Author: Jim Beyer

There were hikes to honor Stan Pegram one of the most faithful and active members of the hiking club, even during his protracted illness. Wate and Johanna Bakker led long and ramble hikes in memory of his friendship and contributions. Both hikes started at the upper garden parking lot at 10 AM. Johanna’s hike was about 3 miles with 300-400 ft elevation gain and Wate’s hike was about 4 miles long with a 1000 ft elevation gain. After the hike all shared a meal  with Stan’s family in the Foothill center, starting at 12.15 PM , to reminisce about Stan’s time at the Villages and celebrate his life with us.

On Wednesday, December 27th some of the club members took a hike around the villages to prepare for our annual New Years Day hike up the hill .. 

 

John and Sandy Petrin led a hike along the Los Gatos Creek Trail in Vasona Park in Los Gatos on Wednesday, December 20th. Hike length was about 4 miles.

Gisela Pearson led a long hike from the Sunol nature preserve to Mission peak along the Ohlone wilderness trail on Saturday, December 16th. The hike was about 10 miles round trip and the elevation difference was 2000 ft+. Gary Holmquist led the ramblers along some of the scenic trails in the Sunol preserve. It was so windy on Mission Peak that no one took the time to take pictures of that group but rather the rambler group did send in pictures of the Sunol area.

The Hiking Club’s annual holiday party was held on Friday, December 15th at Cribari Center Auditorium. It begin at 5:30 pm with appetizers and socializing under a laser light show. The buffet dinner began at 6:00 pm and  featured tossed green salad with candied pecans and golden raisins tossed in a pear and champagne vinaigrette, herbed salmon, sliced beef tenderloin, seasonal vegetables, lean-potatoes au gratin, assorted breads, dessert and coffee. Ed Knott provided music for the evening from 7-9 pm.

Wendy Ledamun led an urban hike to The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.

Wate and Johanna Bakker led long and rambler hikes in Almaden Quicksilver county park. The ramblers hiked about 4 miles with an elevation difference of about 300 ft, with a few steep sections and the long hikers did a 7-8 mile hike with about 1000 ft elevation difference

Twenty-two Ramblers completed a 4.5 mile hike across nearby Bentley Ridge, a new route for many of the participants.  Hikers enjoyed the crisp morning air, clear blue sky and beautiful views from the ridge.  A stop at Starbuck’s and Le Boulanger provided a nice break for coffee and conversation.

Kathy Peretti led a combined long and rambler hike in the Coyote Valley open space preserve on Saturday, December 2nd. Total distance was about 4 miles with many ups and downs for a combined elevation difference of about 600 feet.

Johanna Bakker led a hike in our open space starting at upper gardens on Wednesday, November 29th. They hiked along Sky, Cougar, Richter, Buffalo, Bay then cutting over to Thistle, Meadow, Farm, Bay and Sky.