Invitation to join casual hiking (at night too) group in San Jose area.

Invitation to join casual hiking group in San Jose area.

If anyone is interested I go hiking with some former co-workers, and we tend to finish up coming back in the dark. We hike in the San Jose and Santa Cruz mountain areas. The age group currently ranges from 38 to 60 and many are light rail and bus operators at VTA. We have been gradually growing in size since two of us started doing this last November.

We average 5 miles of walking a hike although we've done a few 12+ mile hikes. Most of the group wear the River Rock or other brand headlamps and carry various backup lights. Wearing a hydration pack and having a lunch is almost essential, and everyone now carries an FRS in the event of separation.

We usually meet on Tuesdays or Wednesdays and we mainly go to county and state parks. Last hike was exploring the old mining community of Almaden/Quicksilver Park with ghost towns and mine shafts. On a previous hike I've located many of the train tunnel portals built in 1880 that run through the Santa Cruz Mountains.

One of the next hikes in December will be the Fall Creek Unit of Henry Cowell State Park. It's a flashaholics dream with lush creeks, redwoods, lime kilns, historic ruins, geocaches, etc. If anyone is interested in joining us, please let me know and I'll keep you informed. It's a lot of fun and a little exercise too.

I'm in if I have the time when you give word of the next hike schedule

CromagNet said:

I'm in if I have the time when you give word of the next hike schedule

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Welcome! I'll keep you informed of our next hike in December. We usually got together more often but some of us are away at the moment.


Here are some pics of previous hikes. Please pardon my cheapo digital camera.


North train tunnel portal at ghost town of Wrights near the Lexington Reservoir. This tunnel was a mile long at goes under the Santa Cruz Mtn. Summit.


South portal (open for 700 feet until you reach the spot where it was dynamited shut in 1942).


View from inside with small hiker wearing Garrity Fun-tastic LED markers.


San Cristobal Mine Shaft entrance in Almaden/Quicksilver Park.


Night view of San Jose from Almaden/Quicksilver.


Berry Creek Falls in Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

Ok, next hike will be either Monday Dec. 12th or Tuesday Dec. 13th. I'll know soon which day and PM/email those that expressed an interest in joining the group. I do know we'll be hiking in the Fall Creek Unit of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Meeting time at yet to be determained carpool location is usually around 2 pm; return time is about 8 pm. It's a 50/50 mix of daylight and darkness.

A useful link: http://www.bahiker.com/southbayhikes/fallcreek.html

Last time I was at Henry Cowell I encountered these reenactors:

COOL! a long "dark" tunnel!

I got a call to join a hike at the last minute to the top of Mission Peak in Fremont. Sorry I didn't have time to spread the word. It was a 6.6 mile roundtrip (including a 1/2 mile navigation error) with an elevation gain of 2163 feet. We reached the extremely wind blown summit an hour after sunset (see pic) and navigated down with a caravan of flashlights.

I did pin down a date and time for the next hike to the Fall Creek Unit in Felton; it will be Monday, Dec. 12th. Gathering to take place at the Almaden light rail station near Blossom Hill Road in San Jose at 1 pm. I will be PM/emailing those that expressed an interest. Others who are interested feel free to post here or PM me.

Pole at summit of Mission Peak, Fremont, overlooking the south bay area. (My digital camera hates darkness)

Nice pictures LowBat!

Hey I work painting the LRV platform. Don't know if you're one of the drivers for the Kinki Shariyo but if you are, chances are you've seen us/me painting or flagmanning.

So next week Monday is the hike eh? I'll have to check to see if I can make it. By the way, are those Trekkies in the woods? Just curious that's all. . .

CHC said:

Nice pictures LowBat!

Hey I work painting the LRV platform. Don't know if you're one of the drivers for the Kinki Shariyo but if you are, chances are you've seen us/me painting or flagmanning.

So next week Monday is the hike eh? I'll have to check to see if I can make it. By the way, are those Trekkies in the woods? Just curious that's all. . .

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I was an S unit on swing shift so I may not have met you. Most of the hikers are LRV operators and you may know some of them.

If you can make it Monday remember to take a flashlight; and most of us wear the small backpacks with built-in hydration bladders and take a small lunch.

The group in the picture (www.pinkfive.com) were making their own version of "Return of the Jedi". The Henry Cowell Redwoods closely resemble the ewok forest which was filmed near Crescent City, CA.

