After my fun road trip last week, it was nice to get back to doing a Monday hike. I got up early so I could beat the heat, and headed over to Hallmark Park. This is another park that was close by when I lived in Belmont, and I had ridden my bike past it many times, although I often didn’t notice because the entrance is not as visible as some other parks.
The trail in the park was only about 6 kilometers (3.6 miles) so I added an out and back on Sheep Camp trail, down to the Pulgas Water Temple. The entrance to the water temple wasn’t open yet, but it was still worth the walk, as I saw some wildflowers and a good view of Crystal Springs reservoir.
After coming back up Sheep Camp trail, I continued on the Hallmark Trail, which is also part of the Crystal Springs cross country running course. Because it’s a running course, the trail was well-maintained and wide enough to avoid the copious amount of poison oak growing along it.
I got to see lots of wildflowers along the trail, and it was a nice trail to do, although it wasn’t too difficult or challenging. Check out the photos below the break.
The sunrise was nice this morningA look at Crystal Springs Reservoir, with some fog hugging the hillside just below SkylineSome Sun Cup (aka Goldeneggs). There were many patches along the trail.A view of Crystal Springs Reservoir as I descended Sheep Camp TrailSome Purple Lupine along the trailPurple Owl’s Clover. It’s a bit out of focus, but that’s OK because I saw enough of it at Carrizo, so I know what it looks like.There was some Teasel along Sheep Camp TrailI’m no mechanic, but I think I’ve figured out what’s wrong with this carHairy Vetch, which was hard to get a picture of because the flowering parts were small and my phone had trouble getting focusA couple of deer keep a close eye on meA cute little bun-bun. There were a few along the trail in the early morning, which is appropriate considering that yesterday was Easter.Most of the trail in Hallmark Park is maintained as a cross-country running trailSome small wildflowers along the trailThis is a Gumweed (or gumplant) a member of the daisy family, with a spider visitorThere was lots of poison oak along the trail, but thankfully the trail was wide so I was able to avoid getting near itI only saw this Sticky Monkey Flower once along the trailA picture of me with some distant fog. I don’t think my camouflage was effective here.
