March 21, 2014 - Pig Pond/Tunnel Monement Loop

Title: March 21, 2014 - Pig Pond/Tunnel Monument Loop

Trail head: Parking Lot at Pacheco State Park

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Pig Pond/Tunnel Monument/Spikes Peak

Destination:  Tunnel Monument

Distance:  3.67 miles

Start Time:   11:41

End Time:      1:27

Travel Time: 1:45 (2.10 mph)

Moving Time: 1.29 (2.47 mph)

Elevation Rise:  966'

Maximum Elevation:   1,823

Start of Trail to Pig Pond

Description:
Once again we are on our way over to my parents in Mountain View. Pacheco State Park is turning out to be a great place to go for a mid-trip hike. We get to Pacheco around 11:30 and take off to Pig Pond. Previous hikers had not closed gates, but we leave them closed.

Climbing out of Pig Pond

Pig Pond is a familiar route-we have done this several times. While Pig Pond will never be a destination spot, it is a close one mile walk from the car. We travel beyond this, up the hill to a picnic table. This would be a great place to eat, with shade and views of Salt Creek, windmills and even Fremont Peak.

Fremont Peak

But we do not have lunch with us, so on we go, but just a little ways to the Tunnel Monument trail junction. We make a right turn onto the Tunnel Monument Trail and start a training hike up. This is really a steep climb. Glad it is not hot, but it is windy, which cools us a bit. The climb seems to be never ending, but in reality, it is only 500' up! Just straight up.

Tunnel Monument

But at the top you see back towards San Luis Reservoir, then down the west side of Pacheco. Nice, as long as the wind does not blow my hat off too many times. We hunt around for the Tunnel Monument, but do not find it. But we go down the trail thirty yards, and there it is. The monument is only a benchmark which says there is a tunnel below us from San Luis Reservoir to the creek on the west side of Pacheco. But you do enjoy thinking about all the engineering of those who bore through the Coastal Range to make this happen.

Spikes Road Trail

We continue our walk, starting on the return trip. As steep as it was coming up, it us at least as steep going down Spikes  Road. But we rejoin the Pig Pond trail, where it flattens out. From there it is a short walk back to the car. Then off to Gilroy and Subway for lunch-a Chicken Enchilada Melt if you must know.

Trail Lesson:

Say,     do you have any grey pig pond?  (Probably one of those things where you had to be there, but try saying it slightly slurred)