Redwood Jungle

Last Saturday I went for a 10.5 mile hike at Big Basin Redwoods State Park (trivia: the oldest state park in California, established in 1902). The park is probably less than 20 miles from home as the crow flies, but because of the winding mountain roads, it's still about an hour drive.

I thought Saturday would be a particularly good day for a hike in the redwoods. It was forecast to hit 90 degrees in San Jose, but redwood forests are generally in the cooler, moister coastal areas, so I was expecting to get away from the heat.

And I did, sort of. When I arrived at the park, the thermometor read around 75 degrees. Not bad, but I forgot that "moister" part of "cooler, moister coastal areas." So it was 75 and humid, which as my midwestern friends know, is about as comfortable as 90 and dry.

I hadn't been to this park in over 5 years, so it was nice to be back there. I was little bummed that it was so crowded. I almost didn't find a parking space. And there were lots of people on the trails at first. It felt as if they had transported a city block into the forest. But as expected, the people thinned out after the first half-mile or so. Still, it was more than I expected, but at least people started saying "Hi."

I did the Berry Creek falls loop, which is listed as a strenuous 6-hour hike, but can be done in four if you huff it. The elevation change is ~400 feet, which sounds like a lot to a flatlander, but isn't too bad. The highlight of the hike is the series of waterfalls along Berry Creek near the halfway point of the loop. The lighting wasn't the best, but I did manage to snap a few pictures. Overall, a good workout with some nice scenery.