set in the Ohlone Wilderness, where a
free-flowing creek runs through a rocky gorge, then plunges 100 feet
over a cliff, landing in the rocks below. Upstream, there is an
additional series of small pools and cascades, and combined with Murietta
Falls, this creates a destination like nothing else in the East Bay.
May 04-05: Big Sur camping trip
On May 4-5 we will do an overnight trip to Big Sur. This will not be a
backpacking trip, but closer to car camping. The current plan is:
Saturday:
Meet at the Bechtel I-Center at 7:45am. We will try to leave
around 8 this time! We drive to Andrew Molera State Park
(south of Carmel). There is a walk-in campground 1/4 mile
from the parking lot where we pitch our tents. Then we do
the hike we couldn't do last time we tried: about 10 miles,
almost 1200 feet elevation gain. Possible additional stretch
along the beach if low tide and nice weather. After the hike
we make a campfire and have a simple dinner at the campsite.
Sunday:
We drive south to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, the jewel of
Big Sur. We do the popular McWay Canyon loop hike through redwood
forest and with some great ocean vistas. This is only about 6 miles
but with 1600 feet elevation gain. Also the nice view will slow us
down (bring a camera). Side trip to the waterfall by the ocean.
Organization:
Because of slow planning, there will not be a pre-trip meeting
as previously announced. Therefore it is extremely important that
people who want to go answer the following questions:
- Are you 100% sure you will come? You have to decide now
so we can plan carpools and equipment.
- Do you have a tent you can bring? If so, how many people fit
in it? Also you will need a sleeping bag and some type of mattress.
- Cars: Do you have a reliable car and are you willing to drive?
As usual we will split the cost of gas (currently 10 cents a mile but
this may increase as the gas prices go up). Driving time to
Andrew Molera is about 2 hours, and Pfeiffer is another half hour.
- Let me know if you will be going with somebody. We will try
to group singles into cars with extra space.
- Leave a phone number we can reach you on.
Food:
The basic principle is you should bring your own food.
You need food for 2 lunches, 1 breakfast and 1 potluck dinner.
We will organize a campfire so you can grill sausages, hot-dogs,
hamburgers and maybe even a steak. Bring some buns/bread, salad
or other side dish. If you have a gas stove and pot to cook water
please bring it for tea/coffee and possibly soup. Also some
snacks and wine (not too much!) is a good idea. Swiss chocolate
or homemade bread for the leaders will give you bonus points.
We will bring some wood for the campfire since it is hard to find
in nature.
Equipment:
If you don't have a sleeping bag, try to borrow from a friend
or otherwise you'll have to rent it. We may also need to rent
a few tents. Otherwise bring all the stuff you normally take
on an overnight hiking trip. Here are some things that are easy to
forget:
- warm clothes (can be cold at night)
- flash light
- towel
- sunglasses and sunscreen lotion
- swiss army knife (with cork screw is the best)
- bring your own plate, knife, fork, spoon, cup if you like,
but there is no sink for washing. We will bring enough paper/plastic
stuff for the group so you don't need to worry.
Other info:
The campground is very primitive and has NO shower, NO hot water,
and NO sink! There is cold running water there.
The Sunday hike is fairly short so we should be done by 3 or 4pm.
Possibly you could come back to Palo Alto around 6pm but no guarantee.
Some cars may want to stop for dinner on the way back.
Cost:
The campsite costs $3 per person. Add about $3 for firewood and
paper cups/plates that we will buy in advance. Gas will probably
cost around $7-10 per person.
Deadline:
If you want to come, you have to answer the questions above
by midnight Tuesday April 30th! Send your reply to me at
boman__no_spam__sccm.stanfords.edu. You need to respond now even if
you have sent me e-mail before!
Questions:
If you have any questions contact the trip leaders
Trip "leaders": Erik Boman,
boman__no_spam__sccm.stanford.edu, 493-5009(h)
Yves Tiberghien,
yvestibe__no_spam__leland.Stanford.EDU.
Saturday, May 11: Angel Island
IMPORTANT NOTE: All are welcome on this trip, whether or not
you indicated an interest in going.
Length of hike: 6-8 mi (see below)
Meet: 8am SHARP at the Bechtel Center, Stanford
Driving time: approx. 1.5 hours each way
Please try to arrive before 8AM as we will be leaving promptly in
order to catch the first ferry to the island.
Costs
The cost of the ferry from Tiburon is $6 for adults, $3 for children ($4 if
you believe the recording over the person on the phone), and one free
child, under the age of 5 is allowed per paying adult. These fees include
the park entry fee. Bikes are $1 (I assume this is the cost to bring a
bike on the ferry, not to rent a bike. Those who want to rent mountain
bikes on the island can presumably do so, for $12/hr or $25/day. Prices
include helmet.). Recommended parking ranges from free to $6/day,
depending on the availability of spaces
The "official" Description: (from the ferry company's phone-menu)
"A California State and Wildlife Preserve, Angel Island is perhaps one of
the finest historical sites in the Bay Area, and includes military
garrisons and compounds from every major war, dating back to the
U.S. Civil War. Also known as the Ellis Island of the West, Angel
Island's immigration station was the first stop for millions of Pacific
Basin, Asian, and Russion immigrants entering the U.S. Travel time to
Angel Island is generally 40 minutes, depending on intermediate stops."
Gilbert's Description:
My former company took all 400 of us there last summer and we had a really
nice picnic. There's a paved perimeter road around the island that is
about 4-5 miles long. Then as you get closer to the center of the island
(which is higher up the mountain), there is a hiking trail and a fire road
loop that was fun to bike on. There is a small paved path up to the peak,
which took about 1/2 hour to climb, I think. The view from the top is
magnificent, if the weather is clear.
This outing club event is going to be a little different from the hikes
we've been doing recently. Angel Island just doesn't have enough hiking
trails to occupy us for the entire day. We'll probably have a more
leisurely day than the pure hike, ie. lots of time for frisbee, lying in
the sun, extended siesta, historical poking around, etc. Some may want to
rent bikes there and cruise around if they want to spend the money. There
is the possibility of taking your own bike on the ferry, but the ferry
people tell us that space is limited and they take bikes on a first-come,
first-served basis.
Trip "leaders": Roberta Millstein and Gilbert Coville
May 25: Pescadero Creek
- Place: Portola & Pescadero parks (around Skyline)
- Length: ca. 14 miles
- Elevation: 2000 feet
- Driving time: 45 min each way
- Meet: 8am at the Bechtel I-Center, Stanford
Portola State Park and Pescadero Creek Park, located just
"over the hill" behind Stanford, preserve thousands of acres
of grasslands, redwoods, and mixed evergreen forest. The park's
interconnecting trail systems provide opportunities for a variety
of hikes. We will decide on the day of the hike the exact
route. Here are the two suggestions:
1. The Butano Ridge Loop, about 15 miles long with 1,500 feet
of elevation gain. Much of the hike, including the initial
uphill slog, will be through redwood forest. In other words,
cool and in the shade.
2. A hike to the Peters Creek Cove, one of the finest
redwood groves left in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This is an
out-and-back hike, about 14 miles long with 2,000 feet
of elevation gain. This is a pretty tough hike but the magnificient
grove of trees at the end of the trail makes the effort worthwhile.
As usual, you are encouraged to meet at the Bechtel I-Center at 8am
for carpooling. Anybody who wants to meet us at the Portola
State Park parking lot should contact Mike in advance.
Trip "leader": Mike Bitsko, (408) 457-8633.
Jun 07: Nisene Marks
- Length of hike: ~10 miles
- Elevation gain: approximately 900 ft.
- Meet: *9:00* am at the Bechtel Center, Stanford
- Driving time: 1 to 1.5 hours (each way)
A description from last autumn:
Come join us for this hike in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
near Santa Cruz. This is where the epicenter of the Loma Prieta
earthquake in 1989 was. The park has a nice mix of redwood forest and
more open vegetation (chapparel). Possibly we'll also see the remains of
a Chinese labor camp.
Gilbert's two cents:
The park is pretty big and I'd like to keep this hike to the advertised 10
miles. So, unlike last autumn, we will not be going all the way up to the
"Sands Point Overlook." Nor will we go by the Epicenter of the '89 quake.
Those places were nice, but getting there made for an excessively long hike.
However, we will be going along the "West Ridge" trail,
which I thought was gorgeous.
And as usual: Optional pizza in Capitola on the way home.
PS: Mike Bitsko says there is a nice jazz/blues trio
playing somewhere in Santa Cruz Saturday night.
Call him for more information if you're interested.
Trip "leaders": Gilbert Coville, (gilbert__no_spam__gc.org),
Roberta Millstein
