Dec 31, 2020 – Last Hike of the Year!
Excellent hike, highly recommend it. The beginning of the trail wasn’t obvious to me… but there is a sign there! LOL! First mile is the…
Category: 2020 NorCal
New Years Eve on Black Mountain
This last hike on the last day of 2020 could not have been more perfect. This loop trail in Monte Bello Open Space is diverse…
200+ flights of stairs! Mt Tamalpais is beautiful.
We Started a bit late, and reached the summit at sunset. Fortunately, we had headlights, and clothing to manage the rain , drizzle and dark.…
Night adventure on the mountain
Started late from Stinson. Got to East Peak at sunset. Long, dark, rainy hike back down Matt Davis to find my car locked in at…
Mount Um…is it going to rain?
Wasn’t going to hike because it looked like rain in the morning, but it cleared in the early afternoon. Since I started later, the winter…
Final peak – Mt Sizer!
A bit frosty early in the morning, but BEAUTIFUL the rest of the time. The main incline was pretty rough, as was the final 3…
Safety third
Super cold at the start of the trail, nice and warm for a few miles in the middle, and cool once we got back to…
Immigrant’s walk.
most fun among them. Do this last as to end the challenge with a bang. Preferably hike on summer for better condition and view on…
Mount Sizer
Narrow roads going up, but beautiful views. The manzanita trees on the trail were soo pretty, the texture was much different than I expected. Nice…
Manzanita Hike
It was overcast and cold. The trail was somewhat flat but pretty. Saw some deer that weren’t spooked as we passed them. Lots of birds
Mission Not Impossible
Partly cloudy and cool, this Christmas Monday brought out hundreds of hikers, young and old. Most masked up. I haven’t hiked vertical peaks in a…
Black Mountain and Mountain Lions
Having talked to a Ranger the previous day about Rancho San Antonio Park, I decided to wait until sunrise to engage in the hike. There…
Black Mountain
Beautiful hike, accidentally took wrong trail down 2 miles and had to hike back up, started at 10am and completed around 4:00pm with the detour.
Black Mountain
6.25 miles, 1239 ft, 2hr 8 mins Fairly easy hike, it rained a bit but the trail wasn’t too slippery.
Drizzly Black Mountain
A little bit of rain. Trail was well maintained. Snuck it in before the years end!
Easy finish of the Challenge – Black Mountain
An easy hike, very mild ascent. The weather was foggy at the beginning (around 11am) then, it warmed up significantly. We needed the carry all…
Umunhum – Dec 26 2020 Morning After a Rain
Very well-maintained… One of the best. Views are spectacular. The trail is highly shaded but 100% gorgeous. We went the morning after a rain so…
NorCal Six-Pack of Peaks – Black Mountain Peak
It was a good and mild climb hike. It was raining heavily right before our hike, so I was a little bit worried that we…
Who was St. Helena? I climbed her mountain.
A perfect winter day, cool with s few gusts of wind, but so clear that we could see the Pacific Ocean. We were very lucky…
The Views are Worth the Drive
Easy, gradual climb to the summit, mostly on fire road. Left late and came through the last forested mile by head lamp. Fantastic views and…
Mt Diablo found a (slightly) easier trail
I took the Coulter Pines trail to Back Creek trail which was a bit easier of a hike than the Mitchell Rock trail to Eagle…
Mt Umunhum!
Saved the easiest for last. Nice gradual uphill. Clear day. Native American group (Ohlone?) was doing a drumming ceremony at the top. I’m glad the…
Getting it done
Perhaps not the most interesting of the hikes but the views were certainly amazing – fun to see Umhumnum, Diablo, Mission Peak , Sizer and…
Mt Mountain!
Amazing rare clear day with great visibility. Hiked up through the deer hollow farm and the north ridge and down the PGE road. Saw a…
FINAL PEAK!
Beautiful day for a hike! Air was crisp and clear after yesterday’s rain. Steep ravine had some slick roots but wasn’t a problem. The view…
Last hike finally
Boy, what a day. We were monitoring the weather forecast for a couple days before the hike and it showed rain. Sure enough on hike…
Hiking through sun, fog, rain and wind! Bay Area microclimate at its best!
Beautiful fall hike, trail conditions great even after the storm the night below. Limited parking spaces (about 8 cars) at the Rhus Ridge trailhead –…
Helena How High Hare Hugh….
Everything went according to planned, although it was sprinkling and cold the whole way – but this time of year.
The quiet side of Mission Peak
So peaceful mid-week starting from the back side. I literally saw no one on the trail until right up against the peak. Fall foliage was…
Mt Tamalpais
#5 done! Beautiful day with my beautiful friend and no broken bones this year! Hardly anyone on the trail!
