Wholesome Fucking Activities: Orinda to Rockridge via Claremont Canyon
It all looked so simple on the BART map. We'd meet at Rockridge, take the train one stop, and walk back. The look on my face when I got off at Orinda and turned around must have been priceless. It probably said something like: "What the fuck have I gotten myself into this time?"
The basic problem with every Bay Area map is that few are ever topographical. And BART's swiss-design beauty certainly glosses over the hundreds and hundreds of feet in vertical elevation between Orinda and Rockridge stations. The backside fire road is on EBMUD protected reservoir watershed property, and is a curvy but otherwise direct ascent. That you need a permit for the trail must be some kind of ironic joke.
I managed it like an ox, with my head down and lungs bursting, trying desperately to kick everyone else's ass up the hill. And don't ever believe the, "It's all down hill from here" lie, on this trail specifically or about life in general. Even after peaking, it was a sidewinding roller coaster all the way down to the Claremont hotel.
Four breathless hours of hiking as leisurely as I could make it worked out, all considered. While it was a wonderful experience with many beautiful sights, it'll take a few epsom salt baths before I'll attempt it again.
The basic problem with every Bay Area map is that few are ever topographical. And BART's swiss-design beauty certainly glosses over the hundreds and hundreds of feet in vertical elevation between Orinda and Rockridge stations. The backside fire road is on EBMUD protected reservoir watershed property, and is a curvy but otherwise direct ascent. That you need a permit for the trail must be some kind of ironic joke.
I managed it like an ox, with my head down and lungs bursting, trying desperately to kick everyone else's ass up the hill. And don't ever believe the, "It's all down hill from here" lie, on this trail specifically or about life in general. Even after peaking, it was a sidewinding roller coaster all the way down to the Claremont hotel.
Four breathless hours of hiking as leisurely as I could make it worked out, all considered. While it was a wonderful experience with many beautiful sights, it'll take a few epsom salt baths before I'll attempt it again.
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