Out for another Sierra Challenge training hike, I headed to the popular Black
Mountain in the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve in the Santa Cruz Mtns, above
Cupertino. Though it sports more than 750ft of prominence, it's only the second
most prominent Black Mtn in Santa Clara County and the third highest Black
Mtn - but undoubtedly the most popular, considering the other two lie on
private property. There are easier ways to reach the peak, but to keep it
sporting and something of a training hike, I started from Rancho San Antonio
OSP, the most popular OSP in the entire South Bay, and possibly in the whole
Bay Area. Upon my arrival before 7a, the large parking areas were already near
capacity. They now have one of those electronic signs out front to tell you how
many spaces are available, like a shopping mall or an airport garage. My route
followed the Stephen Abbors Trail
on the ascent, really just a PG&E powerline
road that services transmission lines running east to west across the preserve.
The trail is popular with hikers and runners - no bikes allowed on most of the
preserve trails. At the vista point at the junction
with the Upper High Meadow Trail, I followed the Quarry Trail west on
an easement through (you guessed it) the Permanente Quarry property
found to the south of the preserve. This connects with the
Black Mtn Trail climbing to the south to reach Black Mtn's summit in
the adjacent OSP. Coastal fog kept the sun hidden for most of the morning and
the summit was burried in the clouds on my arrival. It was just
starting to clear as I headed back down. Once back in Rancho San
Antonio, I took the Upper High Meadow Trail for the return, followed
by the Bypass Trail that skirts around
the ever-popular Deer Hollow Farm down in Rogue Valley. All of the trails were
pretty busy the entire morning, though of course more so the closer one gets
to the parking lots. I finished up
shortly before 11a, a little over 4hrs for
the 12mi and 3,000ft of gain the outing entailed.