Getting Out: Flipping over that calendar page is a little
different on Jan. 1 than it is at the beginning of any other month.
After all, it’s not just a new month; it’s a new year. It’s a time
when we resolve to do something different and be a little better.
All the things we have been promising ourselves that we will do are
coming off the drawing board and into our daily routine. This year
is really the year.
Flipping over that calendar page is a little different on Jan. 1 than it is at the beginning of any other month. After all, it’s not just a new month, it’s a new year. It’s a time when we resolve to do something different and be a little better. All the things we have been promising ourselves that we will do are coming off the drawing board and into our daily routine. This year is really the year.
Come join me on a New Year’s morning hike and certify your good intentions. We did our first New Year’s Day hike last year, and it was a lot of fun. Everyone who came was a stranger to someone, but by the time we got back to the car, we were old friends. I can proudly say that there were very few serious injuries and even fewer fatalities. In fact, some people were even invigorated. I was also pleased to exceed my 80-percent rule (I have made a commitment to always return with at least 80 percent of the people I started with).
We will go to the same place we did last year: Rancho Ca’ada del Oro Open Space Preserve. This 3,882-acre preserve is owned by the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority and is a nearby gem that most people don’t know about. It is adjacent to Calero County Park and is lovely country with great views.
One of the nice features about this hike is that there are two loops — one is four miles and a longer 8-mile loop — but both follow the same trail. Whether you want to do the shorter loop or the longer one, we will all be together, and you will be able to delay your choice to continue on or return to the car at the end of the shorter loop.
Both routes start on the Mayfair Trail, which climbs comfortably up to the ridge top then rolls along its crest through open meadows past elegantly twisted valley oaks. There are great views down both sides of the ridge until the trail drops down the far side to Baldy Ryan Creek. From here, you can call it a day and follow the creek back to the parking lot or climb again — a little more work this time — up to Baldy Peaks and back for an 8-mile loop in all.
When hiking, extra effort usually brings extra rewards, and the climb up to Baldy Peaks is no exception. No matter what weather New Year’s Day brings, you enjoy a great view across Calero Reservoir far below. If we are blessed with exceptionally clear weather that often comes after a winter storm, you will see Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, the San Francisco skyline, Stanford’s Hoover Tower — all the landmarks of the San Francisco Bay basin. Either way, you will be amply rewarded for the effort it took to get there.
So, if you’re suffering from the champagne flu on New Year’s morning, I’ve got the cure. When you return, your heart will be pounding, your cheeks will be rosy and you will know that you are alive.
Rain or shine, I will meet you at Rancho Ca’ada del Oro at 9 a.m., New Year’s morning. The staging area is at the end of the paved portion of Casa Loma Road which turns west where McKean Road turns into Uvas Road south of Cinnabar Hills Golf Course. More information about the park is available at www.openspaceauthority.org. No dogs are permitted and no water is available, so bring your own water and a lunch. See you then.
