Monday, June 13, 2011

A splash of color

Alice made a great call when she selected a section of the Sunol Regional Wilderness as our Sunday hike.  We would be heading to Little Yosemite along Alameda Creek.







It wasn't a very long hike-the loop we took was just about 4.5 miles but for a good stretch we hiked to the sound of the creek racing through the rocks.  It has been a welcome sound these last hikes to hear and see so much water after a couple years of drought.







The Little Yosemite area is a section of the creek where it tumbles down among boulders and trees in a secluded area.  We scrambled around the rocks looking for just the right spot to photograph the creek.







The sunlight glinting off the water made for tough exposures as we studied the rocks and leaves scatted through the creek.  A myriad of colors burst through against the grey stone boulders and green moss covered rocks in the stream bed.







The return stretch of the hike took us up out of the creek's canyon into the grasslands as we trekked nervously keeping an eye out for slumbering snakes.  Wildflowers made one last stand against the summer's heat as they dotted the grass along the trail.








Summer is upon us and the temperatures will force toward the coast for cooler hikes.  We are planning one trip soon to Yosemite to capture the waterfalls before they fade in the summer heat.  Then we will be coastal for the summer duration.

No comments: