Hello Hikers!
Please RSVP asap and I will add you to the list for your hike(s) and e-mail you a reminder with full details on the Thursday before we go! More information is available any time; just e-mail.

12/20
SF Hill Tour (San Francisco)
Strenuous and pavementy, but with a smorgasbord of views!
10am-4pm
10-ish Miles
BUT the great thing about City hikes...
... is you can stop for
coffee or hop on a bus or cab just about anytime you want! If you
don't know the buses, we'll help you out. Do one hill or all of them
or anything in-between.
Did this in August of '07 and folks LOVED it. Come see why!
We're meeting at a coffee shop at 10am; I'm just wearing sneakers...
Hiking up Bernal Hill, Mt. Davidson, Twin Peaks, Tank Hill, Monument
Hill, Buena Vista Park and Corona Heights, then back to Cortland....
Meeting at Martha Brothers on Cortland @ 10am.
maps.google.com/maps
&sll=37.77916,-122.42009&sspn=0.801022,1.697388&ie=UTF8&ll=37.740449,-122.414947\
&spn=0.006261,0.013261&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1
Free unregulated street parking on many of the streets of Bernal
Heights, woohoo! Read the parking signs with care...


12/28
Big Basin Redwoods (Santa Cruz Mountains)
11 Miles
2000 Feet
10:30am-4:30pm
Berry Creek Falls, we'll do something like this one:
www.bahiker.com/southbayhi...llloop.html
Wet weather means deep greens and gorgeous falls. This is a Bay Area classic that somehow we've never done (we've hiked in from the coast three times now, but never out from the interior). Meet at the General Store across the street form the visitors center.

1/3/09
Redwood Regional Park (Oakland Hills)
Stream and French Trail Loop
3.6 Miles
11am-1:30pm (with possible extension to 3:30pm, see below)
Genuine woodsy, ferny goodness close to home without all that pesky mileage and elevation. There is about 1/2 mile of steep downhill on the Orchard Trail toward the end, but most of the hike is quite gentle. 10:30 departure time from trailhead (meet at North end of Parking Lot, near Quail and Owl Picnic areas on this map: www.ebparks.org/files/EBRP...ull.pdf).If we have some heartier hikers who wish to explore farther after we first return to the cars, those interested may venture onto the lovely EBMUD permit-only area East of the park (be sure and rsvp if this interests you so we can work out the permit situation).



1/17/09
MOUNT DIABLO (Clayton/Walnut Creek)
14 miles
3200 Feet
10am-5pm
The grand circuit of the mountain with a hearty trek to the summit and lovely meandery trails coming down--Bald Ridge with lovely views falling away to both sides is not to be missed. Here's an image: people.tribe.net/mikmms/ph...db6af98370
I think this is going to be a twice-annual (winter/spring)tradition, henceforth. This'll be our sixth or seventh trip (second mid-winter ascent) and hearty hikers who want the 360 degree, all-terrain Diablo experience are highly encouraged to join us!
We'll leave the trailhead at 10:00am
www.mdia.org/images/map-vicinity.jpg How to get there (we start at Mitchell Canyon Interpretive Center and Ranger Station, off Mitchell Canyon Road, in Clayton)
Park Brochure:
www.parks.ca.gov/pages/517...ochure.pdf

1/31
Wildcat Canyon (Richmond)
6 Miles
1200 Feet
Noon-3pm
www.bahiker.com/eastbayhik...canyon.html
Surprisingly serene rolling hills and lovely less-familiar bay views.

2/14 (Tentative)
Jack London State Historic Park (Glen Ellen)
10 Miles
1400 Feet
11am-4pm
bahiker.com/northbayhike...cklondon.html
_______________________________________________________
The M.O.:
There're some pretty intense hike organizers aren't there. This is not one of those groups. No one is too fast or too slow; if you want to come out, come out! We won't leave you in the dust or begrudge your speediness if you wish to charge ahead. The point is to get folks onto the trail to enjoy themselves in whatever way each hiker wishes: fast/slow/pensive/chatty/etc. Just be reasonably mindful of the other hikers' temperaments (i.e. don't babble cheerfully at a naturey introvert trying to soak in a rapture of woodsy contemplation)...Everyone takes breaks when they like, eats when they like, etc....