Misson Peak along with few other places in the Bay Area is prime location for hiking. Summit at 2500 ft elevation offers a great view of silicon valley. An early morning (an hour before sunrise) trip to the summit greets with refreshing fog at foothills. As you climb up above the fog, spectacular scenery with dawn skys and cloud cover over the valley from Mission peak to Santa Cruse mountains mesmerizes the hikers.
Since my first climb few years back to now, traffic on trail increased dramatically. Even though I’m pleased and applaud the increased health consciousness in people, I constantly see some of us take short cuts and make new paths to the summit. These actions will result into land errosion and damage to already minimal flora.
Volunteers and Rangers are ticketing people caught on these short cut paths, but I believe the change should/will come from individual’s self-conviction. Current state of peaks does not look threatened, but hopefully we never get to that state.
Land preserves meant to preserve them to their natural state. I wish cattle are not allowed on the peaks.
Image (Mission Peak on right corner and Mt. Allison on Left corner)
llmswamy Photography 