Ohlone Wilderness Backpacking (3 of 3)

DAY 3 - Jan 2, 2013

Video of this trip.

7:07 am - 0 degree C inside the tent. Woke up at Maggie's Half "Freezer".

I was glad to hear the sound of my alarm clock going off at 7:00 am. After spending 12 hours in my sleeping bag, I was ready to get out of this damp cocoon. No, I didn't metamorphose into a new creature, but I've learned another lesson. Mylar blanket is miserable in below freezing temperatures.

Still, I slept reasonably well. I was reasonably warm, reasonably comfortable (thanks to a flat ground), and reasonably rested despite the significant amount of condensation inside the mylar cocoon. It was quite clammy. I should do better next time though. With a light fleece blanket I would have slept even better, even if it weighed at nearly 2 pounds.  

I wanted sunlight, but got moonlight instead

It took me a bit longer to fall asleep last night. The air was definitely colder, but it was the busy air traffic that really kept me awake. Again and again, the peaceful silence was broken by jets roaring overhead as they made their final approach to Oakland International. Also without any other light source around, I was surprised to see the aircraft's strobe lights illuminating my tent (dimly though) as they flew by. For a second I thought my retina was detaching... 

Breakfast time! I didn't feel like opening the tent fly (for obvious reasons), so breakfast was cooked and served inside the tent. For ventilation, so I won't die of carbon monoxide poisoning, I unzipped the tent fly a bit and propped it open with my hiking poles.

It was lovely to have a stove inside the tent! Yes, I could smell some fuel vapor, but I felt warm and quite comfortable. Breakfast was again granola cereal and some dried fruits left over from the previous days. It was awesome gulping down that hot granola!

7:44 am - done with breakfast, now it was time to "embrace" the cold world outside.

Oak leaves decorated by frost

Shivers! The cold air was stimulating in a less favorable way. Think of it as walking through a field of thistles wearing shorts. Not the kind of stimulating experience one would volunteer for. Strangely, I decided to linger in the cold and explored the area near camp. I took a few photos and checked out some oaks with galls before heading back to camp. 

Mt. Diablo viewed from my campsite

I remember camping at Mt. Diablo a few summers ago. At night the wind blew so hard that I feared my tent would collapse (20-30 mph winds). That was exciting! 

Oak with gall on its branch

Galls are caused by insects (usually) laying their eggs in plant tissue. As a reaction to the "invasion", plants will form swellings (or galls) to surround the egg. As the developing eggs turn into larvae, the plant tissue swells even more, creating a protective barrier to the outside world and feeds the larvae by directing nutrients into the larval chamber. A great insect nursery. When the insect matures, it chews its way out (hence the holes on the gall). The gall pictured above is on the branch of an oak, but galls can grow on many locations on a plant and come in many shapes, sizes, and colors like these I found (below) last summer on top of Goat Rock.

Saucer-shaped gall on Blue Oak - Summer 2012

Different galls on the same tree - Summer 2012

Back at Maggie's things weren't as exciting. I spent the next hour or so packing up my gears, then went to get some water before heading out.

Maggie's Half "Freezer" strikes again! The water faucet was frozen solid! Yesterday the faucet worked fine, apart from the initial muddy water. I pumped the handle again. Still nothing. The good thing was I still had a full liter of clean water, so I thought I'll just take off without getting extra.

It would have been interesting if I had to collect water from the frozen water trough since I didn't have a filter to get rid off the floating "particles". I'm sure my SteriPEN would have made the water safe to drink, but the thought of drinking out of an algae filled trough WITHOUT filtering didn't score high on my list of favorite things to do.

9:23 am - the journey back. Next stop, Sunol Visitor Center. 

At this point, the batteries in my camera were nearly empty. It would only power-on for about 10-15 seconds before shutting itself off again; just enough time for me to take a photo. It was like driving a car that would go for 100 feet and then stalls. Restart, go for another 100 feet and stalls again. 

