WEEKLY
WALKER
By Tom Davids
Camp Ohlone
Trail
Sunol Regional Wilderness
"I like to walk about amidst the beautiful things that adorn the world." George Santayana
Directions: From the Peninsula, take the Dumbarton
Bridge to Fremont. Drive north on Highway 680 to Calaveras Road. Turn right on
Calaveras to Geary Road and continue to the park.
Grade: Easy along Camp Ohlone Trail. Moderate
to steep on intersecting trails.
Distance: Six miles round trip to the Sunol
backpack area and the park boundary and back.
Time: Three hours.
Special Conditions: There is a day use fee for parking and
dogs. Dogs may be off leash in open space areas. Toilet facilities at
trailhead, along trail and at the back pack area. Drinking water at trailhead
and backpack area. Park is managed by the East Bay Regional Park District,
(510-635-0135.
When we lived in Alameda during the 1960s and ‘70s, we got to know and enjoy the many park areas operated by the East Bay Regional Park District. A brochure published in 1990 lists 61 unique areas from shorelines to remote wilderness areas to regional trails and recreation areas. All of these offer an amazing variety of outdoor experiences, but none quite as unique and remote as the 6,000-acre Sunol Regional Wilderness.
During the summer months, this is one hot place. But in the spring, the hillsides are covered with green grass and wildflowers such as California poppies, mustard, and lupines. Alameda Creek, which parallels Camp Ohlone Trail, is still running high from recent winter rains as it tumbles through the scenic gorge known as Little Yosemite.
We—my grandsons Sam and Ben and I—visited the Sunol Regional Wilderness a few weeks ago, mostly ready and somewhat anxious to begin our first overnight backpack trip of the year. Actually, that’s a bit of an overstatement. For Sam, 9 years old, this would be his second overnight backpack, the first being to Frog Lake in the Henry W. Coe State Park last fall. And for Ben, 7 years old, this would be his first backpack experience.
Our hike started at the parking lot past the entrance station at the end of Geary Road. Proceed past the gate along Camp Ohlone Road and over an old bridge crossing Alameda Creek. Notice the side road, which allows vehicles to ford the creek. This vehicle route is used by equestrians pulling trailers and by authorized vehicles heading to Camp Ohlone. Continue along this mostly level ranch road, past McCorkle Trail and through a second gate and a livestock barrier. During the last century, Sunol Wilderness was used as ranch land, and under the Regional Parks’ multi-use policy, cattle continue to graze throughout the area.
You will notice a single track trail between the ranch road and the creek. There are many points at which you can reach the creek; however, the parallel trail is not a continuous path, and you will be forced back to the ranch road from time to time. After one mile, the road intersects with Cerro Este Road. If you turn left here and left again on Canyon View Trail, you will return to the trailhead at a higher elevation over grassland, through some oak woodland past weathered serpentine and sandstone outcrops. There is a pit toilet at this intersection. This is also the area of Little Yosemite, a popular spot for day hikers to lounge in the great boulders and enjoy the turbulent Alameda Creek. This area is open to the public through a lease agreement with the San Francisco Water Department. Note that swimming is not allowed in Alameda Creek in this area.
We continued our backpack trip for another mile to Back Pack Road. Along the way we passed the junction with “W” Tree Rock Scramble Trail. This trail is named for an interesting tree shaped like a “W” at the junction.
We had hiked about two miles, and my young comrades, who were carrying backpacks filled with priceless possessions and a sleeping bag, were beginning to show signs of fatigue. Turning up Back Pack Road with a rather stiff elevation gain was a reality check on how some trails are steeper than others. I assured them that we had only a mile to go and we would be at a great camp with a great supper of hot soup, macaroni, and freeze-dried sweet and sour shrimp. Sam picked up the pace, but Ben entered into a long dialog about where are we on the map and where is the camp and how far have we come and how far must we go and is it all uphill and WHY? Always, “Why/”
The next .58 miles lifted us out of the riverbed and onto the hillsides above. With good views on each side, we marched up the hillside to the intersection with Ohlone Wilderness Trail, turned right through a cattle gate, and continued up another half mile to Sycamore Camp, our stop for the night.
After dropping their packs, Sam and Ben were ready to eat. I’ve discovered that boys their age don’t eat a lot, but they eat often. One morsel down, and 10 minutes later, it’s, “Grandpa, I’m hungry.” So I started with granola bars before we went to draw water vfor our dehydrated food supply.
Then out came the food and the stove, when I realized that my gas bottle which was missing. I searched through the pack, and then it came to me—the gas was in the car, and the car was thrdd miles away, and it was getting dark. So I put on my happy face and said, “Guess what?”
The boys said, “Oh no, bummer!” It occurred to me that this could be a lesson in self-denial. Cold food for w24 hours never hurt anyone. We took stock: four granola bars, six cookies from Mom, and one packet of dried milk and granola for two. I figured that the granola wouldn’t be a big hit for supper, and it wasn’t. I ate the leftovers and thought it acceptable.
We pitched the two-man tent on a 5-percent slope, lit the candle lantern, crawled in, and played two games of “War.” Why is it that when I have only three cards left, I win the next four hands, and the game goes on and on and on. I hate this game, but Sam and Ben are having great fun capturing my face cards and joker. Eventually the clock takes its toll, and deep sleep comes to the youth. Personally, the 5-percent slope gave me a less than perfect sleep platform, and I spent my night trying to stay connected to my pillow.
The next morning we rose at seven, took stock of our remaining food, enjoyed one granola bar apiece, packed up, and left camp an hour later. On the way back, we retraced our steps and stopped for awhile along Alameda Creek doing “boy” things—building dams and islands in the creek, throwing skippers, looking for the perfect rocks to bring home, and dreaming about Big Macs for lunch. An hour time later, we were back at the trailhead feeling good about our adventure and talking about the next trip. Maybe eight miles round trip, but not too steep, please.