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.