Adventure #4 - Tilden Regional Park Hike
Updated: Jan 26, 2021
Objective Reflection:
For this adventure I got to catch up with a friend and long-time hiking partner in Tilden Regional Park. Although the main entrance is closed, I knew we could start at Lake Anza and do some kind of loop. For this hike, I also ended up doing a different one than I originally planned, just based on our mood, where we parked, and how many times we got turned around. We also added some extra steps by walking around the lake, since it was such a nice day. For the most part the trail wasn't busy, although traffic was steady around the lake as expected. I've done most parts of this hike before, but it was cool to find new shootouts and different little loops that I didn't even know existed. It was also fun to show her around this part of the park, since it was her first time. Since we kept getting turned around and adding extra loops it was a group effort to find the trail whenever we needed to head back. We ended up pulling out Alltrails, Hiking Project, and a new app she showed me called Trailforks which compiles your downloaded maps to use with GPS offline, for the Tech Tracker Challenge. Despite some spotty cell service, with our combined resources we were able to find our way around the park and make our own crazy looking loop. It ended up being a little hectic but a lot of fun to just pick a direction and walk, making a plan as we came to crossroads. Because of this approach it was a beautiful hike that crossed through many little microclimates: cool and muddy under the trees, hot and dry on the hillside, and rocky and humid by the lake. The weather was perfect, the trail smooth, and the excitement of finding our own way made this adventure a worthwhile day out, exploring a park so close to home.
Personal Reflection:
This adventure was a little bit chiller and less stressful in planning for me. I love Tilden and have done countless hikes in the area, and especially have a soft spot for the little walk around Lake Anza. It's so charming and depending where in the park you are there is always something new to see. It was nice to be able to practice with all my tracking apps to see which ones worked the best for different occasions, especially in a park I know pretty well and is relatively safe and well-travelled. I also enjoyed this hike because it showcased so many aspects of the park, from the hills to the trees to the lake. It is disappointing to see the park's parking lots closed at this time, especially when so many people have the opportunity to visit them. We noticed an abundance of cars parked alongside the road on the way out, which is widening the road and definitely leaving a trace. I was also reminded of this principle during our hike since we had to wander off the trail or move to the side so many times in order to practice social distancing. Of course, health and safety should be our main concern right now, it just struck me again as a strange irony. Overall, this adventure made me even more grateful for the Bay Area and the natural beauty that lives here. Even just finding new trails gives me a feeling of excitement and I always leave a good hike like this in awe of how much this world has to discover.
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