Night Hike, Peters Creek Loop

The announcement:

There are still 7 slots available for the night hike -- unbelievable. The night hikes are the most fun hikes we do. They are easy, informative, spooky -- everything you want in a hike.

The hike will begin at 5 pm sharp across from the Grizzly Flats trail head on Skyline Boulevard -- between Page Mill and Highway 9. If you don't know where it is, you can meet at our house at 4 pm and follow us up. When you get there, park on the ocean side of the road, and try to park with your nose outward -- apparently there have been some close calls with people who leave by backing out onto Skyline. You need to be there 15 minutes early to sign a waiver.

As I said, the hike is easy on the "Wimble Scale" and is taken at a leisurely pace. The docents know lots of stuff about the flora, fauna, and history, and they sometime share personal adventures with us. They help make this a really fun hike.

We do a short descent, hike along a damp, cool valley, go past the Zen retreat, a pond, an area that is really torn up by wild pigs, and out to the ridge line where we'll eat supper and wait for sunset. From there, we come down a windy, wooded trail to the cold floor again, and a short climb back up to the parking lot. It will be dark and you need to bring a flashlight.

It may rain Thursday or Friday. At this point, we don't expect to cancel because of rain, unless it really pours. But, the trail may be soggy, so dress accordingly. It is likely to be cool to cold, and possibly foggy (which is even more fun).

So, bring at least one water bottle, supper, and a flashlight.

And remember - YOU MUST REQUEST TO ATTEND THIS HIKE. We are limited as to how many can come. DO NOT SHOW UP UNANNOUNCED. Do not sign up and then tell us you can't come because of the baseball game. That's what VCRs are for. If we have more requests than slots, we'll keep a waiting list and let you know if there are any cancellations.

FOR ALL OF YOU WAITING FOR AN EASY, FUN HIKE - THIS IS IT!

Oh, if you'd like to make a contribution to the Open Space district, I'll collect it after the hike and pass it on to them. Do don't need to do this. Those who do typically make a $5 to $10 donation.

The hike:

Well, wasn't I right? Wasn't the night hike one of the best, most fun hikes of the year? Our docents Paul, Katherine, and Debbie were funny, educational, and all around great. Our two new hikers, Norm and Sue, were pretty entertaining as well. I don't know if you all heard the tales they were telling - but they were good. And I learned quite a bit about astronomy and satellites that I have never heard before, picked up a few new pointers about plants and animals in the area (including all about the trapping of pigs), and talked with Katherine about ham radio and the various legends of Steve Stearns. And how about that scenery -- the sunset, the low fog, the mists!

For the gallery of pictures from the hike, click HERE.