I hurried out of the door today to get in a training hike before the deluge descended. Forecasters had warned that weekend storms, packing turbulent winds and endless rain, would start around noon and wouldn’t stop until about 9 pm.
Being a die-hard hiker, I thought if I started before then I’d miss the rain. No such luck.
The rain started at 10:30 am as I parked at Rancho San Antonio in Mountain View. Ready for a hike under these conditions, I grabbed my poles, zipped up my rain coat and headed up the tough 4-mile PG&E Trail, a fire road popular with locals who want to get a good burn.
It doesn’t disappoint. As I turned one corner after another revealing yet another climb, I broke into a sweat. Under gray skies, it rained steadily and the wind began to pick up as I dodged mud puddle after slippery mud puddle. Yes, foolish not to consider the forecast could be a little off, but the rain wasn’t too bad.
I’d later recall those naive thoughts as I would be soaked through and pummeled by blustery gusts knocking me off balance. But there were some rewards for my intrepid – or foolhardy? – hike that I wanted to share.
As I reached the top end of the PG&E Trail, this rainbow – flirting with double – welcomed me and some other hikers. It was such a treat after a crawl uphill under stormy skies.
- The PG&E Trail Vista Point on March 5, 2016, at noon in Rancho San Antonio. Greeted by a rainbow – almost a double! Credit: Miranda Leitsinger
And then, as I made my way up the 1.1-mile Quarry Trail – here was where the wind really took hold though the climb wasn’t so bad – rain-dappled spring wildflowers offered some encouragement amid the storm.
As I returned downhill to complete a 10-mile in and out, some of the other park denizens stopped me in my tracks, too, with their new rain bath sheen.
- This Pacific Madrone and its lichen friends glow in the rainfall in Rancho San Antonio on March 5, 2016. Credit: Miranda Leitsinger
- A spider web displays rain drops, making them appear as jewels, in Rancho San Antonio on March 5, 2016. Credit: Miranda Leitsinger
- Falling rain, sounding like a running stream, glistens as it hits a puddle in Rancho San Antonio on March 5, 2016. Credit: Miranda Leitsinger
Despite being wet through and through, these moments of grace in the storm brought such a smile to my face as I trudged through several messy and muddy paths. Every step was worth it. As another hiker said to me while passing each other, “It’s fun, isn’t it?” Yes, indeed.
- Slip sliding in the rain. Mud puddles littered many trails in Rancho San Antonio on March 5, 2016. Credit: Miranda Leitsinger
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