Villages Hiking Club, San Jose, CA

Golf Course Walk October 27, 2025

Trip to Placerville October 2025

The 2025 Fall Outing was in the Placerville-Coloma area October 21-23. Twenty-eight Villagers and three non-resident guests participated.

Jim Ware and John Petrin led a warm-up arrival hike to the old train trestle on the El Dorado Trail. Jim was involved in the trestle’s refurbishment which he shared with us. Sandy Petrin organized the welcome reception at the hotel, and Helen Ware arranged the dessert of delicious Hiker Cookies.

The second day, Gordon Carbonetti led a 4-mile hike along the Monroe Ridge Trail in the James Marshall Gold Discovery Historic Park in Coloma. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, which started the California gold rush in 1849. The trail had a 500 ft elevation gain and gave us wonderful views of the American River below. The trail also took us to the James Marshall Monument where he is buried. We finished up hiking back down to the Coloma town site where we saw the original site of Sutter’s Mill and a replica of the original saw mill. We also visited the Gold Discover Museum, and saw old mining equipment, buildings and ruins, including a large grinding rock area.

The group dinner followed that evening in Pollack Pines at the Sportsman Hall restaurant, which is an old Pony Express stop. John Petrin recommended the restaurant and helped organize the meal menu.

The last day, on the way back to the Villages, some people went shopping on Placerville’s historic downtown Main Street, before traveling to Apple Hill to visit farms and ranches selling produce and delicious pies for the holiday season. Others made a meal stop at historic Poor Reds Bar-B-Q and bar, which has been in business since 1860.

Everyone enjoyed the trip and adventure, and all made it safely back to the Villages.

General Membership Meeting

Walking Tours of Paris

With over 1,500 miles of walkways, Paris is a great city for a stroll. By walking we’ll get to see more of this unique city in detail, and more of the local culture. If you’d like to see some special views of Paris then join John Trudeau at the Hiking Club meeting on Monday, March 30, at 7:00pm in the newly renovated Foothill Center.

We’ll take walks in eight different areas around the center of Paris. Some will go near a few of the ‘standards’ like Notre Dame, the Louvre, Tuilleries, and Montmartre, and we’ll do a few more out-of-the-way walks, including La Défense, the Promenade Plantée, Canal St. Martin, and more. We’ll see how Notre Dame has changed with the post-fire renovation, and observe many quiet, historical corners of otherwise busy sites. So put on your sneakers, watch out for traffic, and come see and feel the magic of Paris from the sidewalks!

The program will follow a short club business meeting and a break for socializing with snacks and beverages. The meeting is free, and open to all Villagers.

Hiking Schedule

Click on the link to get the updated hiking schedule for the next month.

Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve October 9, 2025

Four hikers spent a beautiful morning hiking the Arrowhead Loop Trail in the Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. They even saw a small group of deer feeding just off the trail. Hikers L-R are Gordon Carbonetti, Ben Friedlander, Mary Stowers and Phil Spilberg.

Golf Course Walk October 6, 2025

Los Gatos Reservoir September 24, 2025

Ten Rambler hikers set out for Los Gatos Creek but, by happy accident, ended up at the Los Gatos Reservoir instead. The alternate route turned out to be a pleasant surprise, offering wide views of the open water and several points of interest along the way.

Special thanks to John Petrin, whose knowledge of the area enriched our hike. He guided us across the dam, to the bird-watching station, the overflow water-level control, and even through a “secret” gate leading to a nearby shopping area.

The outing concluded with a satisfying lunch together at Panera Bread, leaving everyone pleased with the day’s adventure. John Zhang and Mimi Rong led the hike.