Gray Skies on Black Mountain
We started this hike around 11:30am and were back at the cars by 2:30pm. Once you’re out of the woods, there are amazing views of…
Yesenia Catalano
The weather was chilly but not too cold. It was shaded. The hike wasn’t too crowded either.
Blackie the Black Mountain 16 banger
Black Mountain is not that hard a hike despite the 3400 feet of elevation we achieved on our hike. I live in the area, so…
A beautiful day to hike Mount Umunhum
The day began sunny as we started our climb to the top of Mount Umunhum. The trail was very wooded and provided a lot of…
Black Mountain: The End of a Journey
A month before this hike, I had all but given up on the idea of completing the 2020 NorCal Six Pack of Peaks. As the…
3 Summits in 36 Hours!
I have fallen in love with this hike. Have done it 7 times in 1 month… in a 36 hour period, I did it 3…
Black Mountain – An alternate to an alternate :-)
A cold start but I peeled off the sweat jacket after the first mile of rather steep uphill and never put it back on. Air…
Mission To the Mission
I hiked Mission Peak almost weekly, so i know this mountain well if anyone wants information.
Mission Peak by Moonlight
It was a beautiful night for a Mission Peak hike. The weather was cold, but not freezing and, while it was breezy, it never got…
Black Mountain
Beautiful day for a hike in Los Altos on Black Mountain. Boy that elevation sneaks up on you for the last 2 miles! Fun hike,…
6 Peaks including Diablo
Parked on Regency Drive – I highly recommend that. Caught the loop and went clockwise. I would not do it counter-clockwise as I prefer to…
Solo Trip up Black Mountain in the Sunshine
Last of the six mountains, and the alternate added after Berryessa Peak was closed. The steep ascent had a lot of direct sunshine but you…
Cold hike on St Helena
We got there early, 7a, because the small parking lot fills up quickly. It was freezing, 37 degrees! The first mile or so is narrow,…
Mission to Monument Peak
Great hike up the back side of Mission Peak. Free parking on Mission Blvd gets you bonus hiking miles. Our group of four went past…
Mt. St. Helena
10.17 miles, 2141 ft, 3h 30 min It was 32 degrees the entire time on this hike and quite windy at the top. We got…
Mount Tamalpais
Enjoyed a hike to the summit on this gorgeous day. The weather was perfect and it was so great to do it with our family…
Overlooking Bay Area with a Sunset
Beautiful, easy hike. Seeing all Bay area and ending with an amazing sunset
NorCal Six-Pack of Peaks – Mission Peak
One of the well known trails in the Bay Area. It ascends pretty fast and gives you a breathtaking view of the Bay. On the…
Quick Hike up Mission Peak
Quite busy with families, but people wore masks and were very polite. The last 1/4 mile would be strenuous for children, older folk and anyone…
Mount Diablo
Good thing I didn’t do this during summer time. It would’ve been too hot with no shade!
Mission Peak (sub for Mt St Helena)
I was planning a day hike to Mt St Helena when I learned we were allowed to substitute Mission Peak. With no carpooling due to…
Trifecta geocache hike – Ed Levin to Mission Peak to Ohlone College
I’m a geocacher as well as a hiker, and I was out to pick up my 1000th cache, GCK9NA – Trifecta – this day and…
20 Years Later Hike Up Mt. St. Helena
First did this trip about twenty years ago as a teenager, and now a couple decades after first summitting with my family, I brought my…
Mission Peak. Mission Accepted
Easy, safe parking in college parking lot right below trailhead. Cost $4 for day. Really easy to follow trail – mostly fireroad the whole way.…
I Defeated the Devil! 👿 💪 🥾
Wow! What a day! My hiking partner, Wes, and I were supposed to meet up to conquer Mt. Diablo together this morning. However, somehow entering…
Mt. Tam on a picture-perfect day!
My friend Monica and I started our drive up from San Jose around 8:45am and got to the parking area around 10:30am. The lot was…
Getting away to Mission Peak in the crazy year of 2020
What a great day to get out for a hike – although rain was projected in my town, the forecast was clear in Fremont. This…
Number 6 of 6
Rainy day & trail was closed but managed to jump over early in the morning. Hike at your own risk!
Number 5 of 6 Veterans day
Trail has minor trees in the way but doable. Lovely view above the clouds with my friend Crystal on Veterans day!
Mount Tam – Wild Card (replaces Mt Sizer)
Alpine start at 5:00 am, starting at Lovell St, Mill Valley. Almost reached summit before dawn.
Mt Tam – Sunrise hike
Fun hike with my buddies Andy and Mike. Big thank you! This was a fun hiking year.
