Hiking MB 10 miles - 3/15/2025

On March 15, 18 enthusiastic Scouts, one Assistant Scoutmaster, and six parent volunteers started from Sunol Wilderness for our 10 mile destination hike towards the Hiking Merit Badge. Once we were all ready, we started on the Ohlone Wilderness Trail at 9:10 AM heading toward Eagle Springs just south of Mission Peak. The skies were mostly cloudy with some sun peeking through. It was cool temperature with clouds overhead, it was not an overly hot hike even though we were still climbing in elevation. 

We stopped for lunch at a clearing near Eagle Springs, which we timed for approximately halfway through our hike. Along the way we stumbled across something unexpected, an enormous animal skeleton off the trail! There were a lot of curious gripping questions on our minds, one of those unexpected eerie yet memorable moments of the day. The wilderness felt wild at that moment and reminded us how much nature can still surprise all of us. 

The crew got back to the trailhead at 2:10 completing 10.94 miles. All in all it was a hard hike with no wrong turns along the way. The entire group was supportive of each other until the end of the hike. The hike from start to finish with the cloudy skies to seeing the animal skeleton gave us more than just miles to report. We have stories, strong legs, and built stronger relationships as a troop.

By: Rhea Puttichanda and Shreya Ramachandran