I promised my friend that I’d check up on her cat while she and husband attended a wedding in Chicago. The couples lives in Oakland, at Lake Merritt, so Jesse I decided to drive to Piedmont to check out a local and new-to-us trail.

Our trusty trail book recommended the French Loop route at Redwood Regional Park. As we drove closer to the trail head, both of us kept wondering if we were still in Oakland – the panoramic views and homes nestled in the hillside reminded us of Marin. At the trail head, we found ample parking and many good dogs to talk to.

The trail was gorgeous – wide, shaded, and soft, and the book took us on a few smaller trails with Jesse’s favorite – singletrack. We gained nearly 1,500 feet over the seven-mile route and felt so far removed from civilization. Parts of the route were spent totally alone, among groves of trees where you could here a pin drop.

With two challenging trail runs totaling about 12 miles, it was a great weekend on the trails.