Our adventure begins in the Ohlone College parking lot. The trailhead for the Spring Valley Trail is located just east of the tennis courts near a power line tower. There are a few outhouses there to take care of business before heading on up the trail. This first day of hiking will be primarily uphill. Eagle Spring Backpack Camp is located just east of Mission Peak and can be seen from the peak itself. We should be able to get to the campsite and eat some lunch before setting up the tent and having some rest. Once rested, the plan is to check out some local trails and summit Mission Peak for the sunset. Night is going to be cold, so we'll hunker down in the tent with sleeping back liners in the sleeping bags, which add about 25F of warmth.

• Distance: 3.47 miles

• Ascent: 1,819 feet

• Descent: 121 feet

Let's just get this out of the way right now: We will not be waking up at the butt-crack of dawn to pack up and get on the trail. The plan is to enjoy the warmth of the tent for a while before making breakfast and packing up. The trail is downhill all the way to the Sunol Regional Wilderness parking lot. Once there, we'll be eating lunch and then heading down to Little Yosemite. A bit further ahead, we make a left up the trail to Sky Camp to set up for the evening. Total hiking for the day is 8 miles, so we won't want to do much walking after that. We may explore the other campsites in the area but we'll be relaxing at camp for a lot of the time we're at this one.

• Distance: 8 miles

• Ascent: 1,732 feet

• Descent: 2,320 feet

This may be one of the most strenuous days we will be hiking. Our trail to Maggie's Half Acre is just over 5½ miles, but it is all uphill. We hike east along the Ohlone Wilderness Trail until we reach Welch Creek Road. Welch Creek road runs eastward and upward toward Rose Peak, which we may summit after setting up camp and eating. Our campsite is to the north of Rose Peak.

• Distance: 5.6 miles

• Ascent: 2,619 feet

• Descent: 479 feet

At just under 10½ miles, Friday is the longest hike of the week. However, it is nearly all downhill to the lake. There are also a few things to check out on the way, including Murietta Falls and Schlieper Rock. We will be eating lunch at the latter. There are also two other camps, Stewart's Camp and Boyd Camp, which will be worth stopping at for a brief time.

• Distance: 10.4 miles

• Ascent: 1,735 feet

• Descent: 4,460 feet