Today's hike was unbelievable! After seeing
Brigit's Well Celtic concert for kids in Portola Valley, we bought lunch at Robert's Market and drove to Windy Hill. We chose the
Spring Ridge-Hammas Gulch Loop.
The highlights and sightings on this hike:
- Turtles and American Coots sunning in the pond
- Mud that was unavoidable, so why not just have fun with it?
- Trillium albidum - I was so excited to see these white beauties!
- Trillium chloropetalum - A native to California. Gorgeous dark purple.
- Wild Strawberries
- Crossing a creek
- Gorgeous, huge, moss covered Douglas Fir trees
- Once we hit Anniversary Trail we had breathtaking views of the East Bay, then looked back and had a gorgeous view of the West Coast.
- Snow and hail once we hit Skyline Road
- Rainbows and sunshine
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| Turtles sunning on logs |
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| Hounds Tongue |
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| California Newt |
A great resource for stroller hikes in the Bay Area:
http://www.strollerhikes.com/
I'm loving your blog, Aimee. I absolutely think it's a great resource for family hikes in the area and California flora and fauna. We haven't done a lot of hikes but the loop trail from Bear Gulch at Pinnacles NP is one of our favorites.
ReplyDeleteIs your blog name inspired by a past hike to Half Dome or by a goal to hike it in the near future? By the way, which trail do you think should we use to Mt. Madonna's peak? We visited last month and it seemed that all the trails were cordoned off by yellow tape.
I'll be visiting your blog often. Thanks for sharing.
Christine Icban
Hi, Christine! Thank you for your kind words. When I did a search for hiking to half dome with children, I did not find many hits, so I asked BASIC homeschool group for tips. I will soon add those tips as we get closer to the hike.
ReplyDeleteMt. Madonna's peak? Hmmm. I've never hiked that before. We've taken night hikes to the view point, on the main road, from Valley View #3. You can call the Mt. Madonna Park main line: (408) 355-2201
Thanks Aimee. Good luck on your hike to Half Dome. That reminds me to make a reservation at Upper Pines campground. We plan to camp and hike to Vernal Falls in mid-August. :) I wish we could join the Mt. Madonna campout but I have been scheduled to work that weekend.
ReplyDelete