Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Mission Peak Hike

Not all of our adventures are on the bikes, but they are adventures never the less they are fun


Couple of days ago Tiffany came up with a great idea of climbing up Mission Peak in order to be able to experience and photograph the view above the clouds.
Being that it is summer in Northern California and temperature has tendency to rise on average above 100's by mid day, we had to get up early enough in order to be at the trailhead at Ohlone College in Fremont CA, by 05:00 AM when the trail officially opens for a day. This location has plenty of parking spaces at the price of $2.00 during the weekday and it is free of charge during the weekend.
There are several other options of accessing trail system that will eventually take one up to Mission Peak, most known is at Stanford Avenue. Unfortunately this location has been used so often by to many day hikers and trail visitors that it has become a problem and nuisance for people living in its vicinity of the trailhead. Authorities are quoting that on average weekend close to 6000 people visits this Regional Park.


As one can see on the map above, reason why so many day visitors prefer Stanford Ave. access point is shortest distance from ones vehicle to the Mission Peak 2.2 Miles (3.5km), where distance from Ohlone College is close to 5.5 Miles (9km). However trail from Stanford Ave. is significantly steeper than from Ohlone College.
Noelle and I walking up the Peak Trail passing some of cattle fence

Also another benefit to starting at Ohlone College is the fact that there are a lot less people using these trails and therefore you get to enjoy natures quite solitude. After all that is what most true nature lovers seek when they go outdoors.

Water trough for livestock
As one can see from these photos we didn't have to fight loud and overcrowded trails all the way until the last section of the trail where it merges with trails from Stanford Ave.
Tiffany on the trail

Mission Peak Trail marker

The Gang
 Although the multiple trails and number of other attractions within Ohlone Regional Preserve most of the people in the Bay Area are familiar with Peak alone. Due to this the trail is seriously overtaxed with visitors and hikers attempting to reach Mission Peak and now it's famous (primarily thanks to Social medias such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest etc.) peak marker that many hikers climb and pose by for the photo-op. Authorities had to take some serious measures in restoring and protecting the trail and park for future as seen in this video below



This gentleman's video shows how bad the crowds can be during the summer months at this beautiful park:




If you decide on ascending to Mission Peak trailhead starting at Stanford Ave you will be doing it via Peak Meadow and Horse Heaven Trails. We on the other hand used Peak Trail all the way to Mission Peak ascending it from Western Ridge.


 We didn't make it to the top of Mission peak in time to enjoy the sunrise however we did get high enough above morning fog to have a full view of this spectacle.


This early on the trail and we had encountered a small number of hikers and runners on the trail enjoying the early morning and coolness that it had to offer


Lake Del Vale and Livermore were still covered with fog and asleep by the time we reached the top of the hill. Mission Peak Regional Preserve is well connected with Ohlone Regional Wilderness and offers many opportunities for Mountain Biking, Horse Riding and backpacking


Mt Diablo dominates the landscape on the back side of Sunol Ridge and is clearly visible in the background 


Tiffany, Noelle and myself posing for my wife Laurie beside trail with fog bank in the background


Big smiles all around


Sunol Ridge visible on the left of us in the background 


Coffee and snack while enjoying the view


It was all her "Fault"...


... but Noelle didn't care she loved it as long as she was outdoor with us!


Sun is up and we are on the way to the summit, from this point on it will just get hotter and hotter.


Waiting for girls to catch up with us...


...but first lets take a selfie!!


Higher we climb view just gets better and better


Last leg of the climb we had to share the trail with hundreds of other hikers that were on their way up as well. A lot of them didn't look prepared for this climb at all, we noticed many of them were in inadequate footwear caring no water or at the best caring a small bottle that at that point was mostly empty. The trail looked damaged and there was a lot of trash that people left behind them, despise the fact that Park Crew had placed and were maintaining the large number of Trash Cans. Certain sections of the trail were 25 feet (7m) wide without any apparent reason other than carelessness and disregard for eco-system.


There were a lot of other dogs besides Noelle walking up the trail, and that was another problem, many pet owners were not cleaning after their pets or even worst they would collect waste in to plastic bags and then dispose them in nearby bushes.


The crowd was worse at the top!! We had to wait in line to get our photo at the peak marker. Some girls actually brought their high heels shoes just to take funny photos in them at the top


Noelle was just happy to get all kinds of petting from bystanders in the line 


Not necessarily the best moment at the trail but well worth it of Photo opportunity 


Like I said it was well worth waiting for. Unfortunately you can see that a lot of visitors come up to the top armed with permanent markers just so they could tag every available surface marking their presence for posterity.


...and Tiff was there to entertain us all with her stunts  


Tiffany sitting at the peak taking it all in planning her and ours next adventure...



My girls posing at the peak playing and enjoying them self...



and my wife Laurie didn't want to be outdone at the stunts so she did some her self.




