Lafayette Ridge and Contra Costa Hiking

The Lafayette Ridge and Contra Costa Hiking Meetup group is for seasoned and serious hikers only. At 7.6 miles with 1480 elevation and lots of hills, it's a challenging hike and I go at a fast pace.
Starting from Lafayette Ridge Staging area near Springhill/Pleasant Hill roads, we'll take the Lafayette Ridge Trail south parallel to the road before hairpin turning to start the climb up connecting with service road, up and around the bend. We'll climb past the barn all the way up to the one little dip before going up through the gate. From there we'll stay to the left where its flat for some time, before climbing up a bit and turning right at the juncture, following the path to the left where it stays flat for some time before begining to climb up again to start the series of rolling hills. These end with three straight hill climbs up to the picnic table at Russel Peak. The hills have lots of loose gravel and sand and can be slippery. Poles are recommended (though I don’t use them).
The steep slippery hills (along with the sometimes frequent bicyclists) make this a HARD (not moderate or easy) hike. It's 7.6 miles to Russel Peak picnic table and back. I'll try to do it in the middle of the week and sometimes once on the weekends.
Bring water, snacks and poles, if needed. Dogs are okay, but beware - there are bicyclists traveling at high speeds sometimes on these trails.
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