| via El Sombroso/North Ridge Route |
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| via El Sombroso/North Ridge   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: California, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 37.16467°N / 121.91205°W Route Type: Bushwack Adventure Time Required: Half a day Difficulty: Steep Class 1
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| Page By: David Alexander Created/Edited: Nov 11, 2005 / May 21, 2006 Object ID: 167540 Hits: 819 Loading... Page Score: 86.73% - 3 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
ApproachThe North Ridge "Trail" starts from the summit of El Sombroso, north of Mt. Umunhum. El Sombroso can be reached by a variety of different trailheads, including the staging area at Hicks Road and Mt. Umunhum Road, from Lexington Reservoir, or from Kennedy Road in Los Gatos. Woods Trail is the trail that summits El Sombroso. The beginning of this trail is directly south of the summit. It follows the ridge toward the radio towers between Mt. Umunhum and Mt. Thayer.
Route DescriptionThis ancient trail was probably a fire break back in the old Air Force days. Since then it had become completly overgrown and is very hard to travel on. Serious bushwacking is required to get across the connecting ridge that the trail occupies. Making it through the trail also promises a summit bid of Mt. Thayer. The brush essentially gets thicker as you tarvel farther south from El Sombroso. As the trail nears Mt. Thayer, the only way to get through is to crawl on your hands and knees through a small tunnel carved through the branches. However, the travelling need not be done on top of the ridge the whole way: the east and west sides of the ridge are covered in Bay Tree forests that are much less dense than the tough shrubs that occupy the top of the ridge. Eventually, the trail will drop out onto Soda Springs Road. To get to Mt. Umunhum, turn left and follow the same directions for Soda Springs Road. Head to the right to summit Mt. Thayer. Stay on the paved road and it will lead to Thayer's fence-surrouned summit.
Essential GearLONG SLEEVES!!!!!!!!!
Without long sleeves, you won't make it very far. Long pants are also an essential since you will be crawling on your hands, knees, and even your stomach for about a mile. A hood, or something to cover your head with would also be very essential. Also, a small water pack or compact backpack would do better than a larger backpack, to prevent it from getting caught on low-hanging branches. Lots of water in the pack. Be prepared to get some scratches, as this trail goes through tough chapparal shrubs. Not for the faint of heart, or people with bad knees.
Fair Warning-READ THIS!This page contains information about hiking on private property and closed areas of land. Any entanglements you get into while hiking around Mt. Umunhum is your fault, not mine, so don't blame anything on me. I just inform. If you are cited or arrested, you must assume full responsibility. Also, no matter how tempting it might be, do not vandalize any of the buildings on the Almaden Airforce Station. You are already up here illegally, the worst thing you can do is make the area more damaged, in turn possibly hindering any sort of public access. Trespassing on the Almaden Airforce Station is punishable by a misdemeanor along with a $300 fine. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Happy Hiking,
David.
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