Hope to see you Monday CHC if you can make it.

Larry

Hello Larry!

Thanks for the invite. I'll try to see if I can make it with you guys. I have a CamelBak Rim Runner that needs to have its bladder exercised too!

Hoping to join ya'll!

Sorry that I can't make it for the hike Larry. I remembered that I have a memorial to attend.

Maybe on the next go 'round. Thanks for the invite!

CHC said:

Sorry that I can't make it for the hike Larry. I remembered that I have a memorial to attend.

Maybe on the next go 'round. Thanks for the invite!

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No problem, I'll keep you posted. CromagNet came out and filled his backpack with about a dozen flashlights of assorted makes, sizes, and mods. We hiked about two hours in daylight and then spent two hours lighting up the forest. I definitely have no night vision when so many flashlights are running. It was sort of fun having so much overkill.

Not yet sure where next weeks hike will be. There is talk of the Pinnacles down south and exploring the Bear Gulch cave http://www.nps.gov/pinn/visit/bgstatus.htm. Note they don't want lights shined at the bats. I'm thinking this might be a trip better done in January. There is a somewhat new park we also may want to explore: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/13309514.htm

Wherever we end up going, the invitation is open to those here on CPF. I think more CPFer's need to get out with their lights; the backyard just isn't the same as a trail through a dark forest where you can really appreciate what your flashlight can do.

Yes, the backyard really isn't the same as actually using the lights to navigate a dense forest and exploring the darkness with piercing Alephs.

Here's a link to my Night-Hike Mini Light-Performace Review

Let's do it again soon

Thanks and I agree with what the statement of the backyard isn't the "best" place to see how the flashlight perform. The outdoors is an excellent place among many other places.

I've been to the Pinnacles right off Airline Highway, and to that short jaunt of a cave to the upper lake.

I'll check back here often.

In my night hikes I think the best one for flashlights was the Forest of Nisene Marks in Santa Cruz. There is a trail that follows a century old railroad line through not-to-dense trees (due to extensive logging, that's what the train was for) and some interesting terrain features. Powerful lights can project through the trees for some distance. If enough local CPFer's express an interest I'll arrange a special night hike to this park.

There you go! Now let's see what those HIDs and Mod.Mags can do! ! !

Oh and Hey Yes! And them HeeedLampers too!

Got the pictures up now

That's Ron on the left, Jorge on the right and (Lowbat) Larry peeking behind yours truly.

Here's the type of terrain we were navigating under darkness.

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Whoa! What a terrain to traverse in the dark eh? I tink you need da kine lights ya? I'm guessing, besides a multiplicity of lights, long-running flashlights would be in order if it'll take a couple of hours in the dark. Not to mention spares!

Great pictures on this thread!

If you notice in the pic we all carry FRS radios. The rule of thumb is to keep them off to preserve batteries until one or more hikers are out of sight. Becoming seperated is not uncommon for any sized group and communication is a must. On this hike we had two wrong turns that were resolved by radio. The first being the last guy on the trail took a wrong turn and we noticed he wasn't at the rear anymore. When he radioed he wasn't near the creek anymore we know he was off course and asked him to retrace his steps to the creek and pickup the correct trail again. Within minutes he rejoined the group where otherwise we would have lost him. The second snafu is when we all stopped to test lights, and later two of us started out up the S-cape trail. The remaining three soon headed out but didn't see the direction sign and went the wrong way. I could see the powerful lights way behind me and I assumed they were following me. Soon the lights behind me were gone. I wasn't able to make radio contact. The solution was to bump up the FRS power to 2 watts and then the others heard me. It must have taken ten minutes of both groups walking towards each other before we made contact.

With the downpour we've seen as of late, looks like a Monday evening hike is going to be quite muddy—wouldn't you say? Don't want to have any mud obstructing light emission from our flashlights. But then again, that's one way to test the natural "environmental impact" on our particular flashlights other than just around the house, shop, parking lot, shopping malls, etc. . .

Sometimes we hike every week, sometimes we skip a week or two. Yes the mud is an issue; I did a night hike (different group) in Las Trampas Regional Wilderness in Alamo last Monday and we were sliding both up and coming back down the trail. I took only the Fenix L1P and found it to be an excellent trail light. I changed out the NiMH cell once on the return trip.

Nothing is planned for this Monday, plus I have to work. Looks like 2006 for the next outing, I'll post when it gets planned.