INCH Hike: Maguire Peaks Loop

298. Maguire Peaks Loop (12/14/02)

Hikers (2): Cal, Steve
Distance: 11 miles
Rating: 3 difficulty, 8 beauty
Park info: Sunol Regional Wilderness in Sunol

Write-up by Cal

It was just Steve and I on this one, a new hike to the North part of Sunol Regional Wilderness. We did the INCH cheer and headed up the slippery trail.

Steve's magic anti-rain spell worked again. Right in the middle of two big storms, we hiked without hardly a raindrop. But the wind is another story: it must have been blowing about 60mph. There were times when the wind was blowing so hard we couldn't stay on the trail. We would have lean forward with all our body weight (like a football lineman) and push with all our force (including poles for me) just to move forward.

We did manage to snap a few pictures near the high point in the trail, which was also no small feat considering the wind. Both the photographer and the subject had to stand in a wide stance to keep steady.

Cal says, "Lucky I brought my poles!" Steve says, "This hike blows!"

For the last 1/4 of the hike we got rain...but not hard. It was a great hike. Just when we thought the two of us were the most daring hikers in the world being out in this weather, we ran across a group of hikers with a couple kids and a baby in a backpack carrier! We also ran into a few cows, which Steve still kept a serious eye on after what happened to Russ. As we would pass them, Steve would look back to make sure they were not sneaking up on us. You can never trust those stealthy cows.


Cal says, "Lucky I brought my poles!"	Steve says, "This hike blows!"