Hiking Mission Peak

By Munish Gupta

August 13^th, 2014

March 9th, 2014

Arriving in Fremont, CA on March 8th marked the end of the first phase of my road trip. Looking back, every mile leading to this midway ‘destination’ holds nothing but good memories. I was staying with an old and dear friend, and it was her idea that we hike the nearby peak the following day.

So there we were, the next afternoon, setting off along the Ohlone Wilderness Trail. The path began right at the park gate, just steps from the parking lot—ready to lead us upward.

Saw a lot of bikers riding up the trail.

Wonder if one could camp at the top!

Write your story here. (Optional)

Made the mistake of not carrying enough water. Originally, we were not planning to hike to the top.

This would be looking westwards somewhere on the way.

In addition to fellow hikers, we experienced what my friend jokingly called a high level of ‘cow exposure.’ The park is open for grazing, so cows were everywhere—lounging along the trails, crossing them casually, or forging their own paths entirely. They clearly roamed wherever they pleased.