A Cloudless Day Above Tennessee Valley (October 14)

Hiking near the coast is often best done in the fall when an offshore flow of warm air tends to keep the fog at bay. This advice was well applied to our hike above Tennessee Valley when not a single tendril of moisture hung over the coast and only light, but cooling breezes played along the ridges as we tromped up and down hill under a warm October sun.

The thermometer in Dick's car read the outside air temperature at 52 degrees when he pulled into the trailhead parking lot at 9:20 am, but before we were very long into the hike, everyone was shedding jackets they'd worn during our pre-hike "meeting" as we climbed a steep and treeless section of the Miwok Trail. After winding our way north, then east, then back north again, our huffing and puffing upwards was rewarded with sweeping views of Tiburon, Belevedere, the unburnt side of Angel Island, and all the way across the Berkeley Hills to the tip of Mount Diablo. We dipped downward towards Tam Junction, then turned sharply west to catch the Coyote Ridge Trail and cool down in the shade of a large grove of Eucalyptus growing along the eastern edge of the ridge.

When we marched up to the "summit" at about 900' above sea level and then down the Coastal Trail, we could see downtown Mill Valley, then the Golden Gate Bridge poking its "ears" above the Marin Headlands, then Muir Beach, and finally down the coast past San Francisco. Along with way, Wendy nabbed a pretty green Praying Mantis, and migrating raptors and Turkey Vultures soared overhead. Butterflies and Dragonflies flitted back and forth across the trail.

About five miles and three hours after we set out, we finished the long, slow and gradual ascent up the Tennessee Valley Trail and began our "Final Exam". As usual, their was enough food for an Army regiment, enough variety to satisfying everyone's tastes, and not one, but two desserts!

(Photos from the hike taken by Dick and Theresa Fisher can be viewed on the blog or by clicking here to access to on-line album of photos from this hike).