Hiking Berryessa Peak after the Lightning Complex fire
This was the most difficult hike so far for me. Although the view from the top was beautiful, parts of the trail were difficult as…
Saintly hike
Parked near small picnic area right off the 29. Headed up the trail to the memorial sight. Went up the right trail to take a…
Wineries and Hiking
Beautiful hike. It was a bit cold and breezy after 1 mile before the peak. At that weekend, we stayed in Santa Rosa, visited wineries,…
NorCal Six-Pack of Peaks – Mt. St. Helena
On a crisp autumn morning, we started our hike. The trail pays an homage to author Robert Louis Stevenson. We saw damage of previous forest…
Mount Diablo
Great day with Sabine and Andy, 13.9 miles, 3950 foot elevation gain. 6:11 moving time.
Beautiful
It was a beautiful day on Monday Not too hot or cold but sun was out, Trail has Little Rock’s, but very small, and I…
Beautiful 😀
I hiked on my own, when I started on fire road, was a good place to start, there is a restroom, and there is a…
The cube
This hike is so beautiful. Plenty of green trees and shade most of the way. Highly recommended!! Beautiful view when you get to the top.
Cows
This trail is completely exposed. Started the hike at 4:30 and it was very very hot! lots of incline but the views for sunset are…
Mount Diablo
The weather was very nice, not too hot or cold, we started from Mitchell canyon road, it said it is 7.30 miles to reach the…
Mount Diablo
Hike was beautiful we originally were planning to to just 15 miles but we ended up doing 18 miles, beautiful hike, difenetly recommend, knee compressions,…
Mt. Umunhum
Started early, on descent shared the trail with a lot of bikers, trail runners, and other hikers. Nice and easy sloping accent and descent
The challenging Mount Tamalpais hike
Mount Tamalpais was a challenging but beautiful hike and a great workout. I really enjoyed how the trail varied from rolling hills, to lush creaks,…
So Hot!!
Very warm day for this very exposed summit. 88 degrees but with strong winds. With out the wind to cool me down I would have…
Mission Peak sunrise
Started hiking early in the morning. It was still pitch dark and I was scared as heck. So far I had never hiked by myself…
Goooood Morning from Mission Peak!
Decided to see the sunrise from Mission Peak. First time I’ve started from Stanford Ave. Sunol side is still closed (because of the fires) and…
Never ending Mount Diablo
It was a challenging hike. Some parts were very steep. The section after the Mount Diablo camping area was very windy and cold.
Mission Accomplished!
Did this hike by moonlight before, this time by day. Tons of people. Don’t forget your hand sanitizer for after you climb the pole at…
Mission ALSO accomplished
Thankful for this replacement hike to end our challenge, tho still hoping to hit Sizer when it’s open again someday. Very congested w people. If…
NorCal Six-Pack of Peaks – Mt. Diablo
Starting from parking lot of the station. The parking fee payment was an odd one involving putting cash into envelope. That was awkward given the…
Slowest, but most Epic hike yet, Mount Diablo!
We arrived at the Mitchell Canyon Staging area at 7:45. The parking lot opens at 8:00, but the gates were wide open, and several cars…
Beautiful views
Beautiful hike! Great views, well maintained trail. We started at 6a, so the trail had light traffic early. Later in the day it was busy.
Mt. Tam
15.0 miles, 2829 ft of climbing, 5hrs 38 mins. This was a fairly easy hike. There were quite a few people (walkers and bikers) the…
Mt Tam – Very Early
Very early AM start. In the dark. Saw a coyote! Hiked most, ran some. About 4 hours for the whole trail.
Mission Peak
7 miles, 2,112 ft of climbing, 2hr 41 mins. As always there were a ton of people on this trail, and we went before the…
Tarantula Trail
The trail starts off flat and shaded through the woods and hillsides where the tarantulas burrow. It was mating season so we were lucky enough…
Mt.Diablo
80°, had to drive to a second location than what all trails app lead to in order to start hike. First hike since the fires,…
Devil Mountain
it was warm with a nice breeze. Lots of weeds. Didn’t seem maintained for pedestrians
Challenge aka Mission completed on Mission
The trail was underwhelming to say the least, after all the other peaks in the challenge, Especially so since Sizer was closed due to fires.…
Mission Peak instead of Rose Peak
Six of six! Woot! I got an early start on the 2020 Sixpack, after a late finish to the 2019 challenge. Then the lockdowns…then the…
A hot day on Mt Diablo
We arrived at 7:45, 15 min before the gate was set to open- it was already open. The trail was well maintained, pretty rocky. Pesky…