Villages Hiking Club, San Jose, CA
Our mission is to promote an active and healthy lifestyle through hiking.
Gordon Carbonetti and John Zhang led a group of eleven hikers to Pinnacles National Park on Thursday, October 30, 2025. L-R Kris Carlsen, John Zhang, Joan Cheung, Mira Dytko, Mimi Rong, Al Girolami, Marty Funcell, Tim Robinson, Matt Cheung and Gigi Clarke, with Gordon behind the camera. It was a tough, nearly 6-mile hike with incredible views. Tim, Kris and Gordon even made it thru the caves near the end of the hike. (See more pictures under photos of past events.)
Nine Villagers hiked to the top of our Hill on a beautiful, clear Wednesday morning. L-R, Julian, Amy, Jim, Dan, Deb, Monona, Mira and Bob, with Gordon behind the camera.
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.
Holiday Dinner Party
The Villages Hiking Club will host its annual holiday dinner party in Cribari Auditorium on Friday, December 18 from 5:30 – 9:00 pm. (Note: doors will open at 5:30 pm). All members of the club and their guests are invited to attend. Everyone attending is asked to bring substantial appetizers. No chips, dips, salsa, please. The club will provide ham, turkey, dessert, coffee, water, plates, napkins and utensils. Bring your own beverages. DJ Ed Knott will provide music for listening enjoyment and dancing. Please let us know if you are willing to help with the set up or clean up. Members are urged to reserve their seats early as space is limited. The deadline to sign up is Sunday, December 6.
Happy “Allidays”
The Villages Hiking Club invites members and other Villagers to join us for a December “Allidays” talk on Monday, November 30th at 7 PM in the Foothill Center. Our speaker, Richard Holmboe, will honor the religious, cultural and fun holidays that we celebrate in the month of December. These include Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Festivus and New Year’s Eve. He will cover history, religious and secular aspects, family traditions, images, and fun. Be prepared for colorful slides, and a fun video.
Richard lives in The Villages with his wife Arlene. In his civilian career, he worked mostly for HP and Agilent Technologies. He spent a good part of that career writing high-tech manuals and training courses. He also spent 22 years in the navy and naval reserve – in submarines, surface navy and naval air. He has been a popular docent at the Pigeon Point lighthouse near Pescadero for several years.
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.
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.
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.
Seventeen folks turned out to walk the golf course on a beautiful morning. If you’re keeping count, one walker had to leave early and Gordon Carbonetti was behind the camera.
