Mountains Beyond Mountains

I received a seemingly innocuous text from a friend on Saturday morning: "Let's go on a hike." We both had a free morning, and it was an unseasonably warm day, so why not? I figured we'd pick another trail in Portola Valley, or end up at the Stanford Dish. Fast forward to my arrival at her house, and she shuttles me into her car so we can drive up to Mission Peak. 

Mission Peak is one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area, and, along with Mount Diablo and Mount Tamalpais, is one of the three I've wanted to hike since moving to this area. I crossed Mount Diablo off this list last summer. 

I was extremely excited, insofar as I now had the opportunity to cross another hike off my list. I was, however, also extremely unprepared. A five-mile hike up through Portola Valley is vastly different than a 2200 ft elevation increase in about three miles. But my friend is awesome, and came prepared with popcorn (our hiking staple, for some reason) and clementines.

The preserve is extremely crowded on weekends, in general, and more so when the weather's nice. We ended up parking about a mile from the entrance to the Hidden Valley and Peak Meadow Trails (the two steeper ones, obviously). The extra walk and time is something to factor in for those Saturday and Sunday afternoon visits. 

Something else to factor in: The trails are mostly open; there is little-to-no shade provided along the way. Despite the crowds brought on by the sunshine, I think these are hikes that are probably more suited for an overcast or slightly cooler day. And so there we were, sweltering in the surprising February heat, averaging a height increase of about 700ft/mile. 

Totally worth it, though. For one thing, I accomplished a short-term goal. For another, I got to take advantage of winter sun and spend time with close friend. And finally, the views from the top are fantastic. The heat brought with it clarity in the skies, offering us views of everything from the Bay to the Santa Cruz mountains. That's something an overcast day could never offer. 

Next up: Mount Tam.