Thanks for a glorious last hike, and for so many wonderful hikes over the years. You're an amazing bunch and I'm honored to have spent time in nature with you. I'll miss you very much.
And still not sure what's on for summer, so do stay tuned and check the catalog.
If you wanted to do some hiking for the glorious Spring bloom coming up, here are some places I would recommend.
Week 1: Return to Coal Mine Ridge off Alpine Road to catch the last of the Houndstongue and Indian Warrior. Location details at: http://bahiker.com/southbayhikes/cmr.html
Week 2: Roll out to Santa Teresa County Park in South San Jose where the bloom is going to be bumping! Check out this good resource: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/Whats-Happening/Documents/WildflowerHikes.pdf and be sure to look for the green Serpentine rocks. You could follow this hike or find another: http://bahiker.com/southbayhikes/santateresa.html.
Week 3: Sunol Regional Wilderness! Sure, it's Fremont, but it is AMAZING and since I'm not actually leading it I don't have to worry about logistics. I've always wanted to take y'all there. Seriously, hills just carpeted with flowers! If you're reading this but not planning doing your own hikes, do go check out the Sunol Wildflower Festival on April 9th if you can! http://www.ebparks.org/features/Spring_Wildflower_Festival_at_Sunol_Regional_Wilderness
Week 4: Back to Edgewood! Take the same trails we took and catch a whole different aspect of the show. Hopefully you'll be not too late for the delphinium and columbine in the shady places but right on time for the swaths of goldfields and tidy tips in the grasslands. They have free docent led hikes (way too early in the AM, lol), check them out at: http://www.friendsofedgewood.org/springtime-wildflower-walks. Be sure to stop at the nature center and see what's blooming!
Week 5: Wrap it up at Russian Ridge. Look for wildflowers and butterflies, enjoy the massive oaks and the gorgeous views. You can do the featured hike at: http://bahiker.com/southbayhikes/russianridge.html or pick your own at: http://www.openspace.org/preserves/russian-ridge.
Some helpful resources:
- Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District: http://www.openspace.org/ (Includes Russian Ridge, Skyline Ridge, Fremont Older, Purissima Creek)
- San Mateo County Parks: http://parks.smcgov.org/county-parks (Includes Edgewood, Huddart)
- Santa Clara County Parks: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/parkfinder/Pages/parkfinder.aspx (Includes Santa Teresa County Park, Uvas Creek Canyon)
- GGNRA: https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/maps.htm (Includes Mori Point)
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/ParkIndex (Includes Castle Rock and Mt. San Bruno which we never made it to despite best intentions!)
- East Bay Regional Park District - truly an incredible wealth of resources, worth driving for! http://www.ebparks.org/parks
- Santa Clara County Open Space Authority - Mostly South Santa Clara County, some huge and gorgeous preserves. http://www.openspaceauthority.org/trails/
Other resources!
- Miri's favorite field guide (It's ancient but marvelous, and truly covers almost everything. Plant names have changed but hopefully not too much else): https://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-Society-Field-California/dp/0679446788/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490424339&sr=1-1&keywords=national+audubon+society+field+guide+to+california
- If you are interested in planting your yard with natives, check out http://www.larnerseeds.com/ - they sell only plants indigenous to California.
- Some highly excellent blogs are: http://natureofaman.blogspot.com/, and http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/.
Enjoy the wonders of the natural world, check the catalog for summer, and please keep in touch! Xoxox!
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