Monday, October 13, 2008

The sound of silence


Look through the Bay Area Hiker website and you’ll find ‘”lonely”, “desolate” and “remote” to describe the Morgan Territory which is East Bay Regional Park District. Located near Livermore the park is 4,708 acres with hiking trails crossing its grasslands and tree groves. Today’s hike would take us along these quiet trails.



Morgan territory does have a lonely feel to it. Set back far the road, the sounds of traffic and everyday life slip quickly away. Alice picked the trails to the south of the main road so we headed out along the Clyma Trail toward a campground just over 3-miles from the staging area.





The trail seems a lot like those at Mount Diablo that sits to the north of the park. Rolling grasslands and rugged hills sat along side the trail. Live oaks and California buckeyes dotted the grasslands as he we headed along the path. Several steep climbs led us through groves of oak that gave cool shade relief along our hike.




Aside from the occasional screech from a circling hawk or the rustle of a lizard in the dry leaves on the trail there was no noise. It is a very quiet place, with aged trees standing guard along our path. We never saw another hiker or biker along our hike although did catch sight of a coyote near a water hole.






It was a good hike with enough breezes to keep us cool on the long climbs and a variety of sights to keep out cameras busy. The trails and grasslands hold a quiet beauty calling for exploration.

1 comment:

Safari Mom said...

wish we could get others to try these hikes they are missing some of the most beautiful parts of California that you have captured perfectly.