Pleasanton Ridge Trail Hike - 10 Miles

On the 19th of February, as a part of the hiking merit badge, the troop organized a 10-mile hike to Pleasonton Ridge Regional Park. We specifically embarked on the Pleasanton Ridge Thermalito Loop, which encompassed several different trails.

The trail was very scenic, with a lot of different scenery, from open hilly regions, to shaded grassy areas. We encountered lakes, cows, and everything in between.

However, as all outings are, this hike did not come without setbacks. The biggest one we encountered at the very beginning. Most of the scouts had navigated to the wrong trailhead, and sorting out the entire situation set us late by around half an hour. Many of the parents had dropped their kids off and left, so there was even the issue of coordinating how we were to drive so many scouts to the proper trailhead.

As the leader of the outing, I have to take some responsibility. I had researched the wrong trailhead and provided an incorrect link in the TroopTrack email.

One other major issue was navigation. The trail, and area in general, was quite complex. There were many forks, offtrails, and splits in the road, and it was difficult to stay on track. In addition, in order to complete the full 10 miles, we had to hike through two to three different trails, and take small diversions (diverge from the path by going up and back in order to make the trail a proper 10 miles). All of these made it difficult to navigate, as we had to constantly check AllTrails. There were multiple moments where we accidentally went the wrong way or wasted time stopping to check and confirm where we were. In addition, there were little to no trail signs, so we had to rely almost solely on GPS.

Despite all of these issues, the hike was still a success. We finished far earlier than we expected, with the downhill being by far, my favorite part of the hike. It was rather shaded and secluded, and the downhill elevation made the last stretch rather easy.

The entire trail was a beautiful, scenic area. We could see the mountainous region of Sunol, and a bit of the city as well. We had a great time, singing and laughing along, climbing trees, and meeting cows, hikers, and dogs!

This hike was a great experience, and was an excellent addition to the hiking merit badge hikes.