One Ridge Over

Mt. Diablo from Vollmer Peak

Wyethia

By all counts, this has been a remarkable year. The winter  was long and wet with a few weeks—January into February —when the weather was dry and mild, holding out the possibility of an early spring.  But then winter returned with drenching rain, cold, and even a hail storm of unusual vehemence.

Though the slopes around LHS have their botanical pleasures with bright poppies, yellow buttercups, and purple lupines, a walk on the next ridge to the east is worth the effort. The easiest approach is off Grizzly Peak Blvd at the south end of Tilden Park where you turn left (going south) toward the corporation yard and the steam train. Stay on the upper road and go as far as you can go toward the locked gate and park in the broad space off the road.

The climb up the hill on several switchbacks takes you by two old redwood water tanks, luxuriant coffee berries (a native shrub) and the likelihood of seeing a charming brush rabbit with its white cottony tail dashing into the underbrush. As you near the top, Vollmer Peak, the highest point (at almost 2,000 feet) in the Berkeley Hills, is immediately to the left. At the top of the rise, an inviting bench facing east says “come set a spell.”

Briones Reservoir and Watershed

And what a fortuitous spot it is offering unobstructed views to the east over the rolling hills of Contra Costa to the massive double bulk of Mt. Diablo. To the left, and closer at hand are the blue waters of Briones Reservoir. The hills that drop away steeply beneath your feet are part of the EBMUD watershed. Between the parklands protected by the Regional Park district and the watershed lands you are viewing thousands of acres of land that will remain undeveloped.

You are walking along San Pablo Ridge which divides two worlds—the warm, drier inland from the cool, foggier region around the Bay. The ridge is directly opposite the Golden Gate—the only complete break in the coastal hills—which acts as a funnel for marine air and the rivers of fog moving inland in the summer.

Instead of staying on the dirt fire road (known as Seaview Trail) continue straight ahead on the narrow path which leads you into a small grove of wind-battered pines and the  remnants of an old stone wall of unknown origins. The trail leads steeply downhill under the pines. Beneath the trees, the soft, damp duff is a comfort under foot after the stony path. As you emerge on the north-facing slope, the trail veers off downhill to rejoin the fire road where you can turn left to eventually retrace your steps to the parking area. The Seaview Trail continues north for a couple of miles following the ridge line to where it ends near Inspiration Point at the north end of the park.

Lazuli Bunting in Wild Hemlock
photo by Bob Lewis

We were hoping for good views of a Lazuli Bunting, a colorful spring breeding bird that frequents the grassy hills where stands of native bushes like baccharus (coyote brush) provide shelter, a place to build a nest, and a perch to sing from. From the far side of a tall stand of poison oak we heard its bright song, but caught only the briefest glimpse.
 
The stars of the morning were the flowers at our feet—yellow mules ears (Wyethia), wild hollyhock (a member of the mallow family), purple Ithuriel’s spear (Tritelia laxa) and always poppies, butter cups and blue-eyed grass all growing among the lush grass which is fast fading from green to gold as spring begins to wind down.
—Phila Rogers