Treks, hikes, and backpacking trips have always fascinated me. But a five-day hike in Naneghat in the Western Ghats in India (MH) and a backpacking trip near Mammoth Lakes (CA) were the only two planned backpacking I have done so far. I always dreamt of hiking PCT/AT/Himalayan Treks. Until this month, I didn’t realize that, instead of waiting for these bigs one to happen, I can always do day-hikes — literally whenever I want. It all started with a day hike in Pinnacles National Park with Mandar. I followed it up with PG&E, Mission Peak, and multiple hikes in my backyard — Bishop Ranch & Las Trampas. California provides abundant opportunities to hike, run, and bike. You can hike as much or as less you like, without even having to drive more than 10 miles.
My hiking exploit for today was in Del Velle Regional Park. It was an unplanned hike. I went there to pick up a wilderness permit and made good use of the long drive. Why this permit? well, that's for another blog.
I decided to hike East Shore hike since it is flat. This park is vast, the reservoir in the middle covers 700+ acres. This trail skirts the lake with a few climbs. Even before starting the hike, I spotted a deer grazing lazily. I wish I had tried to spot his/her family — I’m sure they were in the grass. I parked and marched on the trail. Just at the beginning, there was a sign that talked about Bald-eagles, and wondered if wouldn’t it be great to spot one.
The trail was lush green, the sky was blue and the lake adored emerald. Wildflowers didn’t shy away from showing off.
Some parts of the hike are beautifully covered with oaks. But the real treat was the bird songs, in North America singing birds are rare, but I was pleasantly surprised by the constant chirping of the birds. I noticed at least half a dozen different bird calls. One of the calls was so distinct, it sounded like a running diesel engine. I traced that call to a tree that was by the trail about 100 meters away. In order to spot the bird, I stayed quiet but looks like the bird must have figured out that his call attracted an unwanted creature instead of his mate and went quiet!
I hiked here for 3 hrs (8 miles) but other than a few people fishing and 4/5 mountain bikers, the whole park was for me to explore. On the way back, I saw a pair of bald eagles taking very graceful flight and to my surprise, they were very close to the water than flying high. A few meters away, up high, two mountain bikers validated that those were bald eagles. There were plenty of turkey vultures gliding in the sky. I tried tracing them — first a solo bird and then a group of four. They were very graceful in their flights, but both times — they dispersed without giving away their secrets of where they land, after the long and smooth gliding. Even if I didn’t spot their landing this time, it taught me to stay, watch, and take in the beauty around me.
