Week 7(?) - Hike 3: Skyline-Stream Trail

I am having a hard time figuring out what week I am in, partly because of the annoying "add 2 weeks on to the front" rule, and partly because, with a 2-year old, remembering your LMP is hazy. Anyway, its probably the beginning of week 7, and geez, do I feel prego. I am really tired, and my boobs are huge, and I feel ill constantly. Plus, I am definitely showing, at least in my own head, and my regular pants already don't button like they should. A moderately strenuous hike is just what the doctor ordered, right?

Yesterday, we hiked northeast on the Skyline Trail (to the left starting at the staging area) into the Prince Road Trail. We then went right where the PR hits the Stream Trail, and hiked back up to the Skyline staging area.* It's a hike we do all the time (about 3.5 miles), but yesterday it felt like an ass-kicker. Skyline is really popular with dogwalkers, and it is broad with easy hills. The Prince Road Trail is a fairly steep descent but over a long enough stretch that you don't feel like you are going to fall. At the end of the trail, there's a fork to go either way on the Stream Trail. Go to the left and you head further southeast into Redwood (and away from your car). Go right and you follow a stream through a grove of redwoods and bay trees. It was cool, almost cold, and the smell was wonderful. The redwood/bay/eucalyptus smell should be bottled up for pregnant women to help alleviate nausea. At the end of the stream, there is the first steep ascent. Not steep like you are clambering up a cliff but steady uphill and kind of tiring. We then hit Girls' Camp, where they have running water bathrooms (I didn't see a water fountain but the map says there's water). The trail becomes wide and dry there, because it comes out of the woods. Again, there is a steady uphill climb that warrants a break or 2.

Each hiker needs at least half a Nalgene bottle worth of water (16 oz?), and you need sneakers or hiking shoes. I forgot to bring my cell phone, so I don't know if there's reception. Dogs are welcome but must be on leash on the Stream Trail where it follows the stream.

Directions to the Skyline staging area: (1) not helpful ones; (2) mine: From 13 South, get off at Park Blvd exit, and go left at the left. Go left at the next light onto Mountain Blvd (I believe). At the first light, go right onto Snake Road, which turns into Shepherd's Canyon Road (stay straight on Shepherd's Canyon, rather than turning left to stay on Snake). Take Shepherd's Canyon up up up, until it hits Skyline and go right. Take Skyline Blvd about 1 mile, and the parking lot will be on your left.

*These are all in Redwood Regional Park.

Week 6 - "Hike" 2: Oakland Zoo

I am not even sure that the Oakland Zoo qualifies as a hike, but if you go with a kid (and you'd probably feel a tad silly without one), you will get a lot of exercise walking around the Zoo. This is largely because you will have to retrace your steps about 250 times over the course of the visit. I should have brought a pedometer to see how much walking I did. We started out looking at the penguins, walked to the camels, then watched a giraffe scatter a group of impala, just to pee (for easily 3 full minutes) on where they had been sleeping. Then we walked up the hill to see the lions. There were 3 lions out, and I have never seen them up so close. They have a nice enclosure with lots of room, and it was gorgeous out. They were just rolling around in the sun. We walked down to see the meerkats and zebras, and then up to the elephants (diaper change, juice). Back past the giraffes, past the wild boar and down to the children's zoo. We walked around and around in there, brushed the goats, and then walked up to the chimp exhibit. We stopped by the tiger (a 3 year old informed me that the bears weren't out) and then went home. Since the zoo is so hilly, we got a great walk in. My son crashed in bed as soon as we got home, which means that we walked a lot.

As zoos go, I think this is a nice one. SF zoo has some janky depressing exhibits, but most of Oakland's are newer and cleaner, and the newer ones are larger, and less heartbreaking. The animals all look healthy and move around a lot. This is an easy walk but you can get a good amount of exercise. The bathrooms are not obvious (maybe I didn't have to go) but there are a couple of snack areas with water and yogurt for sale.

