November's Club of the Month

Meet the Hiking Club of the Vineyards

By: Celine Todd
Published November 3, 2011

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. 
- John Muir

Our latest Club of the Month article features a group of hiking enthusiasts who are making new community connections by heading off the beaten path.  Meet the Hiking Club of Trilogy at the Vineyards, MTL’s Club of the Month for November.

Most of the clubs that have been featured in the "Club of the Month" series were founded years ago and have grown by leaps and bounds as their community grew around them.  As Trilogy at the Vineyards is a relatively new Trilogy community, this Hiking Club is newly established and still has years of growth in its future. The Hiking Club was founded in July of 2011 by member Frank Kaylor, and in just a few short months the club members have taken eight organized hikes together.  They’ve savored the natural beauty of their California surroundings while building close bonds with fellow hiking enthusiasts, who also happen to be their neighbors.

Perhaps the best way to get to know November’s Club of the Month is to (virtually) trek along with them through the notes, recaps, and photographs that they've kept of each of their hikes over the past several months.  Lace up your hiking shoes and explore eight great trails through the following log from the Hiking Club of the Vineyards.

July 23, 2011: Chapparal Loop Trail
What a great morning for hiking the Chapparal Loop Trail. It was a small group for our first hike but the weather was perfect. The group hiked the 2.3 miles and 550 ft vertical in a little over an hour. A few stops along the way offered some great views off the ridge line. The high points took in views of the Black Diamond Mine Preserve along with landmarks such as the Central Valley and Mt. Diablo.

Click here to view additional photos taken during the hike.

August 6, 2011:  Ridgeline Loop at Del Valle Regional Park
It was another beautiful day for the second hike this summer of the Trilogy at The Vineyards Hiking Club. This 5.5-mile hike started in Del Valle Regional Park's East Shore Trailhead and looped around on the Ridgeline Trail back to the Lake shore. Most of the activities were taking place on the Lake but there were mountain bikers and hikers on the Park's trails as well. There were many great views along the water's edge and the ridge top views extended to Livermore Valley and south to the Ohlone Wilderness.

Click here to view additional photos taken during the hike.

8/20/11: Miwok/Hardy Canyon Loop at Round Valley Regional Preserve
It was another beautiful morning for hiking in Round Valley Preserve. The impressive expanse of Round Valley has few rivals in the Bay area.  The Hardy Canyon Trail follows along beside Marsh Creek and then curves away rising through a blue oak savanna. It enters the canyon holding High Creek and emerges into a wide valley at about 2 miles. The trail then climbs to a saddle near the highest peak (1212’ elevation) where stunning views reward the climb’s effort. The descent from here toward Round Valley views Mt. Diablo rising in the distance. The Miwok Trail is met at about 3.4 miles, follows Round Valley Creek through a broad canyon, and closes the loop. There were five happy hikers to reach the saddle on Hardy Canyon Trail as you can see in the following photos! The group completed the 4.8 miles and 1084-foot vertical gain in 2.5 hours. Lots of squirrels were observed along with one lonely rattlesnake.

Click here to view additional photos taken during the hike.

9/10/11: Volvon Trail / Bob Walker Ridge Trail
Today was warm and humid for our eight hikers on the Volvon Trail to Bob Walker Ridge. Fortunately, the group moved right along and everyone was back at the Vineyards before the real heat arrived. Statistics from our GPS "Oracle" said that the distance out and back was 6.1 miles with a total vertical gain of 650 feet.  Total time on the trail was under three hours including nearly an hour of stops and rest breaks. Frank forgot his camera, so we have Sandy and Vaughn Hysinger to thank for the photos of our trek.

Click here to view additional photos taken during the hike.

9/24/11: Back Canyon Loop Trail, Mt. Diablo State Park
What a glorious morning for hiking! Back Canyon loop, combining parts of the Donner Creek, Back Creek, and Meridian Point Trails, and Back Creek, Meridian Ridge, and Donner Canyon roads, offered a wonderful sample of the joys that the north side of Mt. Diablo has to offer, with only a half-hour drive to the trailhead from the Vineyards! Great views were afforded from Meridian Ridge north to the Town of Clayton. The cool shady canyons kept us comfortable on the ascent and yet allowed great views from exposed rocky ridges and chaparral-covered hillsides. Wild creatures were non-existent except for one surprise shown in a captured photo.

Click here to view additional photos taken during the hike.

(Continued on page 2.)