News – Page 44 – Villages Hiking Club

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Hike

Dan Kato led a long hike at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park of about 7 miles. The trails were mostly shaded in a heavily wooded redwood forest. There were climbs of over 1000 ft which included two river crossings,

The Forest of Nisene Marks Hike

Ramon and Marianna Reza led a hike in The Forest of Nisene Marks in Aptos. From the park entrance station parking lot,they followed the Split Stuff Trail to the Terrace, Oak Ridge and Lower Loop trails which resulted in looping back to the entrance station. The hike was approximately 3-3.5 miles round trip and mostly on level ground but with some moderate elevation in spots.

Shooting Star

Hill Hike

Rich Bainbridge and Wendy Ledamun led a hike up to the mailbox at the top of our hill on Saturday, May 26th.

Third Annual Variety Show and Potluck

The hiking club held their Third Annual Variety Show and Potluck, Thursday, May 24th starting at 5:30 pm, in the Cribari Auditorium. There were a number of entertaining acts that showcased the “hidden talents” of our community.

Animal Trails Hike

Richard Bainbridge led a hike on our hills along animal trails he has discovered on Saturday, May 19th. They started at Foothill Center at 8:45, The hike went from Rawhide to Sky to Oak up to Buffalo down Bay and over to Meadow and back to Foothill.

Shoreline Outing

Al Girolami led a hike at Mountain View’s Shoreline Park. Located on San Francisco Bay, it offers flat and mostly paved trails where many types of waterfowl were seen. The hike was about 4 miles including checking out the Rengstorff Ranch House.

Spring 2018 Outing

This year’s outing was another resounding success with over fifty people attending the Carmel event. Tuesday evening there was a meet and greet social on the patio. On Wednesday, May 9, Al Girolami, led 18 Village Hikers on a 3 mile loop in Carmel Valley’s Garland Regional Park. Hike’s goal was to see a Waterfall, but that was not possible as a tree had fallen the previous day blocking the trail. There were four hikes in all and a dinner at a local restaurant

Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space

Nancy Rumple led hikers on an 8-9 mile hilly hike in Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space following the Mayfair Ranch, Longwall, and Bald Peaks trail loop with a 1000 ft. elevation gain.They saw wild flowers and great views.

Brothel and Speak-easy outing

Brad Hinckley led a historical hike into a mansion that was a brothel and speak-easy place during the depression which the mafia ran for a number of years. The private tour of this very interesting home in Mt. View is very difficult to get into since people are still living in it and at one time was on a 5 acre mansion ground. The upper level consisted of madam rooms inter-connected by secret passages that all could hide in if the police showed up. There was a card room on that upper floor that housed a look-out window to watch for police. The basement consisted of several rooms that the speak-easy was operated in. At one time they grew their own barley and operated a still in a separate building in the back.

Russian Ridge Hikes

Johanna Bakker led a 4-5 mile hike in the Russian Ridge. Wate Bakker led a 7-8 mile hike. Both hikes visited areas on Russian Ridge known for beautiful wild flower displays.