The Stanford Dish Trail
Hike Review:
The trails are clean, well laid out, and relatively empty... that last bit was because the hike started before sunrise.
The parking lot was half-full an hour before sunrise.
There’s no shade on the trail, but it wasn’t an issue due to the time.
The loop I walked was fully paved.
What I Learned:
I keep learning this lesson over and over again, but going hiking before sunrise is a great way to enjoy the outdoors without too many other people being around.
This trail is famous for its wildlife as people regularly see coyote, turkeys, deer, etc. I brought my heavy wildlife lens and did not see a single one.
What Happened?
3.2 miles, 55 mins, 431 ft of ascent
I’ve hiked this trail about 10 years ago, and never returned because how busy it was. Fortunately, I found out that a fellow hiker at my company would be hiking this trail for the sunrise, so I joined him.
I met him right next to the parking lot on Foothill and Stanford Ave and we started our hike in the dark. I brought my headlamp but we didn’t need it due to light pollution and the moon being out.
Andrew is a seasoned hiker and he hikes at a much quicker pace than me, so I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up, but I did. By the end of it, I was almost comfortable with his pace. I think hiking with Andrew may help me get used to hiking faster.
Anyways, the hike ended far sooner than I thought it would because Andrew was great at telling me his life stories. At the end we stopped to appreciate the sunrise. I really enjoyed this hike and I hope there will be more hiking trips with Andrew.
