49.23 California: Berryessa Lake, free hiking along another ridge. Loved it.
It's exciting not being aware of a lake within sight and then reaching a certain height and lo and behold, the lake comes into view. This is just not any lake...it seems to encompass the best in color and shape. A wonderful view! We startled the hawks. Jenni can be quite scary at times. Never thought it would get better after the initial hike in Berryessa. Well, it did and we are fortunate for it. Admittedly, we took an unofficial path which was not a trail. In fact, it consisted of various fire roads and paths commencing on Highway 128 and proceeding mostly upwards until we reached the ridge. On the day, we did not climb less than about 2,800 feet. It was exciting as we explored various 'routes', connecting from one trail/path to another until we could see the final road headed toward the ridge. This occurred less than 40 minutes from the end. Until that moment, we could not be sure we'd reach the ridge. We can’t think of a time when we had more fun and enjoym...