Experience has taught me that hiking in Henry Coe has less to do with distance and more to do with elevation. When I pick a destination, I don't ask myself, "How far is it?" I ask, "How high is it?" Or, in the case of China Hole, "How low is it?"

Tom at Two-Heel Drive recently visited that spot in the park in search of damage from the devastating Lick Fire and wrote a great trip report about it. Of course, even the best written account (with photos) is a poor substitute for getting out and seeing the sights for yourself. Besides, a good report is one that inspires the reader to get off his or her duff and explore. (That isn't the only quality of a good report, but it's an important one.)

According to the sign at Coe Headquarters, China Hole is 5.4 miles away. According to the map sold at headquarters, it's 4.8 miles away. Since I don't know which one to believe, I'm going to say China Hole is roughly 1,500 feet lower than headquarters.

With Friday's rain, I thought I would be hiking on wet and muddy trails, but as it turned out, there was practically no evidence of the previous day's precipitation. Corral Trail was completely dry and with the exception of the occasional puddle, so was Manzanita Point Road, which offered a wonderful view of the fields that were green only a few months back.

Since I can't seem to pass a body of water without photographing it, I made a quick stop at Bass Pond, the unintentional terminus of my St. Patrick's Day hike earlier this year.

I quickly reached the junction where the China Hole and Madrone Soda Springs Trails meet. Both trails lead to China Hole, so I flipped a mental coin (I called heads) and took the China Hole Trail, a shaded, single-track path lined with tall manzanitas. I invaded the personal space of one manzanita to take this shot...

As soon as I passed the Cougar Trail junction, the trees disappeared to reveal the canyons and ridges of the park.

Further down, as the trail became a series of long switchbacks, I finally got an unobstructed view of the fire damage near the top of Blue Ridge.

At China Hole, I scampered over a rock to photograph whatever water was left, but in doing so, I accidentally scared away three turtles that had been enjoying a pleasant Saturday afternoon sunning.

Since there wasn't a single soul around, I found a cozy spot to read, snack, and enjoy the solitude while the turtles silently cursed me. (I did move away to give them space, by the way, but I could still sense their resentment at my intrusion.)

Because I like to avoid out-and-back hikes as much as possible, I returned to Manzanita Point Road using the Mile and Madrone Soda Springs Trails. The Mile Trail, aptly named because it is exactly 1.2 miles long, is a heavily shaded path that crisscrosses the springs many times.

It also passes two notable landmarks: a collapsed and abandoned cabin...

... and a stone hut.

I didn't linger around or venture inside either structure. I'm sure both are perfectly harmless places, but when you're alone in the woods and have an imagination like mine, perfectly harmless places begin to attain a certain degree of eeriness -- not enough to send me running and screaming, mind you, but enough to keep me from poking around in dark corners.

The junction of Manzanita Point Road and Madrone Soda Springs Trail sits at an elevation of 2,321 feet. China Hole rests at an elevation of 1,150 feet. Because the Mile Trail stays along the canyon floor, the responsibility of making up the 1,171-foot difference rests upon the one-mile stretch of the Madrone Soda Springs Trail. I was relieved when the road finally came into sight.

I followed the road until I reached the next trail junction. Even though it added a few tenths of a mile to the hike, I took the Springs Trail to see how the season had changed the landscape. I was richly reward with views like this one...

All in all, it was a good hike. Some climbing was involved, but not enough to kill me, a trait I like in my hikes. It still amazes me that I've seen only a small percentage of the park. There is still so much to see and explore. A backpacking trip or an overnight stay in the coming weeks would be ideal. If that isn't possible, then starting from Hunting Hollow or Dowdy Ranch (when it reopens) might be a good alternative.

For more photos from the hike, please check out the Flickr set.