Russ Glines led a hike up our hill starting at Foothill Center at 9:00 AM on Saturday, October 20th.

 

Randy Cisneroz led a loop hike from the Villages to and across nearby Bentley Ridge: Cribari Center/San Felipe/Larkspur/Bentley Ridge Drive/Yerba Buena/Hounds Estates/Cribari Center on Wednesday, October 17th.

 

Gisela Pearson led a hike on Saturday, October 13th in Henry Coe state park on the Coral,Spring and Forest trails and considerable elevation gains along the Coral,Flat Frog,Frog Lake, Middle Ridge and Fish trails.

 

Gary and Terry Holmquist led a hike to Santa Teresa County Park on Wednesday, October 10th. The route they took went to Coyote Peak with a total distance of 4 miles with about a 600 foot elevation gain.

 

Dan Kato lead four long hikers at San Bruno Mountain State Park.  We took the Summit Loop trail to the top of the mountain in the counter clockwise direction, eating a few wild blackberries along the way.  At the top of the mountain there were beautiful views of San Francisco and the bay.   We ate lunch up there and returned down the opposite side of the mountain.  San Bruno State Park is known for its unusual flora, and some plant species endemic to only that mountain.    

 

Susan Brown and Jim Beyer led a self-guided walking tour of the Stanford University Campus. They visited the 285 ft. Hoover Tower and museum, where the Hoover Institution and archives are housed but the tower wasn’t open. They did view an exhibition of the Vietnam conflict and then proceeded to the Memorial Church, considered Stanford’s architectural “crown jewel”. Afterward they ate at the Tresidder Student Union. The tour ended at the Cantor Art Museum, which houses one of the largest collections of Rodin sculptures outside of Paris.

Hoover  tower

Memorial Church

Group at the Gates of Hell Sculpture

 

Guy Hoover led a leisurely hike around the perimeter of Treasure Island on Saturday, September 29th. The distance was approximately 4.5 miles over flat terrain. Panoramic views of San Francisco, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Oakland and the Bay Bridge were seen. The group visited the monthly outdoor market and had lunch at the fest.

 

John Petrin led a hike from Oak Meadow Park, east along Los Gatos Creek to the Purple Onion Cafe, (for coffee/treats) and back. The round trip was about 4 miles and passed by Los Gatos Lake/Dam.

 

The club traveled to Point Reyes a prominent cape and popular Northern California tourist destination on the Pacific coast from Tuesday, September 18th through Thurday the 20th for the fall outing. It is located in Marin County approximately 30 miles west-northwest of San Francisco. The term is often applied to the Point Reyes Peninsula, the region is bounded by Tomales Bay on the northeast and Bolinas Lagoon on the southeast. The headland is protected as part of Point Reyes National Seashore. On Tuesday the group traveled north to The Presidio National Park at the Golden Gate Bridge. From there, they enjoyed a leisurely hike along the Ecology Trail.  In addition to the fauna and flora, the Ecology Trail also boasts access to arguably the best viewing area in the Presidio (it’s hard to choose – there are so many!) At Inspiration Point Overlook they enjoyed an eyeful of the bay, Alcatraz (or “The Rock”), Angel Island, and Andy Goldsworthy’s imposing Spire sculpture to the west. From there they took a connecting trail to  El Polín Spring, a wildlife hotspot, where hummingbirds and butterflies dance. 

At Point Reyes, Rich Bainbridge led a 6 mile round-trip hike on the Tomales Point Trail through the Tule Elk Reserve with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, Bodega Bay, and Tomales Bay to the stock pond at the site of the Lower Pierce Point Ranch. 
Blackie’s pasture trail was the second hike available. Blackie was a celebrated, swaybacked, retired cavalry horse that once roamed here. Soon after beginning the group passed the coastal mudflats of Richardson Bay, transition zones between land and sea that host a wide variety of plants and wildlife. A bird—and birder’s—paradise, Richardson Bay hosts more than 1 million migratory birds every year, along with a diverse mix of year-round residents, including great blue herons, snowy egrets and red-tailed hawks. Breathtaking views of the bay started here, and they stayed for the remainder of the trail,

 

 

The Hiking Club held their fall BBQ at The Gazebo on Thursday, September 13. The Goat Hill Girls performed for the club to a record crowd of 120 guests. Their uniquely American music bluegrass sound was performed by five talented musicians. Wendy Ledamun did a great job along with her talented helpers that made it all possible.