INCH Hike: Alviso Slough

515. Alviso Slough (07/15/06)

Hikers (14): Charles, Doug, Elaine, Janice, Jeff, Jinglan, Keysha, Matthew, Nina, Padraig, Peter, Rich, Sparky, Steve
Distance: 8 miles
Rating: 1 difficulty, 8 beauty
Park info: South Bay marshlands near Alviso

Write-up by Steve

I had tweaked my knee hiking Mt. Halla and Mt. Fuji the previous week, so wanted some recuperation time before White Mountain. Alviso Slough fit the bill.

After waiting several minutes past the start time, we set off. As we were approaching the gate, Peter drove up, so we delayed another few minutes while he lubed and girdled up.

1-2-3 INCH

And we're off. Not too much excitement during the hike, mostly because it really is impossible to get lost--you can see the other hikers for miles. There were the typical birds, and the trail was nice and flat. Conversation was abundant because no one gets tired on this hike. Janice and Sparky shot out in front, and later Keysha, Nina, and Matthew passed, taking time to disparage my slow pace in the process. Brutal!

A couple hours later the hike was over, and everyone was chatting away. I said, "Time for Vahl's! Yum!", but no one was biting. I rode my bike over to the restaurant, only to discover it was closed for two weeks during the 4th of July "season". Everyone was in luck! So I went over to the official fallback Maria Elena's. There, I would enjoy a full basket of chips and salsa while waiting for the main course to arrive. Everyone else ditched the lunch: it was quite sad, but the mole was good!