Week 4 - Hike 1: Sibley Volcanic Preserve

On Saturday morning, my husband, my 2-year-old son and I took a hike at the Sibley Volcanic Preserve in the East Bay Regional Park District. It was a beautiful warm day, and the trail was quiet when we got there. It was early, and the main trailhead was completely blocked off for construction (scheduled to be complete by November 21). We do this hike often, and we usually start to the right of the visitor center/bathrooms (facing them). This is a paved fire road up to the water tower. Its pretty steep actually.

We started to the left of the bathrooms* on the paved trail (Loop Trail), which was less steep, and walked the .25 mile up to the Round Top trail. (Make sure you get on the Round Top Trail, because the trek up to the water tower is an ass kicker). The Round Top Trail is not paved but it's broad and reasonably flat. Although its not gorgeous this time of year because the grass is all dead and brown, it was cool and moist, and you can see plants starting to spring back into life. One thing I love about these meadow hikes in the fall is how they can seem like spring hikes, with the grass and wildflowers coming in.

When Round Top meets up with the Volcanic Trail, you can either go right and start back around the loop, or you can go left to wander along that Trail. If you do that, when you are ready to head back, you turn around and go back past the Round Top Trail and go on the Loop Trail.

There is marked lookout where you can view Mt. Diablo and see a wierd labyrinth that people maintain below. If you are pregnant, don't go down there; it's very steep and the trail is loose rocks. Back on the trail, you will face a fork in the trail. Left takes you down to the labyrinth, right takes you up the trail. It gets a little steep here, so take it easy. Once you get to the top of the hill, you will start a slow descent. This uphill and descent make this hike slightly harder than just a walk in the park. The descent is not steep, but the trail has a lot of loose rocks. A few years ago, I had to help an older woman through this area because she wasn't feeling to sure-footed. If you feel unbalanced, put your hand on the shoulder of your companion in front of you. If you fall, fall on your butt. But you won't fall, because its not that steep.

After the descent, we walked through light forest, back to the paved road. We took the road down even though it was closed. It was less steep coming down than I remembered from previous hikes.

This hike is a perfect hike at almost any time during a pregnancy. There are only two places where you will need to go slow, if you are at a stage in your pregnancy where everything goes slow. Maybe I will have to revisit this hike when I am further along. It took us about 90 minutes to do the hike, but part of that is attributable to the molasses-slow pace of a two-year-old examining every rock and stick he sees. When he was riding in the pack, I felt like I was getting a good amount of exercise. We shared 1 Nalgene bottle of water, and that was enough. My cell phone got reception up there too.** Dogs are allowed under voice control (i.e. offleash).

*The womens' bathroom is large and clean, and has a flush toilet. It can get stinky later in the day, so if you feel nauseous, be prepared to hold your breath.

** Not that I had anyone to call. I just figure that it's good to know if your cell is going to work on a trail.

Here's the Idea

As a way to motivate myself to stay in shape (or maybe to get in shape), I thought I would review easy and moderate hikes in the California Bay Area for other new and pregnant moms. I have listed my planned hikes below, including a few walks that aren't really hikes. As I do each hike, I will create a post about it, and put a link to the post in the sidebar so readers can check out the reviews. I will make sure to cover safety, cell phone reception, difficulty, stroller/dog accessibility, highlights, what my hiking companions think about the hike and the amount of food and water needed to safely enjoy the hike. I welcome readers to add their comments about hikes or suggest or review other hikes in the Bay Area that other mamas might like.

Here are the hikes (and walks):

Sibley Round top (easy)
Redwood Road (easy)
Redwood Road (moderate)
Skyline to Prince Road/Steam Trail (moderate)
Tomales (not the whole thing!)
Tennessee Valley (easy)
Presidio (easy)
Coastal Trail (at Fort Point)
False Gun Vista, Richmond
Point Pinole
Joaquin Miller (not the loop)
Bort Meadow (moderate?)
Grass Valley Loop
Cogswell Marsh loop
Tidelands Trail
Angel Island
Alcatraz
Limantour Beach
Pescadero Marsh
Ano Nuevo

College Ave
Golden Gate Park
Sausalito
Ardenwood Farm
Oakland Zoo

Check back in every few weeks for updates!

Sibilance sibilance

Mic check one two one two