Summit Rock
Hike Review
We volunteered to clean up Summit Rock, so we hiked there from the Indian Rock parking area.
The hike was really nice in that it was almost fully shaded, the single to double track dirt path was pretty dusty though.
I do recommend parking closer to Summit Rock by parking north of Castle Rock State Park (we parked at Indian Rock as we were sent bad instructions).
There were no insects and there was almost no one on the trail in the morning. In the afternoon, there were a few hikers (two of whom were Denise and John!).
What I Learned
Summit Rock has shattered glass all around it as partiers like to launch glass bottles against or over Summit Rock.
The rock itself is a beautifully sculpted masterpiece... alas, I don’t think getting cut is worth it.
What Happened?
4.0 miles, 4 hrs 30 mins, 925 ft
The girls have been asking for opportunities to volunteer, so when Marina posted the Bay Area Climbers Coalition’s (BACC) clean up meet at Summit Rock, I signed all three of us up (after making sure that kids were allowed). The information that was sent out by the BACC seemed to state that we should meet up at Indian Rock at 9am, but we arrived at 9:05am. Seeing no one, we thought we were late and fast-walked to Summit Rock, where we were greeted by one of the organizers who relayed to us that we were the first ones there and that we could start by picking up glass on the west/top side of the rock.
After picking up glass for about 30 minutes, the main organizer came, had me sign a waiver for myself and the girls, then started us cleaning the climber’s trail to the west side of the rock. Once we cleared the trail, the girls and I then spent the next two hours and change picking up glass, glass, and more glass.
As the clock approached 1pm, we cleaned up and hiked to the organizer’s van as we needed to clean up all the equipment he had brought. The girls were then each given a BACC shirt. A raffle then ensued where I didn’t really want anything, but Annabelle had her eye on a chalk bag. Unfortunately, right before our number was called, someone else snatched the chalk bag. The kind stranger then overheard me talking to Annabelle and gifted the chalk bag to her. He was such a sweet guy, but then again, that’s probably the reason why he was volunteering with us. It was all smiles as we started the 1.5 mile hike back to the car. At the end, well, Annabelle was definitely tired, Kaylee was hungry, and I was hot. A good deed deserves one in return, so the girls got to eat out at a restaurant of their choice (sushi!) and snacks of their choice (decaf boba!). It was a good day.