San Francisco City Walk, (please call to sign up for this hike)
Thursday, October 21, 2010, 10:00 AM
This month we will be walking across that iconic San Francisco landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge. The span is 1.7 miles across one way. We will be walking from Fort Point which is just under the bridge on the San Francisco side. From there we will walk up to the bridge and across. Once on the Sausalito side, we will either turn back at that point, or continue on to historic Fort Baker, another mile or so. The total mileage will vary from around 4 miles to 7 or 8 depending on what the group decides to do.

We will meet in the Fort Point parking lot at 10:00 AM. To get there using Route 280, drive north into San Francisco and continue on 19th Avenue. At the 19th Avenue/25th Avenue split (in Golden Gate Park) , bear left on 25th, then right on Lincoln, and once under the bridge take a left on Long to get to Fort Point. Bring lunch and water, and remember to dress in layers as the weather can be cold and windy.
Call Gil & Julie at (408) 247-6769 if you plan to join us and be sure to give us your phone number.

Joseph Grant County Park Hike
Friday, September 24, 2010 9:30 AM
Join us for a hilly hike in the area’s largest county park. Our 6.3-mile hike begins at a trailhead near the park headquarters.  After a steady, fairly steep uphill climb of about 2 miles we are treated to spectacular views of the Santa Clara Valley and the Mount Hamilton area. The trail continues along the park boundary before veering east and north, winding through meadows and woodlands.  The trails are wide and well maintained, but not flat in many places, so you will get a good workout.  There are no rest rooms along the trail.

To get to the park, take highway 680 north and exit at Alum rock Avenue, turning right.  After about 2 miles, you will come to Mount Hamilton Road, where you will make another right.  Continue on Mt. Hamilton Road for 8 winding miles, when you will come to the park entrance on your right.  Drive into the park until you see the Stockman picnic area, where we will meet at 9:30 AM.  Please note that there is an entrance fee per car, unless you have a County Parks sticker.  Bring lunch and plenty of water.
Contact: Gil & Julie Feller, 247-6769,  giljulief@gmail.com

Coal Mine Ridge Hike
Friday, August 27, 2010, 10:00 AM
The August hike will be a 4.5 mile loop in the Portola Valley area. The route is of moderate difficulty with a little climbing, and is mostly shady. There are a couple of promontories with great views of the bay. We’ll stop for lunch  along the trail.
Directions to the hike: from Interstate 280 in San Mateo County, exit Alpine Road. Drive southwest on Alpine Road about 3.6 miles (past the junction with Portola Road), to a small roadside pullout on the right side of the road, just before Willowbrook.  If there are no spaces available, turn right on Willowbrook and park on the roadside.
Contact: Gil & Julie Feller, 247-6769,  giljulief@gmail.com
2010 South Tahoe Big Hike
July 25 - July 30, 2010
The 2010 Big Hike will be based in South Lake Tahoe.
The trip consists of 4 days of hiking, with several choices of hikes of varying length and difficulty each day.
Rancho Canada Del Oro Hike
Friday, June 4, 2010, at  9:30 AM
This hike will be a 4.3 mile loop that includes a long (about 2 miles) uphill, but the climb will be worth it as the scenery in this relatively new addition to the Open Space Preserve is lovely. We’ll begin the hike at 9:30 and eat lunch at the end of the hike.
To get to the preserve: from Highway 101 or Highway 85, turn west onto Bailey Avenue. At the intersection with McKean Road turn left. Where McKean Road becomes Uvas Road, turn right onto Casa Loma Road. Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve is near the end of the public access portion of the road. There is a parking lot with a restroom on the left.
Contact: Gil & Julie Feller, 247-6769,  giljulief@gmail.com
Pinnacles Hike
Friday, May 14, 2010, at 10:00 AM
We will be hiking a fairly strenuous loop route of about 5.1 miles, beginning at the Bear Gulch Visitor Center on the east side of the park.  The route involves about 1300 feet of elevation gain, and there will be a bit of rock climbing with metal handholds (be sure to wear your hiking boots!).   Much of the hike is out in the open with few trees, so we recommend a hat and sunscreen.  We’ll meet at 10:00 AM at the Bear Gulch Visitor Center.  Allow 1-1/2 hours to get there from San Jose.  Bring lunch and plenty of water – it may be quite warm.
Directions to the Visitor Center can be found on the following link – use directions to the EAST entrance.
http://www.nps.gov/pinn/planyourvisit/directions.htm
Contact: Gil & Julie Feller, 247-6769,  giljulief@gmail.com
Santa Teresa Park Hike
Friday, April 23, 2010, 9:30 AM
In April we will go to nearby Santa Teresa County Park where, if we are lucky, we will be treated to some spectacular spring wildflowers. We will be hiking about 5-1/2 miles, with enough uphill trekking to get the blood pumping. At the highest point, we will be atop 1155-foot Coyote Peak. The trail is mostly out in the open with little shade, so be sure to bring your sunscreen. We will follow a loop route, taking a lunch break after about 4 miles at the Pueblo picnic area. The trail can be muddy, so we recommend that you wear hiking boots. There is a rest room at the picnic area.
We will meet at a parking area on Fortini Road at 9:30 AM. To get there, take Almaden Expressway south until it dead ends at Harry Road. Go right on Harry Road and then left on McKean Rd. About a mile or so you'll see the sign and left turn lane for Fortini Road. Take Fortini until it ends (at San Vincente) and go left. You'll see the dirt parking area almost immediately on your left.  Bring lunch and water. See you there!
Contact: Gil & Julie Feller, 247-6769,  giljulief@gmail.com
Uvas Canyon Hike
Friday, March 26, 10:00 AM
Our March hike takes us to lovely Uvas Canyon Park in the southern part of Santa Clara County. The park has some great waterfalls which should be spectacular with all the rain we have had this year. There are a couple of options for this hike. The first is an easy, mainly flat loop route of about 1-1/2 miles along the Waterfall Loop Trail, which follows Swanson Creek. At a trail junction at about ¾ mile, the Waterfall Loop goes back to our starting point. 
At the trail junction, those preferring a more difficult hike (translation – hilly!) can continue with the hike leader on the Contour and Alec Canyon trails.  Manzanita Point along the Alec Canyon trail offers a great view. Total distance is about 4.5 miles for the more difficult hike.
To get to the park, travel south on Almaden Expressway and turn right onto Harry Road. Almost immediately, turn left onto McKean Road.  McKean turns into Uvas Road after about 6 miles. Continue on Uvas for about 3.5 miles, and turn right onto Croy Road. Drive a little over 4 miles to the park entrance at the end of the road.  About 0.4 miles before the entrance you will pass through Sveadal, a Swedish vacation retreat.  Note that the speed limit is only 5 miles per hour on this narrow road. You’ll have time to look at the quaint little cottages where Swedish flags still fly and you are reminded to look out for the trolls!
We will meet at 10:00 AM at the day use parking area. After going through the entrance ($4 fee unless you have a county parks sticker) drive up the road a bit and look for the “day use parking” sign on the right side.  There are restrooms available near the lot. Bring lunch and water.
Contact: Gil & Julie Feller, 247-6769,  giljulief@gmail.com