Stay-at-Home Hike

I went to Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve on Saturday for my first real hike since Stay-at-Home orders have started. It was really beautiful and I felt very grateful to get outside, but I am so out of shape!

Time seems to move differently in quarantine, since everything is the same. Today I was home, yesterday I was home, a week ago I was home, a month ago I was home. It could be a lot worse though, I'm healthy, still have my job, I haven't gotten the virus or infected anyone as far as I know, and we're allowed to go outside now. I didn't realize how long it's been since I went for a real hike, but it was 3 months and 21 days since Ari and I hiked in Pinnacles NP. I tried going to Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve the weekend before, but the parking lot was full, so I had to go home. It seems like a lot of people in the Bay Area are trying to get out to parks.

I remembered from visiting Rancho Cañada last summer with Ari that it wasn't too busy, so when she suggested I go there again, I decided to try it. I got the last parking space in the main lot, but the park has a bunch of trails, so I didn't see very many other people. Also, since I got there at 11:45am, most people seemed to be heading back to their cars from their morning hikes. A morning hike would've been a good idea, since it got pretty hot in the valley, but I was just happy to have a relaxing day and get outside.

I loaded up my daypack with water and my mask, and headed up the Longwall Canyon Trail. It got steep after I turned onto the Catamount Trail, and I was keeping a strong pace up the steep fire road, until I started huffing and puffing in the hot valley sun. I started feeling light headed and my breathing didn't slow even when I stopped in a shady spot. I'm out of shape! I know this feeling, so I sat on a rock in the shade on the side of the trail, and waited for my breathing and heartrate to return to normal.

I eventually made it up to the Bald Peaks Trail junction, and wandered the same way that Ari and I did last year. I was feeling good, having slowed down, and because the trail was less steep. It was a really beautiful California day out, though I could see some smog to the north over the Bay Area. I felt so happy to get outside, hike, and just get out of my house. My knee felt a little sore on the uphills, but my doctor said that I can exercise without making it worse, so I wasn't stressed about it.

I turned around somewhere on the Bald Peaks Trail when I ran out of water, and walked back down to my car.