By Rick Rodriguez
It's beauty somewhat dampened by the receding water line; nonetheless, Lake Chabot, is still one of my favorite places to run in the East Bay Area! And while the Southeast portion of the lake is more reeds than water; the lake still maintains its allure to walkers, runners, hikers, mountain bikers, and fishing enthusiasts.
Yesterday's run was a quick out and back to the western most point of the Honker Bay Trail via the East Shore Trail. It's a familiar run for me and to many others. The trail is paved in the beginning, mostly flat, and is a fast in and out trail run with parking adjacent to main thoroughfare. This makes it easy to hit the brakes, change into running gear, and be on the trail in minutes. This run is about 4 miles and is excellent for beginning trail runners. The paved portion is 1.66 miles and from there you cross a slightly suspended bridge and onto the Honker Bay Trail.
Once past the bridge that marks the intersection of the Live Oak Trail and Honker Bay Trail, the surface is flat as the trail continues to hug Lake Chabot's shoreline. No surprises here other than really cool views of the lake and the day's participants enjoying the park's offerings. And even despite the recent rains, surfaces remain firm enabling a mudless running experience. As I looped around onto the Honker Bay Trail, and somewhat to my dismay, I began to notice what appeared to be a receding water line and a plethora of reeds inhabiting this section of the lake. It's something I never noticed and certainly hope it's a temporary condition!
After passing this point, I continued onto the trail until I reached my turn around point. Lurking in the distance, the Columbine Trail, a familiar running trail, intersects at Honker Bay Trail, and loops the entire lake. Here, I spent countless hours prepping for marathons and I look forward to once again meeting its challenges. But for now, I limited myself to this sneak peek back to the place where I first came to know the beauty of the East Bay trails!
