I
decided to make it out to the Sunol Regional Wilderness while it was
all green and blooming for once. It seems that in years past I usually
miss it. I was talking to a range on possible options on sites and she
informed me of a new backpacking camp they opened called Eagle Springs.
It is on the backside of Mission Peak so I decided to give it a shot.
This picture is from the very start of the trail.
Start
hiking from the Equestrian area through a cattle grate marked Ohlone
Wilderness Trail. The trail starts along the fence to the left and then
goes up the hill. The first trail marker you pass is pretty blank excpet
for Ohlone trail badge.
The
flowers were amazing. I took nearly 100 pictures on this trip and whittling
that down to 21 to put on this site was hard to do.
Veer right and go by a seasonal pond. It feels like you are headed the
wrong way briefly but another trail marker is coming up.near a big rock.
Here
is another shot of pictures after you start going uphill again. The
trail parallels the road and then crosses it through some cattle gates.
The trail is easy to follow even this time of year when some parts are
a little overgrown. Ticks can be prevalent in this area so be prepared
for that possiblity.
When
you come up to a dirt/gravel road take a right at trail marker #11 of
the Ohlone Regional Wilderness Trail. The trail winds around past gate
for private residences (that would be nice wouldn't it? Who do you have
to know.) Stay on the fire road. Trail is pretty shaded through this
section until it really opens up. This pciture is of a seasonal creek
along the way.
There
are a lot of spots to take pictures along the way so take your time
and take it all in.
This
shot was on my desktop for a while. The true beauty of this scene wasn't
really captured but you get the idea.
Look
back occasionally to see the views of Mount Diablo. They only get better
as you are hiking to camp.
Here
the trail really opens up. The green "hill" in the middle
is the backside of Mission Peak. Eagle Springs camp is below it on the
left. still a mile or more away.
Here
is the view from site #4. Everything was really overgrown with grass.
The grass was up to the benches of the picnic table here. There is a
fence around the whole area to keep the cows out. One was trying to
break in later in the day by using its backside to push open the handle.
Here
is my one man tent. It is pretty light but not too light to handle the
elements. I have been up to Santa Cruz in the rain with it and it did
pretty good. No leaks.
I
decided to take a day hike up to Mission Peak since I was almost there
already. Here is the view on the way up.
Nearing
the final stretch I took this picture. The cows and I were buzzed by
a private single seat jet on the way to this spot. The cows didn't really
ewnjoy it as much as I did.
Here
is the final final stretch to the peak. Good view but man is it windy
up there. Of course it was pretty hazy so the view was not as good as
I had hoped.
Here
is the site under the big oak tree. It looks a little dangerous from
this angle.
I
took some shots from camp as the sun was gong down . Here they are.
Almost down.
This is 680 as it curves through the valley.
In the morning all of the freeway was gone. Covered by fog as it should be this time of year.
I am glad I decided to take the ranger up on trying this site out. Besides being a little windy since you are so close to the ridge and Mission Peak I would have nothing bad to say about it. The cows are very willing to come in and wreck this site so if you do travel out this way make sure to keep that gate closed.