Shakedown Hike: Ohlone Wilderness Trail

Last week I went on a great shakedown hike to test out all my gear. I've used most of my gear before, but never on a solo trip, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. The Ohlone Wilderness Trail is a 28 mile trail in the East Bay - starting near Mission Peak and ending at Del Valle. I planned to do it in three days, tacking an extra 8 miles or so on at the end to walk along the edge of Lake Del Valle.

Day 1: Mission Peak Trailhead to Sunol Backpacking Camp

The first day I started at the Mission Peak trailhead, where I had a bunch of elevation gain to the top of Mission Peak. It was pretty hot and unrelenting, but I was awarded with some prime views of the East Bay. Also greeted by lots of cows! Then I turned off the more well-traveled path and into the Sunol Regional Wilderness. It was very bucolic - lots of rolling hills dotted with cows, with many wrinkled oak trees along the trail. I also saw a coyote with a cub! The path was a little muddy, but not too bad, and it was clear that the trail's main users were the cows.

I had lunch right after the Sunol visitor center, then continued up and finally into the backpacking camp. I camped at Eagle's Eyrie, which had beautiful views of the valley. I felt pretty good that day but was definitely happy to rest my feet - the last mile or so was steep and I was feeling it. I set up camp and rested until dinner! Overall I did 12.7 miles with 4,000 ft elevation.

The best part of the day came at the end. My grandpa had put me in contact with a friend's niece who had hiked the PCT several years earlier. I had been meaning to call to schedule a time to talk but kept forgetting, and then learned she would also be backpacking this week, so decided to just wait until I was back too. As I was finishing my tent setup, someone enters the camp - the first person I'd seen since Mission Peak. She said hi and asked "any chance you're Zosia?" I had signed my name in the register, and there aren't too many Zosia's out there. Turns out we had been planning similar hiking trips and just happened to run into each other! We talked for a couple hours and had dinner together - it was so much fun to ask all my gear questions and to actually have the gear right next to me! She was so lovely and gave me some wonderful advice, plus it was just the coolest coincidence ever.

Gear thoughts from the first day: it was my first time using my satellite communicator, and I liked it a lot! It was all very intuitive, though I think I'll be doing fewer tracking points to save battery, maybe every 4 hours. Also good to know that the device has to be on to track, and that intervals have to be frequent if I want it to give me any accurate stats about the day. And the 'route' option is definitely better than the 'tracks' when loading maps, even though it's not as detailed. I also enjoyed my new brand of ramen, the snacks I brought with me, and the Skratch electrolyte I was trying out. I definitely need to remember to glue/sew on some Velcro for my gaiters - with the shorter heels of my boots, they were riding up about. Also note to self to consider making a wind shield for my stove. But I loved my mini watercolor palette and will definitely keep using it!

Day 2: Sunol Backpacking Camp to Stewart's Camp

It was a little more overcast today, but not too bad. I left camp around 9:30 and was heading over to Stewart's Camp, passing over Rose Peak. Similar landscape, with some more oak forests and chaparral areas. Lots of poison oak in places. It started raining a bit in the early afternoon but wasn't terrible, just a drizzle. I got to Stewart's Camp around 4, giving me plenty of time to setup and do some watercolors. It got pretty cold that evening so I made dinner from the tent and enjoyed it from my sleeping bag. It was much less windy that night than the previous one though, so I was nice and warm in bed. Overall, it was 11.9 miles with 3,500 ft of elevation.

Gear thoughts from the day: I'm thinking my camp shoes are a little overkill - I'd been planning to bring my Teva's so I could hike in them if needed, and have some solid shoes in camp. But I think that I'm going to spend less time walking around camp than I think I will, and their a bit too heavy to justify. Also, the velcro can get annoying when wearing socks. For my tent, I tried a different method of rolling it and it worked great for a faster setup. Also tried keeping my stakes tied to the corners which was equally good. Two of the stakes I brought in the regular size could be minis instead. Found a flavor of electrolyte I don't like much, but the rest of the food was great. Had my new soup brand and loved it. Also confirmed the pillow I brought was my favorite - it's an older one, but I just don't like the newer design as much. Decided I'll have both a clean and dirty bandana, and then won't need a camp towel. Discovered a tiny pocket at the top of my tent which I somehow had never seen before. Also decided a sit pad would probably get lots of use, so I might add that to my gear.

Day 3: Stewart's Camp to Del Valle Lake Trail

Woke up early and left camp around 8:30 - it was gonna be a big mileage day. Passed Marietta Falls in the morning, but I don't think I had the right vantage point, cause I didn't see much. Apparently it's the biggest waterfall in the Bay Area though, so I'm sad I missed it. Saw lots of deer getting down to Lake Del Valle, plus a couple of newts!! Walked along the river most

of the morning, with lots of buckeye trees. Finished the official Ohlone Wilderness Trail at Lake Del Valle around 1, where I had lunch. Then I continued on to the East Shore Trail, which went along the edge of the Lake to the other end, connecting with other trailing and ending at the Del Valle Lake Trail. It started raining pretty heavily at this point, but I had solid rain gear and carried on. About halfway to to the end of the lake, my feet definitely started feeling the mileage. No blisters, but lots of soreness on the bottoms of my feet. But the rain had stopped and the views were still beautiful, so I got my headphones out, played some tunes, and carried on. Return of the cows in this section - I counted 42 on one slope alone. They were pretty chill, but having every one of them lift their head to follow as you pass was a little unnerving haha. Some climbs at the end, but I got a nice rest at the 'Del Valle Bench Under an Oak Tree' (as named by Google Maps) which had a nice bench on either side so you could pick which valley to look out at. Then I descended on the Del Valle Lake Trail and made it to the parking lot, where my mom came right in time to pick me up! Overall, today was the longest at 16.7 miles and 2,200 ft of elevation.

Gear thoughts of the day: Rain coat was super solid but I probably don't need something that hardcore for the desert section. I might do a lightweight Frogg Toggs and then switch to my good one for the Sierra. Garmin Inreach conserved battery very well with minimal tracking points. Shoes continued to feel good, but not as much cushion as some of the trail runners. It'll be good for me to know which other shoes I like so I can switch if I need to. I always pack more food than I need - not a super bad thing, but something to keep in mind as I finish my resupply boxes. Definite yes on the sit pad - there were a few times when it would have been really nice today. Good to know my limiting factor with mileage isn't my legs but my feet - though my legs were definitely feeling it!

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This was a great trip! It was lovely to see the landscape - I'd gone on a day trip out here but had no idea the wilderness area continued so far! Also shockingly empty for how nice it was. It was really great to try out all my gear, I've got a couple things to change but overall felt really good! This takes me one big step closer to feeling fully prepared to leave :D