Author: Jim Beyer

Dan Kato led a long hike of about 10 miles at Botano State Park on Saturday,October 18th. We started near the park entrance and first ascend the Ano Neuevo trail, a long and steep climb. A beautiful view awaited at the top. After that, things got a little easier but there were still some up and down climbs. We hiked along one side of the valley and came back on trails and on the fire road on the other side of the valley. The trails were mostly shaded with a few sunny stretches.

The Hiking Club Ramblers had its first geocaching trip. Geocaching is a real-world treasure hunt that’s happening right now, all around you. There are 2,478,102 active geocaches and over 6 million geocachers worldwide. While geocaching you hunt for hidden caches that can vary greatly in size and appearance. You may find anything from a large, clear plastic container or a film canister or a fake rock with a secret compartment.

John Trudeau led a hike on Saturday, October 11th  up Black Mountain starting at Hidden Villa in Los Altos. It was about an 8-mile hike with about an 1,100 ft elevation gain. We took the Adobe Creek trail from Hidden Villa (1.0 mi) to intersect the Black Mountain trail, then took that to the first power pylon (1.6 mi). We returned to Hidden Villa via the Hostel trail (1.5 mi). The trail features some very nice woodlands and some of the best views of Silicon Valley of any trail in the Skyline Ridge area. The trail was mostly wooded, with no traffic noise and few trail intersections.

Gary and Terry Holmquist led a hike to Sierra Vista Open Space in San Jose. The hike  started from the newly opened parking lot/trail head on Sierra Road. We walked approximately 3-1/4 miles on mostly level trails. Most participants participated with an optional lunch at Lee’s Sandwiches on Berryessa Road.

On Saturday,October 4th all levels of Hikers and Walkers assembled at Jane Ruona’s  Seascape condo for a day of fun and viewing on our beach walk. Cameras and binoculars helped reveal shorebirds, dolphins, and whales. We saw many dolphins only a few yards out swimming parallel to the shore and through the incoming waves.

On Wednesday, October 1st John Trudeau led a hike at Vasona Park in Los Gatos. We started at the southern end of the Park and explored the park as we walked to the Vasona Dam.Then we followed the creek trail north to Los Gatos Creek County Park in Campbell. We then returned to Vasona Park and continued on a short way into Los Gatos and enjoyed lunch at T-Bird’s Pizza. We saw several birds and flowers along the way.

Canada Geese

Two Egrets

Liz Giarratana led a Santa Cruz History Hike on Wednesday, September 24th. We explored Santa Cruz on a 3 mile walk through some of the history of that iconic coastal town. We parked in the downtown area and saw the sights on Pacific Ave and their pedestrian mall. Then there was a 20 minute walk to the beach area where we had lunch. Afterward we explored a historic neighborhood above the beach called Beach Hill. The trolley then took us back to downtown Santa Cruz.

Sandra Walker,John Walker,Eve Gebhardt, Tony Orlando,Nancy Rumple,Jim Beyer, Amy Meier,Faye Swanson,Akiko Giordono, Ruth Lee,Jackie Jones,Karan Foss, Brad Hinckley,Jane Ruona,Radhika Rajpal,Gisela Pearson,Subhash Bal Photographer:John Trudeau

Nancy Rumple led eighteen hikers to Mt. Madonna County Park on Saturday, September 20th . We hiked on shady trails that were new to some and visited several Giant Redwoods that were in the park on a 8.25 mile loop with moderate elevation gain. The day proved to be pleasant and cool.