Mission achieved at Mission Peak

Last Wed, my department in San Jose had a team building. Usually, team building in Penang would means eat, karaoke or bowling. As my team members in Penang don't really like outdoor activities, we've been eating for team building all this while.

Here in San Jose, things are a little different. My boss in SJ likes hiking, so we get to go hiking for team building. YAY!! The destination of the hike would be Mission Peak, one of the many peaks in the Bay Area.

According to my boss, it is a 6miles (9.67km) hike, to and fro. The hill has an elevation of 2000+ ft (610m). Quite far you know, almost 10km or hiking.

At the trail head of Mission Peak

Mission Peak was just a 15 to 20mins drive away from Altera. As we reach there around 10.30am, the sun was glaring down on us. It was, at the same time, chilly as the wind keeps blowing. We were faced by a large magnificent but bared mountain. Not much trees up there, the grass were yellowish and the trail was covered by sand and small stones.

Dry grass, that's what make the mountain looks yellowish from far

At the beginning, it wasn't such a difficult hike, it was a constant ascending throughout the trail, not so steep at the start point but the steepness increases as we gain altitude.

Easy hike at the beginning of the trail

There were no trees to provide shade, hikers were all exposed to the sun, which is a good thing because it was so cold. I never like sunlight back in M'sia, they just burned your skin. But in the US, the sun is the best thing you could get in the day time, warming me up from the cold weather.

It was sand and small stone which makes the descending so much harder compare to going up

It was indeed a good team building activity. As we were hiking our way up to the top, we get to communicate and talk. Chatting about topics that we never have the chance to talk in office, more to the personal side of things and not so much on the technical stuff. At the same time, it was good exercises.

That was me dragging my big butt up the last portion of the trail

The sandy trail becomes a stony trail and are much more steeper when we get nearer to the top.

Satisfying view from the top of Mission Peak. Down below is the Bay Area

Me and the peak's marker

It was very windy and cold up there at 2000ft elevation, at a season nearing winter. I wasn't wearing a jacket in the above picture because after a continuous hike, heat produces by the body from the energy burning keeps me warm. That doesn't last long though, I was freezing cold after cooling down.

The team and I, admiring the view

For me, I like to go uphill but I hate going downhill. Descending is so much more difficult than going up, I get toe pain coming down, and it is not good for the knees too. Plus, with the sand, I nearly slip a few times when the sand gave way on my way down.

To sums it all up, Mission Peak is a nice place to hike. At the trail head, ample parking available, FREE. There are also toilet (FREE, with toilet paper somemore) and water dispenser (water cooler) for adults, kids and can you believe it?!! Water dispenser for pets too, it is built low and is easily reachable by dog. At first, I thought it was for people to wash their shoes or something, I was proven wrong when I saw a dog and his owner drinking water together.

After the hiking, the whole team went for a lunch at Dave and Busters, an eating place with lots of video games. It is like a restaurant + arcade. Lunch and game in the expenses of boss ;) What a great team building just right before the long thanksgiving weekend! TQ boss.

For more photos : Mission Peak team building
(The link might be invalid after some time if my online storage gets full)