Only a few days after my last day of work and the beginning of my retirement, I wanted to take advantage of my new freedom and go for a hike. It was a hot day, but I didn't want to let that stop me, so I headed for Sunol. On the freeway, I realized that I had only three dollars cash with me and I would need a $5 entrance fee plus a $2 dog fee to get into the park. I found a convenience store with an ATM in the town of Sunol, and then drove to the Regional Wilderness.
I quickly discovered one of the advantages of being retired and having weekdays free. This being a Thursday, the entrance kiosk was closed, so I got to keep my money, and the place was almost deserted, with only a couple of cars in the parking lot and no one around.
It had been a very long time since I had been up the Flag Hill Trail, so I decided to try it. Since it was hot ( probably mid-90's), I let Darby splash around in the creek a bit before starting up the hill. I expected it to be a steep climb, and I was right. I was using my usual approach to hills, which is to slow down to a barely moving pace, but even that was not enough, and I had to stop for several rests on the way. In spite of the heat and the hard work, it was a beautiful hillside, with old oaks, golden grass and a blue sky with puffy white clouds. As we climbed, the views got bigger until we could see much of the park below us.
Along the top of the hill there is a band of rocks and cliffs. I remember years ago there being a flag on a pole stuck in the rocks at the top, the origin of the name, Flag Hill. It is gone now. We found some shade in some oak trees near the top, and sat down to eat a sandwich. I often don't bother to take water on hikes, but I did this time, and Darby drank about half of it.
We followed the dirt road down to the barn area that they call High Valley Camp, and then down the Hayfield Road back to the car. The heat and the climbing had taken a lot out of us, and we were both quite happy to be back.
I quickly discovered one of the advantages of being retired and having weekdays free. This being a Thursday, the entrance kiosk was closed, so I got to keep my money, and the place was almost deserted, with only a couple of cars in the parking lot and no one around.
It had been a very long time since I had been up the Flag Hill Trail, so I decided to try it. Since it was hot ( probably mid-90's), I let Darby splash around in the creek a bit before starting up the hill. I expected it to be a steep climb, and I was right. I was using my usual approach to hills, which is to slow down to a barely moving pace, but even that was not enough, and I had to stop for several rests on the way. In spite of the heat and the hard work, it was a beautiful hillside, with old oaks, golden grass and a blue sky with puffy white clouds. As we climbed, the views got bigger until we could see much of the park below us.
Along the top of the hill there is a band of rocks and cliffs. I remember years ago there being a flag on a pole stuck in the rocks at the top, the origin of the name, Flag Hill. It is gone now. We found some shade in some oak trees near the top, and sat down to eat a sandwich. I often don't bother to take water on hikes, but I did this time, and Darby drank about half of it.
We followed the dirt road down to the barn area that they call High Valley Camp, and then down the Hayfield Road back to the car. The heat and the climbing had taken a lot out of us, and we were both quite happy to be back.
4.3 mi. -- 1650 ft. up and down
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