I was expecting the Quad Dipsea to be epic, but definitely not the way that it unfolded for me. I started off decent and did the double in 1:57:30 but never felt strong like usual. I don’t know exactly where to attribute the weakness. Maybe hitting the first flights of steps too hard. Maybe the…
Month: November 2008
Thanksgiving Hike
Serena and I did a nice Thanksgiving hike up Corte Madera Creek (Windy Hill Open Space Preserve) and down Coalmine Ridge (Portola Valley Ranch Park). We walked Hamms Gulch Trail, Eagle Trail, Alpine Road, Lake Trail, and Old Spanish Trail. Here are a couple nice photos from the walk. I was enjoying the peaceful setting…
Horseback Riding at Garrod Farms
I had a super fun time horseback riding with Serena at Garrod Farms and Fremont-Older Open Space Preserve last Sunday morning. Serena rode a dark brown horse named Tonto and I rode a brown horse named Kid. There were a total of seven horses in our group. The loop we rode included the Bay Tree…
Sanborn-Castle Rock-Saratoga Gap Loop
Another fantastic run in the Santa Cruz Mountains covering lots of ground in four parks – Sanborn County Park, Castle Rock State Park, Saratoga Gap Open Space, and Long Ridge Open Space. This 23-23.5 mile loop took the base 12-12.5 mile loop I scoped out last time and made some great additions. The first addition…
Ridge Trail Service Day – Sweeney Ridge
On Saturday I participated in the Ridge Trail Service Day sponsored by REI to celebrate the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council’s 20th anniversary. There were 11 locations around the Bay in which over 400 volunteers helped improve and maintain the trails. I volunteered on Sweeney Ridge (Golden Gate National Recreation Area) in San Mateo county,…
Pescadero Super Loop
Pescadero Creek Park, together Sam MacDonald Park and Memorial Park, form the Pescadero Complex of county parks in the central Santa Cruz Mountains. The scenery is gorgeous and varied, including lush redwood forest, ridge vistas, grassy meadows, and stream crossings. In addition, there were two sections of old growth, one along Canyon Trail, and the…
Little Basin and Big Basin Loop
Big Basin is always a favorite spot to run and this time I joined Gary Gellin, Will Gotthardt, and Ryan Commons for some exploration of new trails within Big Basin and also neighboring Little Basin. In the process we ascended two high points in the area, Buzzard’s Roost and Eagle Rock, both offering super views…
Windy Hill Loop
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve has one of my favorite loops. Beginning in Portola Valley and rising to Skyline Blvd, the route has a great mix of singletrack, forest, meadows, streams, and views. The run begins at the main parking area for Windy Hill. I usually take the fireroad on the way in and the…
Stinson Beach 25k
I ran the 18th Annual Stinson Beach 25k yesterday by Enviro-Sports. The course contains the best collection of single track in Mount Tamalpais State Park and Muir Woods National Monument. Aside from the first mile on the Dipsea Trail, I have never run most of these trails so there was something new around every corner. …
Leor Pantilat's Adventures