Windy Hill

I took myself on another Sunday afternoon excursion. This time it was a four mile hike to the top of Windy Hill in the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve just down the way in Portola Valley. It was a terrific hike, just the physical challenge I’ve been needing since starting a desk job. Sun shining, breeze blowing – heart pounding, thighs blazing. I kept my sights on the summit, or what looked like the summit until I turned a corner, and saw more mountain ahead me. Eventually, I made it to the top of the 1600 climb and ate my tangerine. Behind me was a view of more coastal mountains and the ambiguous blue-gray fog that obscures the ocean in the horizon. Ahead of me was this view, the peninsula and its rambling towns, the shadowy purple hills beyond the East Bay.

I missed hiking while away from California. Minnesota is mostly prairie. I love the mild adventure of it – conquering a climb, exploring the environment – a perfectly admirable way to spend three hours.

Advertisement