Started out at 8am on a brisk day, parked along Farmer Road and headed down a gravel path.  I was welcomed by an interesting sculpture at the trailhead, by local artist James Hubbell; and a plaque bearing the John Muir quote, “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature’s peace will flow into you like sunshine into trees.”

Pretty soon the road got steeper, with giant manzanita towering over me.  A large sign promised that mountain lions lurked nearby.  But then the trees thinned out and I found myself in a clearing.

Now this was a completely different hike, reminiscent of the more exposed portions of Mission Trails.  A lone chimney marked the location where the Hale Telescope was almost built, small utility poles led to the top and a loop around the summit marker.

It was way too early for lunch, but I found a nice picnic spot for future reference.  There were a couple nice vistas with signs denoting geographical landmarks, and I headed back down.

A woodpecker hammered away at a soaring tree carcass.  As I descended the tree cover got thick again and I noted Five Oaks Trail, a hiking park running parallel to the main road, that I would explore next time.