So the original plan for this Saturday was for Marshall and I to join our friend Darrel and a couple of his buddies for a hike north of Mt. Tamalpais.  Due to the recent heavy rains, that trip was canceled (hopefully just postponed cause it sounds like a lot of fun).

Thankfully one of the girls I’ve hiked and backpacked with before scheduled a 20 mile hike from Del Valle (perfect) to Sunol so I was still able to get out of the house and get some exercise.  Sweet!  Thank you Rachel.  =)

The plan was to have half the group start at Del Valle and the other from Sunol.  We’d meet half-way through and then do a key exchange and have all cars meet near the 680/84 interchange.  I wasn’t sure who would be coming to meet me at the Del Valle Ohlone Wilderness Trail trailhead and was happy to see it was Rachel with her sister and a new girl from Stanford.  After introductions we hit the trail.

Rachel, Lauren and Rachel's sister Sarah

About 1/4 of the way through the hike and tons of steep uphill climbs (one section is called the “Big Burn”) we reached Murietta Falls.  Because of all the recent rainfall the waterfall was probably at peak flow and was absolutely beautiful.

We almost missed the trail down to the falls. Fortuntaly some other hikers directed us to the unmarked path. It was totally worth the steep hike down (and then back up) the hill. =)

I love the fact that there is such beautiful scenery and hiking experiences to be had so close to home.  Awesome.  =)

We hiked for another several hours and then finally met up with the guys.  We chatted briefly, took a few pictures including a group photo that didn’t come out so great (my camera kinda sucks sometimes), exchanged keys and then had to keep moving.  We still had a lot of distance to cover.  Next stop, Rose Peak!   =)

Me, Lauren, Sarah and Rachel (A.K.A. "The Girls")

Lothar, Brooks and Steven (A.K.A. "The Guys")

Let me take the opportunity to mention that this was an incredibly challenging and exhausting trip which made it that much more rewarding.  Thankfully I was hiking with some really cool people so it was also a lot of fun.  =)

We got to Rose Peak around 3 (I believe) and had more dark chocolate M&Ms, trail mix, apples and oranges.  I also made sure to add a rock to the “Rock Registry” at the peak before heading back down.  This is the second rock I’ve been able to add to the pile and I’ll keep on adding more as long as there are more hikes scheduled to that location.  =)

Adding a rock to the top of the pile on Rose Peak. Call it the hiker's version of a guestbook. =)

At this point we were pretty much home free.  There were still about 9 miles between us and the car parked at the bottom however we had already done the majority of the uphill part so it only took us about 3 hours to do the remainder of the hike.  I know, total cake right? 

We were nearing the end of the trail when Lauren suddenly stopped to point out a California Newt that was walking quite deliberately along the trail.  A newt!!

Aw, I finally got to see a California Newt on the trail. So cute. =)

I was really excited to see this little guy, at the same time I was kind of bummed that I hadn’t spotted him first.  I mean even though it was awesome to finally see a newt on the trail, technically I didn’t find him, someone else did.  Not to worry though, after hiking a bit further I found two other newts so I finally fulfilled my quest to find a sallymander/newt on one of my hikes.  =)

So that was our trip.  All in all it was pretty awesome.  I’m thoroughly exhausted now but in a good way.  Can’t wait until the next one and hopefully my buddy Mike will be able to make it out on that one.  =)

For all pictures from the trip, check out my Picasa album.  Until next time…