4-16-13 Cull Canyon

Another good day for a hike. Maureen and Cherry were going to spend the afternoon with the horses, so I decided to do some hiking. After hiking into the EBMUD Watershed to Dinosaur Ridge, I wanted to do more of that section of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. I thought I could start at Cull Canyon and hike the other direction to Dinosaur Ridge. As usual, my plan was way too ambitious, but I was able to do about half of it. Since Darby is still limping a bit and probably wouldn't benefit from a long hike, and I was hoping to get into EBMUD Watershed land where dogs aren't allowed, I left him at home.



Yesterday afternoon was extremely windy, and it was still cool and windy today, but not nearly as bad. I parked at Cull Canyon Lake and looked around for the trail. It was a deja vu moment -- 30 years ago or so I remember doing the same search for the trail, but I had forgotten the result, so I had to do it again. The trick is to follow the outside of the stone wall on the north side of the creek crossing. The trail goes high along the steep west bank of the creek, in bay trees and ferns. After a while it crosses to the east side, and at this point it used to go along side of a pasture with llamas, but now it is just an empty field. After another half mile or so, the trail begins to switchback up the west side of the canyon and it is quite a long, hard climb. Even walking slow, I had to stop a few times to catch my breath. I felt quite uncomfortable, but after a couple minutes rest I felt like I could go on. When I saw houses up ahead not far away, I thought I was almost there. Years ago I remember the trail coming out to the street near this point. But then the trail heads down along the side of the ridge again and goes another half mile or so before coming out again at the top of the ridge. At this point the street at the end of the housing development is only a gate away, and the trail continues through another gate into a horse pasture. On the street-side gate, there is a sign "no trail access". This also appears on the Bay Area Ridge Trail map at this point. I guess local residents don't want anyone parking there to enter the trail, but I don't see how it would be a problem -- the street is wide enough for parking, and I doubt that many people would use it anyway.

By this point I had had enough. I couldn't face the prospect of going back the way I had come over all those ups and downs, so I squeezed around the gate and walked out to the street. It seemed like kind of a lame way to finish the hike, but I was tired and I didn't care. So I walked to the left down the street to Columbia Drive and followed it all the way back.

I was fine for a couple of blocks, but then my nose was running and I wiped it and it was blood. I had been having nose bleeds now and then for the last year or so, but it seemed like a minor annoyance. Anyway, I found a little park, I lay down on a bench until it stopped. I continued down feeling very self conscious because I imagined blood all over my face, but when I got back to the car, I saw that it wasn't bad.

A few days later, I found that my nosebleeds were more than a minor complaint. Feeling uncomfortable, much like I did on my hike, I checked my blood pressure and found it was dangerously high. I went to the doctor the next day, and began working to get my blood pressure under control.

4.8 mi. - 1200 ft.