Trail Trek Hike at Sycamore Grove, Livermore on March 13
Saturday, March 13th our trail trek hike at Sycamore Grove Park in Livermore is scheduled.
Please plan to arrive at 09:30 am. Hike will begin at 10:00 am.
Look forward to a uplifting fun filled hike with activities. We’ve experienced alot of rainfall lately so hopefully some wildflowers will be in bloom. More information to come as our hike date nears.
Less than 20 miles away and about a 1/2 hr drive from Brookvale elementary.
Regards,
Andrew Galindez
Trail Trek Coordinator
Flag Hill Trail Trek Hike in Sunol on December 12th (updated)
The first Trial Trekker hike will be located in the beautiful Sunol Regional Park Saturday morning on the 12th of December. We will meet at the foot bridge just past the visitors center and the park office. This is the same location of our Bridging ceremony which was held last June.
The first half of the Flag hill hike may be a bit strenuous for some of our scouts. To allow for greater participation this hike will be split into two hiking groups up to the top of Flag Hill.
- Scouts and parents who feel they are up to hiking the steeper route will be led north following the regular Flag Hill path.
- The second group will head east then northeast up the more gradual Hayfield rd./High Valley rd. towards Flag Hill’s summit.
Both groups will meet at the top of Flag Hill then return following the Hayfield rd./High Valley rd. route. No one will be allowed to return following the steeper Flag hill trail route.
A brief historical & nature talk will be given at the summit before returning.
Rain cancels.
Bring:
- $5 parking fee
- water
- bring your own snacks (for top of Flag hill)
- light sweater/jacket, something you can take off and carry.
- maybe cold in the morning.
Schedule of Events:
- 9:30 am Meet at foot bridge
- 10:00 am Start Hike (two groups)
- Flag Hill Summit - rest, discussion, then decent
Directions to Sunol Regional Park:
- Drive north on I-680 and exit at Calaveras Road.
- Turn right on Calaveras and proceed to Geary Road, which leads directly into the park.
- Enter the park and park near the Visitor Center where the foot bridge is just a short walk away.
Update: Hike Canceled due to Rain
Regretfully our Flag Hill Hike is canceled.
Thankfully Mother nature has provided us with much needed rain and snow. But with rain yesterday and again tonight with 90% chance of heavier rain due to fall during our scheduled hike tomorrow our hike is canceled.
- Tonight: Periods of rain. Low 44F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
- Tomorrow: Rain. High 54F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Rainfall may reach one inch.
We’ll keep you posted concerning future announcements of our BSA Trail Trekker program.
Thank you and have a great weekend,
Andrew Galindez
Pack 163
Trail Trekker Coordinator
Bridging Ceremony and Picnic Photos
It was a pleasant day at Sunol Regional Park as Pack 163 celebrated the end of the school year and the end of the Scout year. The day started early with some of our Scouts finally making the hike to Little Yosemite. By noon we were enjoying the picnic with some tasty dishes, sandwiches, and other treats. We then participated in several games including a blindfold maze game, a balloon relay race, and a tug-o-war!
Before heading off for the bridging ceremony, we handed out some awards including Tiger awards, a Bobcat, and Wolf awards. Then we walked over to the Foot Bridge over Alameda Creek for our Bridging Ceremony. Each Scout escorts a parent or relative across the bridge where they are presented with a scarf, slide, and book for their next rank in Scouting. Some of the Pack 163 “alumni” who are in Boy Scouts helped us out, but then the older Cubs perform the transition ceremony for the Scouts in the rank below them.
May 17: Little Yosemite Hike in the Sunol Regional Wilderness Park
Update:
I want to thank everyone that showed up (about 14 hearty souls).
Unfortunately, I had to cancel the hike due to the heat in and around Sunol Regional Park.
I want to thank Mike Vigil for informing anyone that showed up at the visitors center that the hike was cancelled. He was already over there and reported about the heat. The park is wind protected in the valley area and would have been several degrees hotter.
The heat was reported to be over 100+ degrees and I felt it was too dangerous for the cub scouts with the dry heat in the afternoon.
This was the second time this hike was cancelled. The first was for rain, and now for heat.
We will have to make it up some other time.
Little Yosemite Hike
The pack will be going on a Trail Trek hike to Little Yosemite in the Sunol Regional Wilderness Park on Sunday, May 17.
- Meet at the Brookvale Elementary School flagpole by 1 PM as we will be leaving shortly thereafter.
- We should arrive about 1:30 pm at the Visitor’s Center in the park. The hike will begin shortly after arrival.
If you know how to get to the visitors center in the park, then you can meet the group there. There is a small entrance fee for the park, so if you can carpool that would be better.
What to Bring
Please bring sturdy shoes (yes, tennis shoes should be ok).
Bring some water, a snack, a hat, and clothing enough for the weather. Rain will cancel the hike. Bring sunscreen.
Any questions, please let me know.
Robert Cook
Geocache Hike at Coyote Hills
We tried something new for Pack 163 with this month’s hike at Coyote Hills: Geocaching!
Geocaching is the “sport” of finding hidden treasures (”caches”) using GPS receivers. This event was led by Frank Crossman, an avid geocacher and father of Riley and Quinn Crossman. The official Geocaching website has dozens of caches in Fremont but we ended up going for four in the park.
Pack 163's Geocaches at Coyote Hills Regional Park
After our last hike was rained out, we had a great turnout even though the rain seemed like it could come at any moment. But, the skies cleared for long enough for us to make a go at it and find all four of the caches we were hunting for. As you can see by the map, these caches were located throughout the Coyote Hills Regional Park and we got a great view of both the marshes as well as the bay.
As we headed down from our fourth cache, the rain started to come in just a little. So, we hightailed it to the parking lot and back home after a fun and successful hike. Thanks to Mr. Crossman for helping Pack 163 enjoy a brand new kind of activity.
Riley Crossman Enjoys the Hike
Webelos Scout Riley and Tiger Cub Quinn Hiked to the Top