Penitencia Creek Trail 2015-04-06

The hike that was meant to be! 

I hadn't yet decided where to go when I woke up this morning, but soon, I noticed an injured bird in our backyard when Apollo stepped outside.

After a rapid-fire learning session on how to deal with injured birds, who cares for them, and how to reach them as soon as possible, Apollo and I were at Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, right by Penitencia Creek Trail. After handing the bird, a Robin, to their care, we took to the trail to check it out.

WCSV is located by the Penitencia Creek Park. We started off by doing a loop around the park, about a mile long, and then joined the trail going in a southwestern direction. A paved blacktop trail, this is located in the residential area of East San Jose. The setting meant that we were probably one of the few who were not residents of the neighborhood walking the trail. The next mile or so of the trail was bordered by Penitencia Creek Rd on one side and Stonecrest Way on the other before we eventually reached N. Capitol Ave. 

The urban setting was further pronounced by the Penitencia Light Rail Station on Capitol Ave that separates two sections of the trail.

After crossing over Capitol Ave, the trail continues crossing Hwy 680 onto Jackson Ave. Located at Jackson Ave is Penitencia Creek County Park. With another break at Mabury Ave, the trail goes a little further ahead until King Rd. We chose to turn around at the County Park, making our way back to WCSV, where we'd parked the car.

The trail also goes in a northeastern direction from where we parked, leading you into Alum Rock Park and the eastern foothills. Without doubt, I can tell you that section would've been more interesting than the one we ended up doing. I was focused on ensuring the injured bird would be okay and not so much on where we hiked today. I am certain that Alum Rock Park is dog friendly, although the bordering Sierra Vista Open Preserve is not.

I'd still say that the 5.2 mile hike we did with little planning was not shabby by any means. 

More pictures from the hike.

#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #PenitenciaCreekTrail