WEEKLY

                                          

                                     By Tom Davids                   

Lose Yourself on the Lost Trail

Windy Hill Open Space Preserve

"When Nero advertised for a new luxury, a walk in the woods should have been offered."   Ralph Waldo Emerson

Directions: On Skyline Boulevard, two miles south of Highway 84 (La Honda Road).

Grade: Easy. Gain/loss of 200 feet.

Distance: 5 miles round trip.

Time:        Two to three hours.

Special Conditions: Dogs on leash are allowed on some trails at Windy Hill, but not on Lost Trail. Nor are bicycles allowed. No problem with poison oak if you stay on the trail. Picnic tables are located at the parking area on Skyline Boulevard. No water or restrooms. This preserve is under the jurisdiction of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), (415) 691-1200.

            Windy Hill is a name well earned. The two bald knobs that rise up on the east side of Skyline Boulevard are typically ideal for kite-flying. Soaring, hang-gliding, para-gliding, and non-monitored model gliders are also allowed with a special permit from the MROSD. Views from the knobs are outstanding on a clear day, with Stanford University and the South Bay at your feet and Mount Hamilton, Mission Peak, Mount Diablo, and the greater East Bay beyond. Within the preserve is the Razorback Ridge Trail, another great name descriptive of a trail with some 20 switchbacks over a 2.3-mile trail with an altitude change of 1,000 feet. Then there is the Hamms Gulch Trail, which carries the name of some early landholder or rancher in this area. The Anniversary Trail was built to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the purchase of Windy Hill.

            And then there is the subject of this week's walk- the Lost Trail. There's something about the name--Lost Trail--that signifies detachment, a place to escape to, a place where you can lose yourself for a few hours. Lost Trail offers panoramic views from the central Peninsula, the South Bay, and north along the East Bay hills; some of the largest Douglas fir trees we have seen; an abundance of tanbark oak, frequent seasonal streams, wildflowers, and a rusty wheelbarrow chained to a tree. It is an ideal getaway for your out-of-town guests.

            This hike begins at the parking lot picnic area on the east side of Skyline Boulevard, two miles south of Alpine Road (Skylonda). Walk through the picnic area and turn right on Lost Trail. The first quarter-mile is over grassland with uninterrupted panoramic views. A sturdy seating structure, "Bob's Bench," welcomes you to sit and enjoy the view, but you may prefer to finish your hike first. On your way to the first trail junction (Hamms Gulch Trail), you will pass two fine stands of Douglas fir--a prelude of things to come. At 0.4 miles you will pass the intersection with Hamms Gulch Trail. Stay on Lost Trail and continue 0.2 miles to an intersection with an old dirt road that provides access from Skyline Boulevard. Continue across the road and contour back into a canyon. Notice the private estate visible downhill in Jones Gulch. After a short, steep descent, you will enter a mixed forest of fir, madrone, bay, and oak trees that will provide a shady canopy for the next 1.5 miles. after a short distance you will pass the rusty wheelbarrow chained to a tree, a symbol of how we used to keep the farm roads clear.

            The remainder of Lost Trail meanders in and out of ravines along an old, almost level cart road. From time to time you will pass a very large Douglas fir tree, reminiscent of the fir and redwood trees that covered this area 150 years ago. Most of the trees you see today are second growth, their predecessors having provided wood for building activity up and down the Peninsula many years ago. Eventually you will pass a water trough for horses (remember, no dogs allowed), and then the trail junction with Razorback Ridge Trail.

            Time to turn around, unless you're up to the 5.5-mile loop, which drops down 1,000 feet on Razorback Ridge Trail to Alpine Road (Eagle Trail), then returns on Hamms Gulch Trail. Pick up a trail map at the trail head for a complete description.

            But Lost Trail is one of those great walks when you don't mind retracing your steps. You will see different trees, shrubs, and flowers, and the wonderful views are always changing.