Winter in Las Trampas, East Side

Deciduous California black oaks looking ghostly amid their evergreen kin

Headed to Las Trampas today, one of my favorite parks in the East Bay. Not sure why I love it so much, since it pales in comparison to Diablo in pretty much every way, but it has a lot of the same feel and many of the same habitats. It's just a nice piece of land with fine views and some beautiful chamise chaparral.

Anyway, I'd never been to the Ringtail trailhead before so my hiking companion and I headed there and started the day off with a fine Sharp-tailed Snake. Never a bad sign. Surprising number of people on the trail, both a good and bad thing, as we discussed. Macrofungi were few in number and diversity, perhaps they need a few days to dry out and breath. We were treated to some vulture companions at lunch and a pond full of newts further down the trail, and, I have to admit it, some very comely cows and their adorable calfs. Mostly it was just grand to drink in the verdant landscape and to see all the plants getting ready for spring.

And, of course, I failed to write down any questions and I've just forgotten them all, even though I recall saying "I don't know" several times.

Posted on January 15, 2017 06:36 AM by kueda