Table Mountain

 It was time for my weekend run, and this nifty ninety peak looked like a good option. I got up early and drove up to Saratoga Gap, which was surprisingly busy. After warming up, I crossed the road and headed north along the trail towards the mountain.

Sun not quite over the ridge yet. Near Saratoga Gap.

It was a nice run along the ridge, with only a few bikers to watch out for. Eventually I got to the junction where I dropped down to the mountain.

Heading down to the peak.

It is a significant descent from Skyline Ridge down to Table Mountain. There are two trails, so at least you can make a loop of it. There are some views on the fire road trail.

The "summit" of Table Mountain

The summit is very underwhelming. I would only go here to check it off the list. There are nice mountains in the area. On the way back up I did manage to hit my head pretty hard on a tree that hadn't been trimmed quite enough. Back up on the ridge I crossed Skyline Drive and headed back on the other side.

Looking towards Big Basin.

There were some openings in the trees that allowed for views to the west. Little did I know a few weeks later that area would burn in the CZU fire.

Cool, shady forest.

I took a long way back, going down the Skyline to Sea trail a few miles before crossing the road and heading back up. One of the trails I took was extremely overgrown and appeared to be abandoned, but it wasn't hard to use, yet. I was also surprised how close it went to some people's yards. Maybe that's why it hasn't been maintained in a while.

Lots of cars in the woods along CA 35

Heading back I passed some of the many cars that have been sitting in the woods, presumable after tragic accidents. Back at the car I headed home to do some of the NAQP contest that was happening that afternoon.