Edgewood and San Bruno Mountain

We had plans to visit some family up on the northern peninsula last Saturday, but we weren't about to miss out on some hiking miles before making ourselves presentable for visiting; Lest we forget, it is spring in the Bar Area. There simply aren't any better days for enjoying some trail time anywhere. It’s getting to be about that time when we tend to choose hikes based on the potential for early spring blooms of all types. We stopped in at Edgewood and hiked several loops around that semi-urban, yet pleasantly diverse landscape, which seems to be tucked away just out of reach of city bustle. The woods and contours provide enough seclusion to keep the outside world out of mind. We had a nice time there even though it was still too early. We saw pretty good displays of Silver Bush Lupine, and the Indian Warrior is going insane in the shady areas around the bases of the oak groves. Everything else was still sparse.

We decided to move on and check out San Bruno Mountain in the afternoon. We had mild sunlight, but with chilly wind all day. The air was mostly clear with a little bit of haze and high thin clouds. We found a lot more interesting displays here. So much so that I am having a hard time positively identifying most of the species I photo’ed. I labeled my pictures as best I could, but I'm really not an expert. On the website they have a little help, but nothing as extensive as, for example, the wild flower guides for Henry Coe. Some of the wild flower and butterfly species at this site are known to be classified as rare and endangered. We don’t get up here much, but based on this hike, I’d say that has been our own fault for ignoring it. I really enjoyed the sweeping views, and even though it’s close to the city, the air circulation is excellent, making the air quality much better you would ever expect near a major metropolitan area. We hiked the Summit Loop Trail, and part of the Ridge Trail, and wished we had more time. But we vowed to come back for a better look soon, and to identify all the pictures.

Click here to see my pictures on flickr