Hikers tackle seven Santa Clara County parks — in one day
Santa Clara County’s PixInParks Challenge was a walk in the park for eight Bay Area hiking buddies. Actually, it was a walk in seven parks as the hikers completed the annual mission in a single day — logging 19 trail miles in just under 10 hours.
“All were in good shape at the end of the hike,” said Dinesh Desai, who organized Sunday’s trail adventure and was the oldest of the group at age 79. He previously took on a 110-mile solo walk around the Salton Sea in 2005 and set out in 2003 with his friend, Ron Perkins, on a 150-mile trek from Death Valley to the peak of Mount Whitney, a nearly 15,000-foot change in elevation.
Santa Clara County’s Parks Department issues the challenge to encourage people — even casual hikers — to enjoy the splendor of the outdoors and record their journey with photos. At the end, they’re rewarded with a “Magnificent 7” T-shirt. Most people take several weeks, if not months, to complete the challenge. Last year, Desai and another group completed the PixInParks Challenge in two days, but they pushed themselves to do better this year.
The group set out from Desai’s Los Altos home at 5:45 a.m., arriving at Coyote Lake around 6:30 a.m. They then hit Mt. Madonna, Calero, Santa Teresa, Almaden Quicksilver, Ed Levin and Alviso Marina parks before getting back at 8 p.m. They spent four hours in the car, 9 hours and 45 minutes on the trails — climbing 3,000 feet — and slacked off for a whole half-hour for lunch.
Desai said they were lucky that the high temperature they encountered Sunday was just 82 degrees, though they wound up hiking a bit longer than they expected since the trail mileage shown on the county website for Almaden Quicksilver Park was 3.6 miles, but the group’s GPS logged it as 5.1 miles. “The only other minor issue was the large number of ticks we encountered on Spring Valley trail in Ed Levin County Park,” Desai said.
VANDALISM MARS CATHEDRAL’S HOLIDAY BELL CONCERT >> A Memorial Day community gift ended on a sour note after employees discovered a broken window and some syringes on the grounds of Trinity Cathedral in downtown San Jose.
The Rev. David Bird said that some time after a bell concert Monday, someone pried up a cement utility cover and threw it through a church window, leaving broken glass in a stairwell and a gouge in a wall. A container for syringes similar to those used in hospitals was discarded nearby with dozens of syringes around it.
Bird, who has led congregations in urban areas of Manhattan and Georgetown, said the Episcopal church that faces St. James Park has had its share of broken windows. “I’m used to this,” he said Tuesday morning, “but it still shakes you up.”
The vandalism was reported to San Jose police, and Bird said church officials are looking through security camera video to see if there’s anything that can help identify the vandals. “Fortunately, we have a wonderful volunteer who comes and repairs these things,” he said.
The church on Monday conducted its first public concert since having its bell tower carillon restored and expanded last year. It had been a longtime tradition at the church, which faces St. James Park, to play concerts on public holidays.
The broken window marred what was otherwise a joyous occasion. “It was very pleasant, and the bells sounded much better than before,” Bird said.
FUN AND GAMES AT HISTORY SAN JOSE >> Retro arcade games and pinball machines are enjoying a renaissance these days, and History San Jose is putting the spotlight on the 8-bit action at this year’s Valley of Heart’s Delight fundraiser at History Park on June 16.
Games like Pong and Asteroids were pioneered by Atari in Sunnyvale, so it makes them a fun example of the tech revolution that moved the region from being the Valley of Heart’s Delight to Silicon Valley. “Valley at Play” will include several arcade games and other table top games and pinball machines for guests to play all evening, and dressing up in ’70s or ’80s attire is encouraged.
Tickets are $175 for adults, but there’s also a special $25 ticket available for kids 17 and under who accompany an adult. Get more information at historysanjose.org.