As I climbed onto the ridge just below Rose Peak, I was rewarded with a view of the Bay Area. A bit hazy, but I could still see beyond San Francisco. Best of all, there was sunlight!

San Francisco and Bay Bridge - top right of picture

Another bobcat dashed out of my sight as I hiked down Buckboard Trail. This time, it had a fluffy animal in its mouth!

10:30 am - at OT 24. I wasn't in a hurry, so the 2.2 mph pace was just fine.

Reflections in the pond

All these ponds, over 300 of them in the entire park district, are home to many protected and threatened species such as the California Red-legged Frog and California Tiger Salamander. The above pond has both Red-legged Frog and Tiger Salamander. It is critical to protect these species for their survival and for maintaining a balanced ecosystem. A responsible way to enjoy these wild creatures is to view them from a distance using binoculars.

Apart from the species list above, other native amphibians include Pacific Tree Frog, Western Toad, and California Newt are commonly found in these ponds as well. Watch out for tree frogs and toads in summer as they can metamorphose out of the water in great numbers. Giant water bug (or toe-biters) is another cool creature. Some of them can reach 3 inches in length with dangerous looking front legs. They would try to prey on anything they can get a hold of, including 5 inch long Red-legged frog tadpoles. If two of them get too close, they will fight each other like gladiators in an arena. From what I've heard, their bites are extremely painful!

More wildlife! Another Red-tailed hawk perched on a tree. This is going to be my day.

Red-tailed hawk

Or not...

They look so confused...

I could imagine though bubbles of (????) and (moo?!) above their heads as they stared at me. They probably thought "What's this guy walking out here for? Did he loose his truck?" 

Goat Rock came into view again

11:11 am - hunger knocked on my stomach again. I found a picturesque grove of California Buckeye (poisonous, apparently) and settled down for lunch. 

Tree with legs

I just noticed that this tree has limbs that look like a person's "legs" stretched out on the ground. Interesting... The left branch looked like a knee slightly rotated toward the right (there is a technical term for that which I can't remember).

Oblivious to these strange details (until now), I sat on this tree and made a pastrami and cheese sandwich. It tasted great thanks to the freezing temperatures at night keeping the food fresh. A benefit of winter backpacking. 

11:35 am - on the trail again. Going downhill does put a bit more strain on my knees and feet, but I hardly drank any water. 

Ponds filled to the brim, ready to wet the inside of another intern's wader...

11:49 am - at OT 22. This time I took the correct route.

Not much drama after this. About an hour later I arrived at the gate to Sunol Backpack Camp. From the top of the hill I can see why the actual Sky Camp is so far away, down the ridge. 

Overlooking Sunol Backpack Camp

I took a slightly shorter (and scenic) route by going down Backpack Road. Soon, families with kids started to show up on the trail. Some people were climbing the boulders at Little Yosemite.

Junction of Backpack Rd. and Camp Ohlone Rd.

Little Yosemite

2:27 pm - finished! I made it back a bit sore and tired, but I felt great for completing this hike. 

I remembered to sign out this time

I can't count how many steps I've walked during this trip (thousands, tens of thousands?), but I'm certain that it was done one foot at a time. This is true for everything else in this adventure called life. I could probably hop over small tasks but the challenging ones, the ones that require patience, take a bit longer to get.

I'm ready to take on more challenges!

Ohlone Wilderness Backpacking (2 of 3)

DAY 2 - Jan 1, 2013

Video of this trip.

7:07 am - dawn of 2013. The sun had already broke the horizon, but it still struggled to climb over the hill to shine its warm rays onto me. It was cold but refreshing. 

I slept quite well despite two small annoyances.

First, the campsite was a bit slanted, almost unnoticeable when sitting up, but enough to make me reposition my sleeping pad a few times. Second, a tiny patch of grass under my tent defeated my foam sleeping pad's cushioning ability. I can't believe a seemingly insignificant plant - smaller than my hand and a few millimeters tall - can cause so much discomfort. I tried to dodge the grass, but its unpleasantness simply transferred from my spine to my shoulder. Ugh... This is another weakness of foam pads; they don't offer much cushioning compared to air pads.

