One Saturday afternoon I realized that I hadn't been out hiking in the local hills nearly as much as I used to. I decided to try to get back into it. Maureen and I had been out on the trails quite a lot with the horses, but it's not the same thing. Going out on foot, you can go at your own speed, stop anywhere you want, let your mind wander, and take photos of anything interesting along the way. That's not so easy to do on a horse. Besides, I was beginning to feel old. Even short walks around the neighborhood often tired me out. I wanted to see if I could at least get back in shape enough to do some of the trails that I used to do.
So I took Darby, my dog, and drove over to the southern park entrance at Mission Blvd. and Whipple Rd. in Union City. We started off up the dirt road that follows the north branch of Dry Creek. I was hoping to get some nice photos of autumn scenes with the big sycamores along the creek. It was too early for fall color -- the sycamores had only barely begun to give up their green leaves. I did try to take a couple of shots of the creek and the reflections in the water. Photos like that are usually difficult with Darby along. As soon as I point the camera at the water, he has to splash into the middle of it making everything muddy. I either have to shoot fast, or hold him back.
It was an easy, relaxing walk for the first mile or so, but then the trail heads up a little side canyon, and it soon becomes pretty steep. The day was warm, and I appreciated the shade of the woods, but it was still hard work. I was OK for a while as long as I kept a slow pace, but after climbing for a while, I finally needed to sit down and catch my breath. It was very quiet, and I enjoyed watching the sunlight filtering through the trees.
A little further up, I came out of the woods, crossed a grassy saddle, and headed down into another wooded canyon to complete a loop. It took about an hour and a half. I was little tired, but not bad, and I felt like maybe there was hope for me as a hiker yet.
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