Borel Hill
Hike Review:
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve is so nice that night hiking was not an issue. I didn’t even half trip on any uneven ground.
There was no one else in the preserve, although I heard lots of voices from the Silicon Valley Vista Point, which is located right across the street from the preserve.
Borel Hill is only 1/2 a mile from the trailhead, making this an easy hike.
Along the hike, there was a constant rustling sound from the dried grass, with owls, scurrying of small animals, and other noises mixed in.
The trail was hard packed dirt. Perfect.
What I Learned:
Night hiking is really easy when there’s a full moon. I brought my headlamp, but barely used it.
I totally forgot that my 35mm f/1.4 lens produces swirly light artifacts on the corners at f/1.4. I should have stopped down to f/2.8 or more. I also forgot my 16mm lens at home.
Media Consumed:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr—Finished!
What Happened?
1.2 miles, 46 mins, 232 ft of ascent
I saw that it was a full moon night, so I audibled and found a nice night hike to Borel Hill. The drive was a bit curvy, but I drove slower than usual, so it wasn’t an issue.
Once I got to the trailhead, I crossed the street to look at the view from the vista point. I then started the hike to Borel Hill.
At first, I was a little scared of the dark, but I did better than expected, with my heart rate remaining low and really truly believing that I had nothing to fear from the dark. Still, I didn’t put on my earphones... just in case.
I made it to the top of Borel Hill in no time and spent a bit of time just taking pictures. After about 10 minutes at the top, I headed back down, and the whole hike was a no-drama affair.