Some of the livestock that is free roaming the area wondering what is the big fuss about a stick in the ground at the top of the hill...



On our way back we descended down on the Eastern side of the peak and than we use same trails to go back to our car.


One of rewards that we enjoyed at the end of the hike was a nice lunch and coffee at Mission Coffee Roasting Company on Washington Boulevard in Fremont, CA


So typical of kids, she fell asleep in the car on our way home


Overall we had a lot of fun, enjoyed some of most amazing views of Bay Area from the East Bay hills  got some nice photos to share with you all and sore muscles to prove that this hike is rated moderate to strenuous  depending what book you are reading it. One definitely needs to keep in mind that there is wiry little or no shade on the trail. You will need to equip your self with a bag that will allow you to cary at least 2quarts (2 L) of water, plenty of electrolytes  and comfortable protective clothing. Walking sticks of a walking staff is almost a must at the steepest sections of the trail combined with adequate footwear built for rugged and steep terrain 

Dear reader if you by any chance become inspired by this article and embark on your own adventures hike to Mission Peak, please keep in mind that you could become part of solution rather than part of problem. Please observe all rules of the trail and follow all of the instructions given by the Land Managment whom ever that might be. Enjoy the present but keep in mind the future what your actions might invoke in others.

City of San Jose moving in right direction - Our beloved City is becoming people friendly




INVESTMENT IN INNOVATION: KNIGHT FOUNDATION SUPPORTS EXPANDING GREENTRIP IN SAN JOSE



What could developers do with $2.4 billion and more space? What could families do with another $8,000 in their pockets? How many more parks, plazas and bike lanes could a city make if we added more people without all the cars?
These scenarios represent the potential outcome of expanding GreenTRIP in San Jose – a program that seeks a paradigm shift on how we plan and develop.
San Jose is seeking to build another 120,000 homes by 2040, mostly in “urban villages” near public transportation. The city has audacious goals for this growth: to become a greener, more vibrant place that reduces solo driving trips from 80 percent of all trips to 40 percent. It also wants to attract talent that keeps it the capital of Silicon Valley, while remaining affordable to people of all incomes. 
Yet the roadblocks to this kind of future are many and daunting, including outdated codes and expectations that vastly overestimate how many cars people will own and how much they will drive in these areas. Such codes result in huge parking lots that raise the cost of homes, at up to $70,000 per space, and generate more traffic.
GreenTRIP certification helps to shape and build support for residential developments that offer free transit passes, car-share memberships, great bicycle facilities and more. By reducing the need for parking, GreenTRIP lowers the cost of building each unit and allows more space for cafes, parks and other amenities that create great, affordable communities. With GreenTRIP strategies developers in San Jose could save nearly $2.4 billion in reduced costs for parking structures, making homes at many more price points feasible. 
GreenTRIP has certified 17 developments in the Bay Area, with 2,500 homes. It is helping families such as the Lopezes directly save over $3,000 per year with free transit passes, and allowing them to save more by not needing to own a vehicle.  GreenTRIP-certified projects generate nearly 60 percent less traffic, on average, than typical Bay Area homes.

With $100,000 in support from Knight Foundation, GreenTRIP will greatly expand the number of certifications in San Jose, and launch a new platinum level that will encompass new strategies, such as on-site bicycle sharing with free memberships for residents. 
Knight funds are also expanding a GreenTRIP research project that is collecting data on vehicle ownership in homes near transit. This information will soon be put into a database to help make the case for parking reductions, a project supported by three city of San Jose department heads.
“With support from GreenTRIP we can lower the cost of housing by not building excess parking, while supporting more walkable, urban, transit-oriented communities. By making homes more affordable, families of all incomes can have access to opportunities and help keep San Jose diverse and vibrant,” said Leslye Corsiglia, director of housing for the city of San Jose.  
Knight Foundation will also support GreenTRIP with an additional $25,000 if we can raise the remaining funds for the GreenTRIP Connect Tool by May 1, 2015. Designed to unleash the power of GreenTRIP at a broader scale, this online tool would allow all users to identify a particular parcel of land for development, see the benefits of locating near transit, and use toggles to instantly show how those benefits are expanded by providing trip reduction strategies and homes affordable to a range of incomes. It would provide information in a way that can empower community members to engage in decision-making and could ultimately be adopted in city codes, in San Jose and beyond.
By simultaneously reducing the cost of both housing and transportation, GreenTRIP is one way of moving toward economically integrated neighborhoods, avoiding displacement of existing residents, and creating a vibrant and greener city that attracts top talent.
This blog post originally appeared on the Knight Foundation's blog under the title "GreenTRIP: An innovative way to grow in San Jose" by Stuart Cohen and Ann Cheng.
To read original blog post on Transform follow this link http://www.transformca.org/transform-blog-post/investment-innovation-knight-foundation-supports-expanding-greentrip-san-jose