First light of 2013

I had a simple breakfast of Ancient Grains granola from Costco. Usually, I eat it cold with soy milk, but not this time. I wanted it warm! Without powdered milk, I just boiled water to get a hot mixture out of it. I learned from yesterday's mistake of placing my stove in the open, I relocated the "kitchen" into my tent's vestibule to shelter it from the wind. It worked wonders! I left the stove to do its work and went out to shoot some more photos.

The crisp cold air awakened my senses but numbed my hands

The wind protection was wonderful. Too wonderful... I had gone for only a moment before I heard the pot and lid clanking. It had started to boil! I ran back to turn it off; fear it might topple over. The cereal required significantly less water than yesterday's noodle, but I didn't expect it to boil so quickly. 

The granola tasted a bit lean without the richness of soy milk, but I actually liked it because last night's salty cup noodle made me begging for water. In fact, I was so thirsty that I dreamed about making an orange and apple smoothie... Is there such a thing? Hey, I was thirsty!

7:34 am - bathed in sunlight. "Upper" Sky Camp was coming back to life (or rather, I was coming back to life) as the sun warmed everything its rays touched. So welcoming! 

Half an hour makes a huge difference

I felt much warmer after a hot breakfast and sitting in the sun heated tent

8:00 am - breaking camp. As I started to pack up, I noticed that something was in my tent. Feathers! It turned out my down sleeping bag must have thought that spring was in sight and decided to shed some of its feathers during the night. No wonder my nose was a bit itchy. I was breathing in feather! 

Sun chasing the cold monster away

8:54 am - ready to go. Before heading out, I decided to use the restroom so I don't have to find one on the trail. On my way to the outhouse, I met another group of backpackers at Hawk's Nest. To my surprise, I've seen them before, not in person, but from their blog! It was Carolyn and her family from the blog Food Adventures Etc. I had read about their previous winter backpacking experience on the Ohlone Trail. They started from the Del Valle side and this was their final day on the trail. A very nice and friendly family! Check out their trip at Food Adventures Etc.

After saying goodbye Carolyn and her group, I was on my way to Maggie's Half Acre.

Lichens paint the rocks orange and yellow

As I walked east, I wish I had brought a hat to shade my eyes from the low, winter sun. Soon, Goat Rock came into view. Back-lit by the sun, it appears to be much larger than it really is. Then I felt hungry again (it was only about 10 am). I stopped at a ridge with a good view and had a snack.

Goat Rock looking majestic in the morning fog

I realized that I didn't eat enough for the past day. Trying to save weight, I relied on simple and light weight foods like cup noodles, granola, thin sandwich breads, pastrami, and cheese. I certainly didn't starve, but I should have eaten a bit more. I should really look into the freeze dried meals Carolyn's group had. I should be more adventurous with my food selection. 

Trying to take a self portrait during snack break

10:25 am - back on the trail. Soon, I arrived just before sign post OT 22, the junction with Billy Goat Road. For some reason (maybe the sun was in my eyes) I could only see Billy Goat Road, but missed the Ohlone Trail just to the east of it. Thinking I must have missed a turn, I hiked off-trail, up the hill and found the trail again. Hurray! 

Wrong turn! I realized something's not right when I arrived at OT 24 without passing through OT 23. How did that happen? It turns out I was hiking on Valpe Ridge Road. No harm done since I ended up at the right place anyway. 

Telles Rock (to the left) looked like a mini Goat Rock

I spotted my first interesting wildlife as I approached the cattle gate at OT 24. A Red-tailed hawk perched high up on a tree. 

Red-tailed hawk looking for prey

12:15 pm - I can't believe that I was hungry again. I sat down on a fallen tree and looked into my food bag to see what can I "prey" on to fill my stomach. The log I sat on had many holes and crevices; the ones snakes like to hide in. I figured it was safe since it's cold out and snakes don't like the cold.

