Villages Hiking Club

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Hike

Barbara Knight led the ramblers to the new Bair Island pedestrian bridge into the almost completed 3,000-acre wetland site. The renovation began in 2007 and now is a part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Red Wood City. There was a 2-mile trail around the southern inner island. The sun came out when we found a bench at Pete’s Harbor for lunch. We had a great time playing with the little wooden boat we found at the play ground.

Golden Gate heights and Grand View parks Hike

Saturday, November 15: Wate and Johanna Bakker led a combined rambler/long hike through the Golden Gate heights and Grand View parks and surrounding areas in the sunset district of San Francisco. The hikes were relatively short, about three miles and contained numerous stairs, some of them quite long, although the total altitude differences were less than a few hundred feet. We walked on staircases decorated with more than 75,000 tiles that resembled a waterfall of crayon colors. There were many interesting patterns that created stunning views They were modeled after the colorful Escalaria Selaron stairs in Rio de Janeiro. There were also beautiful views of the ocean, Golden Gate park and bridge. Afterward we had lunch in the nearby Park Chalet.

Rest Stop

Local Work Day

Silver Creek Hike

Gary and Terry Holmquist led a rambler Hike to Silver Creek Country Club for lunch. The hike was roughly 3 miles one-way. The overcast sky provided a cool hiking experience.

Saratoga Gap Hike

Amy Meier,Sandra Walker,John Walker,
Debbie Siedband,Peter Nicholls,Dan Kato,
Frances Wilson,Wate Bakker,Faye
Swanson,Gigi Clarke,Jackie Jones
Photographer:Jim Beyer

Wate Bakker led the long hikers and Johanna Bakker led the ramblers hike to the Saratoga Gap and into Long Ridge Open Space on Saturday, November 8th. The long hikers traveled approximately 9 miles with some going a couple miles longer. There was moderate elevation gains. Ramblers started at a different location. We saw views of the coastal range and Pacific ocean as it was another beautiful day on the trails.

Half Moon Bay Hike

Trish Smith led a rambler hike on Wednesday, November 5th of three to four miles that went along the bluffs of Half Moon Bay above the beach coast. It was a warm pleasant day.

Almaden Quicksilver Hike

Brad Hinckley led a rambler hike to Almaden Quicksilver Park, north end. It was a moderate loop of five miles and 1,000 vertical feet. It was a scenic hike past mine ruins to the reservoir and back. Lunch was at Olive Garden Restaurant afterwards.

Carmel Fall Outing

Wate Bakker organized a hike for the first day that started right after lunch where we got a little warm up before checking into the hotel.That first night October 22nd we met for light hors d’oeuvres and snacks at the hotel patio at 5:00 pm. Jackie Jones did a wonderful job with help from Jane Ruona organizing this event and supplying the food. Dinner that first night was on your own if you were still hungry.

John Trudeau led hikes on trails in Garrapata state park on Thursday October 23rd. It included hikes for all levels of hikers. Some members hiked at beautiful point Lobos that day also. For those not hiking, the town of Carmel provided many interesting tours and activities. The second night, Thursday October 23rd, we met again at the hotel patio at about 5:00 for light snacks provided by the hiking club. After snacks we all walked to the Bistro 211 restaurant for dinner. Terri Molloy did a wonderful job of selecting and arranging all the details as the meals were delicious.

Botano State Park

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.

Geocatching Event

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.

Black Mountain Hike

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.