The morning started with the personal bad news that dad's condition went
downhill and the general bad news of the spread of the coronavirus. With teary
eyes from allergy, I sneezed a good deal before heading out for Mission Peak.
Today was cooler and less windy than Saturday. I started ascending from the
Ohlone side at 8:50am, reached the summit at 10:00am, arrived at the Sandy Wool
lake at 11:15am, took a rest, came back on the peak at 1:08pm, took a rest, and
it was aroud 2:10pm when I got back in the car.
This was the first time I visited the Milpitas side of the Bay Ridge. Descending
south-ward from MP, I ran on the hard-packed dirt road with welcoming grass
patches in the middle which cushioned my landing. The white cattle on this side
seemed a different breed from the black ones seen around MP. For a large part of
the trail, I found I was surrounded by friendly reddish yellow flowers scattered
on the green hills. Upon asking, I was told they were California wild poppies.
They looked familiar and I later remembered they were exactly the type in a
friend's WXC logo.
This segment was desolate compared with the Fremont-side trails and I met only
one lone gray-haired 60-ish hiker to the Monument Peak, the summit to the south
of and even higher than MP. Ed Levin park looked vast, verdant, and peaceful
from above and as I moved closer, more people showed up, mostly couples and
families.
It was delightful to meet Daisy, a cute west highland white terrier in a bright
red collar. She turned around and paced me for about 10 yards among the callings
of her friends before I stopped and she was scooped up. I found the restroom and
water fountain beside the lake, took a rest, and finished the food in my
pockets before heading back on the trail.
I thought I had enough water but the 16-oz squeeze bottle ran out soon after the
middle of the climb. I met the hiker again who complimented me on running in Xeros
(The Xero sandals were going mainstream as I found that REI was carrying Z-Trails now).
He had a replaced knee and only came up once a week these days. After saying
goodbye, I regretted that I had not asked for water and food. By that time, I
had sweated out too much salt. I started to feel thirsty and weak and had to
walk more.
The legs and feet were still OK when I re-surfaced on Mission Peak, in a blue
jacket, faded blue Levi's jeans, and black sandals. Nothing special. It felt
good to be anonymous. I'd rather look like a hiker trying to run a few steps
than a runner armed with a whole gamut of ultra-running gear walking. The last
descent constantly reminded me of practicing good landing techniques and I kept
at it as if in meditation.
Finally, after over 5hrs of trail running, the lessons were
- drink, and
- eat.
