INCH Hike: Windy Hill Loop

3. Windy Hill Loop (06/08/96)

Hikers (3): Peter, Russ, Steve
Distance: 8 miles
Rating: 3 difficulty, 8 beauty
Park info: Windy Hill Open Space Preserve in Portola Valley

Write-up by Peter

We decided it was time to move up a notch to Level 3. I even bought a pair of hiking boots for the occasion! Taylor sat this one out, so it was just the boys. Once again, we went to Togo's on Lawrence to pick up lunch. The big dude again asked us if we were going to Great America, and we again told him we were going hiking. He just shook his head and made the sandwiches in silence ... very strange.

Windy Hill is correctly named .... the little rental Geo was blowing all over the road (or maybe that was just Esteban's bad driving). When we got there it was pretty sunny, so the first order of business was to slap on some sunscreen. A fat guy sitting across the road in a T-bird with the windows rolled up seemed to be enjoying the show ... very strange.

The hike started at the top of the hill and went pretty much straight down into the valley. At the bottom, we sat on some rocks in the middle of a stream and had lunch. The return trip was more like it ... 4 miles of switchbacks up to the top. Apparently it was not challenging enough for Esteban who sprinted the last half-mile to the end. New INCH rule: Nothing less than a Level 3 hike from now on!