March 6, 2004 - Big Basin Redwoods Waterfalls Loop

This hike was attended by 10 people: Brenda, Sophia, Quyen, Marian, Ann, YiWen, SongYuan, Al, Andrew, and Paul. It was a very good day for hiking, with temperature in the mid 60's. Big Basin at this time of the year is quite wet and the waterfalls quite full. Even before we arrived at headquarters, some of us saw a very large predator bird - possibly a hawk - swoop above and across the road with clearly a fresh kill - looked like a squirrel or another small mammal. By the time we stopped the car to get out the cameras, it had departed the branch on which it temporarily perched on. We started at headquarters and hiked about 5 miles to Berry Creek Falls where we had lunch. The terrain was soft, at times muddy, and in some places blocked entirely by fallen redwoods.

After lunch, we continued the loop and saw the Silver falls and the Golden cascades, both also full of water. In addition to the waterfalls and giant redwoods, we also saw plenty of wildflowers, mushrooms, banana slugs, newts, various insects, and a deer. Our group was temporarily separated but with the assistance of a park ranger (Thair), everything was ok. The hike covered a distance of about 12 miles with elevation changes of about 1,500 ft. After 7.5 hours of hiking (10:15am - 5:45pm), we arrived back at headquarters. We then went to Sogo Tofu to try their "stinky tofu" and afterwards went to the Tainan style eatery at the 99 Ranch plaza in Cupertino for dinner. And of course a pearl-tea drink from Fantasia after that. What a fantastic day! Enjoy the photos! Post or Read Comments.

See also photos from: [Andrew] [Brenda] [Sophia]

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