Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve
Hike Review:
The parking lot is small, but there is overflow parking in a separate lot.
There is a bathroom at the parking lot, though I didn’t see any trash bins.
I did not have reception at the trailhead, but I did have strong 5G signal on Verizon on the ridges.
I hiked the Mayfair Ranch Trail, Bald Peaks Trail, Catamount Trail, and the Longwall Canyon Trail.
The Mayfair Ranch Trail was a beautifully shaded trail with beautiful Oak trees and fields of grass at the top of the ridge. I would estimate 90% shade. The trail was wider than most single tracks, but narrower than a double track.
Bald Peaks Trail was a beautiful trail too. It meanders its way up to the peak, but when it does, it dumps you out to a stunning vista that lets you see all the way from downtown San Jose to Morgan Hill.
Catamount Trail was the an okay trail that had the misfortune of being bundled with three wonderful trails. Its a fully double track trail that’s a fire road. It’s really steep in parts and has not a lot of shade.
Longwall Canyon Trail is a pretty trail that takes you back to the parking lot. It’s wide, flat, and pretty. The only downside is that because it’s at the bottom of a canyon, it can get windy; which isn’t so bad, but with all the pollen, it definitely made my eyes water.
Fears Faced:
Am I strong enough to do back-to-back demanding physical days without injuring myself?—Yes I am! Not only did I hike today, but I averaged one of the fastest (if not the fastest to date) moving speeds while hiking w/significant elevation gain.
Media Consumed:
The Second Mountain
What Happened?
8.1 miles, 3 hr 3 mins, 1791 ft of ascent
I woke up with much less body pain than I was expecting. I felt a bit of a strain on my left achilles’ and a tiny bit of fatigue above my right knee. Given that I had completed one of my top goals for 2022 the day before, I was happily surprised. So, since I didn’t think a hike would hurt me further, I decided to go on a hike to somewhere close to home.
I picked Rancho Cañada del Oro believing that I had never been there before, but as I drive into the park, I realized that I had been there at least once before. The memories didn’t flood back into my head though, it was a hazy memory where I could remember one photo I took, but that was it.
I felt really good on the hike. Even though I expected myself to be tired, I wasn’t, and I felt like I was gliding through the mountain. One thing that did slow me down was that by the end of the hike, I could feel my allergies starting to affect me, which meant sneezes and watery eyes.
When I finished, I was giddy with joy, because I felt strong... and also because I had promised myself a bowl of pho if I completed this hike.
