The Mission Peak Ritual Continues..

Like every year this year too I have been to the Bay Area’s most iconic Mission Peak numerous times already.  Ask any Bay Area folks who live around here about Mission Peak and I bet most will agree it to be one of their favorite hiking destination. One of the reasons why parking experience can be dreadful if you expect to be there before 10.00 am on weekends ! I have frequented the peak around all seasons countless times, early mornings, late afternoons and evenings, and witnessed the abundance of natural beauty in varied forms.

My little summary that I picked for this report is the hike that I did on a perfect fall day. I decided to do one of those pre dawn hike starting before sunrise so as to capture some early sun rays that captivates the hills and the  mission peak itself. My favorite is the horse heaven trail for two reasons. One is that this trail is the strenuous of the three trails that one can access the peak from the Fremont side. Therefore perfect for someone like me who prefer to keep myself prepared a bit for up coming hiking trips that I consider. Secondly, because of this extra effort not too many hikers prefer this route and therefore is much quieter if one wants some serene moments to enjoy the ambiance of the beautiful surrounding hills.

Yet it was another day and another hike up with the morning sun just rising a mile or so before I reached the peak. It was one of those natural beauty that captivated the hills. From the peak the city skylines of San Francisco and San Jose were prominent and so were the various peaks across the Bay Area… including Mount Diablo, Mt. Tamalpais, Mt.Umunhum and Rose peak. After enjoying the breathtaking views I headed back to the trail head and on the way back crossed a Doe and her fawn as they were I guess enjoying the morning sun before the humans take over the serenity around them.

Mission Peak will remain my favorite like many of the Bay Area natives !