Interesting patterns on the tree I had lunch on

12:33 pm - once again, back on the trail. Now the weather had turned quite nasty with a cold and misty northern breeze blowing my way. I didn't bother to retrieve my gloves from the backpack even though my hands felt icy cold. The thought of stopping to get the gloves out seemed even colder because at least my body was warm when I'm hiking. 

Where did the sun go? Looking across at Wauhab Ridge

1:29 pm - made it to Maggie's Half Acre. So cold! Hidden behind Rose Peak, Maggie's Half Acre never got the chance to warm up like my campsite from yesterday. Patches of ice could be found on the ground. (Maybe residual snow?) I went to check out the pond behind the water trough (which was frozen solid!) to see if there's any pond life. There might have been some amphibians overwintering in there, but it was hard to tell with a thin sheet of ice on top. 

Ice covered pond at Maggie's Half Acre

My campsite was simply called site 3 this time (unlike the creative nomenclature found in Sunol Backpack Camp). As I walked about to found a nice flat (and bump free) spot to pitch my tent, I noticed a piece of steal hammered into the giant valley oak in the middle of camp. I wonder who put it there and what is it for?

Strange piece of metal hammered into the tree

2:26 pm - camp is ready. Thankfully, as I finished setting up my tent, the sun peeped out of the clouds and gave me a glimpse of warmth. I had some snacks (again) then headed out for Rose Peak. Current temperature: 36 degrees F (in shade).

My tent under the giant valley oaks

I've passed by Rose Peak so many times, so I was quite anxious to see what is it like to stand up there. 

Rose Peak summit

Hmm... Not as exciting as I thought. In terms of height, Rose Peak is only about 50 feet lower the Mount Diablo, so on a clear day the view should be epic. The summit itself was not very exciting either. It was just a flat top with some rocks scattered around. I left the summit to search for more interesting things.

Acorn woodpecker's food locker

Cold winter in Ohlone Wilderness

3:50 pm - outside temperature: 1 degree C. (I switched to Celsius after this point)

My first day of 2013 went well

More wildlife sighting. On my way back to camp, I spotted a bobcat as I turned a corner. It dashed into the bushes before I could get my camera out. 

5:36 pm - I had a full day. My feet hurt a little, but it's the coldness that I truly hope to get away from right now. I have camped in colder conditions (winter in Pinnacles National Monument, 20 degrees F), but the windchill made it feel a lot colder. I huddled in my sleeping bag while waited for the cup noodles (two packs this time) to cook. 

My camera's main and spare batteries are almost exhausted after two days of shooting (terrible battery life). I'll see how much juice it has left for tomorrow.

7:15 pm - in bed, ready to sleep. Temperature in tent: 2 degrees C.

8:00 pm - a Great-horned owl sang the characteristic "hoo - HOO - hoo-hoo" near my tent. It put me to sleep.

Ohlone Wilderness Backpacking (1 of 3)

DAY 1 - Dec 31, 2012

I wanted to start the New Year with a challenge. 2012 certainly had many challenges (including transfering to UC Davis), but I felt the need to refocus my goals and plans for 2013, and backpacking seemed perfect for this task. 

One of the reasons why I love backpacking, besides the epic scenery and wildlife, is it reminds me that even the most daunting task can be accomplished by taking it one foot at a time, and there is no turning back once I've accepted the challenge. No matter how difficult it gets, I must keep going. However, with a little patience and perseverance (and a few buckets of sweat), I'll get to where I wanted to go. 

For now, the destination is Maggie's Half Acre; approx. 10.0 miles from Sunol.

Check out video of this trip: https://vimeo.com/56801802

11:19 am - Start! Sunol looked gorgeous on the last day of 2012. The sun was shining brightly, birds were singing, and Alameda Creek was flowing strongly again after a summer drought. 

Winter rains bought Alameda Creek back to life