9/29/01 Mission Peak - Mid-Autumn Festival

Mission Peak: Mid-Autumn Festival Pot-Luck and Hike
(Saturday 9/29/01)

Dear friends,
   This coming Saturday, we will hold an evening hike up Mission Peak. If the sky is clear, we should see a beautiful moon. Before the hike, Ahn Tuan has graciously offered to host a Trung Thu pot luck at his residence in San Jose. You are all invited to both events. The information, including all directions and schedule, can be found on the hiking website: http://www.signite.com/hiking. If you would like to go to the pot luck, please let me know by Wed 9/26 so we can help Ahn Tuan set up. Also please let me know if you are going to the hike so we know who to expect at the Stanford Av parking lot.
   The pot-luck will start between 3 and 4pm, and for the hike, please meet at the Stanford Ave parking lot at 6:15pm. We will start promptly at 6:30pm. Because the hike will encounter darkness fairly quickly, we'll keep the group together for safety reasons. If you do not make it to the hike by 6:30pm, please do not hike up alone! From Ahn Tuan's residence to Mission Peak's Stanford Av parking lot is about 20 minutes.
    Please wear WARM clothing, including a medium-thickness jacket, sweatpants or jeans, and head protection if you dont like cool weather.   Please bring a flashlight if you have one. Most of the hike will be in darkness. Hopefully it wont be cloudy and the moon's rays can shine upon us all. If it rains or there is lightening, the hike is cancelled. If it is just cloudy, we may try the hike as it's possible that the sky clears up. Again, for safety reasons, please stay with the group during the hike, and please show up and be ready to hike by 6:30 PM SHARP!
    The sunset view on Mission Peak can be very beautiful as our July 4th hike proved (http://www.signite.com/hiking/MissionPeak/index.html) so come and join us! After the hike, we'll head to a nearby restaurant for replenishment.

In summary:
   - Meet at Mission Peak Stanford Av parking lot at 6:15 pm. Hike starts at 6:30 SHARP.
   - The pot-luck starts at 3-4PM. Please bring a dish to share and let me know by Wed 9/26 if you plan to go, and how many
   - Bring flashlight and dress warm! This time, shorts are not recommended :)
   - We will not meet at Bijan for the hike, but instead at the Stanford Ave parking lot
   - Please see the details on the website: http://www.signite.com/hiking
   - This is a 5.5 mile hike but with quite a bit of altitude climb (~2000 ft). Dont worry, everyone can make it to the top.

paul

SPECIAL NOTES:
If you are going to the pot-luck at Ahn Tuan's residence, please let me know how many are going by Wed 9/26, and please bring a dish to share! Address and direction to the pot-luck are given below in the Map section. The pot-luck starts between 3 and 4 pm.
We will NOT meet at Bijan for the hike. Please meet the hiking group at the Stanford Ave parking lot at 6:15 PM. The hike will start at 6:30 PM exactly! For safety sake, please stay with the group.

Schedule
Trail Information
Map
Notes about this hike
General notes about hiking trips
Pictures from previous hikes

Schedule for this hike:

(Pot-luck) 3PM - 4PM Start of pot luck. Please bring a dish to share
(Pot-luck) 3PM - 6 PM. Pot luck. If you are heading to the hike, please start for Mission Peak by 5:50 PM as it takes about 20 minutes to get to the Stanford Av parking lot.
6:15 PM. Meet at Mission Peak's Stanford Ave parking lot. (If you're coming from the potluck, we could carpool from there.)
6:30 PM. Start hiking up. For safety reason, the group will stay together, so make sure you are ready to start hiking at this time and not later!
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Hike up to the peak.
8:00 PM - 8:30 PM. Rest at peak.
8:30 PM - 9:30 PM. Hike down from the peak.
9:30 PM - 10:30 PM. Seek out snacks in nearby restaurants!

Trail Information

Location: About 3 miles east of Rt 880, in Fremont.
Distance: 5.5 miles (all up in the first half, all down in the second half)
Elevation change: +/- 2000 ft, starting elevation is about 300 ft.
Time: ~2.5 to 3 hrs, depending on breaks taken.
Difficulty: Strenuous
Trail conditions: All open-space, but since it'll be evening, it wont be sunny. Trails range from single man-width to car-width, but mostly car-width.
What to see: The terrain is open fields (cow pasture) until the top 25%, which then become more rocky.

Park information: http://www.ebparks.org/parks/mission.htm
Trail map: http://www.ebparks.org/parks/mission.pdf

Map/directions

Ahn Tuan's residence - for POT LUCK: 3-4 PM

364 N. 14th Street, San Jose, CA 95112.

From 101 N. and S.:
Exit McKee Julian, turn to Julian (toward downtown San Jose), then turn Right at 14th Street. Ahn Tuan's residence will be on your right. The number is 364 N. 14th Street, San Jose, CA 95112.

From 680/280:
Exit McKee toward downtown San Jose. After about 1 mile, McKee will become Julian. Go straight until you hit 14th Street. Turn Right, the residence is at 364 N. 14th Street, on your right.

Click here to get directions to this address from a location you enter.

Mission Peak (Stanford Ave parking) - for HIKING: 6:15 pm

1. Take 880 North or South to Mission Blvd exit.
2. Go onto Mission Blvd and pass 680. After passing 680, in 1/4 mile, turn right on Stanford Ave.
3. Stay on Stanford Ave to the very end of the road (about 1/2 mi) and the parking lot is right there. There's enough space for maybe 20 cars. If full, park on residential roadside a few hundred feet before the parking lot.

If you are meeting us here, please wait by the trailmap post at the edge of the parking lot.

Click on the map on the right to zoom in/out of the area.

Click here to get directions from Ahn Tuan's residence to Mission Peak Stanford Ave parking lot

Trail Map
We will take the Hidden Valley Wilderness Trail up AND down. The total distance is about 5.5 miles. For a detailed pdf map, click here.

Notes about this hike

Hike CANCELLED if rain or lightening expected at any time of hike.
Bring FLASHLIGHT!! It will be dark about 1/3rd way into the hike.
Bring medium-thickness jacket - not just windbreakers! Head protection from possible wind would be good. Wear at least sweatshirt or fleece.
Wear sweatpants or jeans, NO shorts unless you want to freeze your legs :)
Bring 2-3 bottles of water.
Will grab some snacks afterwards (e.g. Crispy Creme).
If you have any questions, email me (pthuang@aol.com) or call me at (650) 814-1169 (cell).

General notes about hiking trips

1 to 2 bottles of water (I'll have extras if you forget)
Suntan lotion (I'll have a bottle)
Snacks - dried fruits, granola bars, etc.
Sturdy shoes - hiking shoes or sneakers
Sweatshirt/jacket (in case), sweatpants or shorts
Hat (for sunny hikes)
Money (for food if wanted)

Probable next hike

Undecided yet

Pictures from previous Mission peak hikes

7/4/01 (8 people)