Like most folks in the Bay Area, Monday morning's low-elevation dusting of snow had me in a state of wonder. Seeing the eastern hills covered in white sent a jolt of delight through me.

It was shameful, really. People in the Silicon Valley are supposed to be cool and hip (read: cynical and unaffected).

When somebody points out the window and says, "Ooh, look, snow on Mission Peak!" A proper Silicon Valleyite keeps his eyes on his computer screen, shakes his head in pity at the poor person's misguided joy in such commonplace things, and says, "Really? That's nice. You know it looks just like the stuff that falls in the Sierras every year, right?"

He doesn't leap from his chair, race to the window, and say, "Really? Snow? Awesome!" Then run outside to get a better view. Nor does he rush off the next day after work to climb Mission Peak so he can photograph and frolic in the snow.

Yet that's what I did.

Tuesday afternoon, I drove fifteen minutes to Mission Peak Regional Preserve, Fremont's marquee park. Any local hiker worth his or her salt has hiked it, or so I'm told.

It may come as a surprise to my readers (hello, you two!) to learn this was my first visit to the park. I don't know how I managed to go all this time without setting foot within its boundaries (considering every time it came up in previous conversations with other hikers, I was always greeted with enough disbelief to motivate even the laziest couch potato to jump in the car and speed over to Fremont), but I had. Now, at least, that won't be an awkward topic on the trail.

Anyway, I parked at the end of Stanford Avenue and started the long climb up Hidden Valley Trail to the summit of Mission Peak. The way was wide, windy, and covered in gray gravel. Although one climbs 2,200 feet over 2.8 miles, the grade isn't steep. In fact, some people have found the slope so easy, they've worn footpaths into the hillside, creating shortcuts that are steeper and more challenging (in blatant disregard of the signs urging everyone to stay on the trail).

My first sighting of any significant amount of snow came two miles into the hike, just before the Grove Trail junction.

The toughest part of the hike came near the top, on the Peak Trail, where the slope and mud combined to make a slippery slide. Luckily, I had my trekking poles and kept to the snowy patches, which offered better footing.

On the way up, I passed this snowman, who seemed to have an extremely optimistic outlook on life for someone who would only be here a short time. There's a lesson in that somewhere.

When I made it to the top (2,517 feet above sea level), the view was spectacular. I could see Fremont,

the bay,

and the peaks to the east. I could even see Mt. Hamilton to the south.

I spent twenty minutes on the summit. While up there, I only encountered three hikers and a dog. One of the hikers was nice enough to take my photo, which turned out surprisingly well despite the fact that I'm in it.

All told, the hike took two hours, including time to photograph and frolic, and I must say the park and snow exceeded my unsophisticated, Silicon-Valley-unworthy expectations.

You can see a few more photos from my hike on Flickr.

For more information on hiking in the preserve, be sure to visit Bay Area Hiker, Trailspotting, and Two-Heel Drive.