A Hike For All Seasons (Bolinas Ridge 1/13/09)

When we last hiked along the Bolinas Ridge and down the Randall Trail, there was no doubt it was summer. The calendar said August 12th, and the thermometer registered in the 90's. Although this time around (in January) we might expect rainy, stormy weather, instead we got a dose of all four seasons.

Finding the meeting place (at the hike's end) for this trek is always challenging since it isn't well marked. Four of us rode over the hill from Fairfax together in a single car and when the scheduled meet time had come and gone, hopes of doing this shuttle hike began to wane and thoughts of a "Plan B" hike started to rattle around in our brains. But patience paid off, and one by one, seven more of our group arrived, delayed by a forced detour around road construction south near Bolinas, and a little confusion about where we were to rendezvous.

After sorting out the transportation logistics, eleven of us piled into three cars and set off on the twenty-minute drive south to Bolinas and then uphill to the crest of the Bolinas Ridge. While it had been comfortably warm down in the Olema Valley at 9:30 a.m., cold wind gusts at the trailhead prompted us to don more layers of clothing and to curtail our usual pre-hike "roundtable" discussion of the last week's activities so we could high-tail it down the trail, get our muscles working, and warm up.

In August, the many redwoods lining the Bolinas Ridge Fire Road shielded us from the blazingly hot sun; this time, the big trees blocked the strong easterly breeze that made for real "Winter" weather at the start of the hike. In the summer, we walked quickly on the exposed sections of the trail that winds through manzanita and other chaparral plants; this time we lingered on these stretches, soaking up the warmth of the sun. These treeless spots and clear skies gave us sweeping views to Bolinas and The Farralone Islands to the west, and San Francisco Bay and Mount Diablo to the east.

About an hour or so into the walk, Spring had sprung. Red Admiral Butterflies flitted and honeybees buzzed along the route and the temperature had climbed into the low 60's. By about twelve-thirty we'd hiked 3.4 miles, reaching the shady spot under the redwood trees where we'd enjoyed a leisurely lunch during our August hike, and the junction of the Bolinas Ridge road with the McCurdy Trail leading down to Dogtown. This time we decided to postpone our mid-day repast for a bit and continue on for another mile or so to where we'd eventually turn west and descend to the Olema Valley on the Randall Trail.

By the time we sat down to lunch a little after 1 pm, the wind had died out and we were having a "summer" picnic in the woods. A half hour later, we reluctantly packed up our gear and began the steep-at-times mile and a half stroll downhill to where we'd left some of our cars a few hours earlier.

In August, cows were "hiking" uphill past us as we neared the valley floor, but we didn't encounter any "bovine buddies" this time. About 2:15 pm we reached Highway 1 and the end of the hike. Some of us drove back to the trailhead to retrieve the cars we'd left there at the beginning of the trek, but four of us found a shady spot along the road and spent the next 45 minutes chatting, napping, and relaxing until our drivers returned from the trailhead to give us a lift home. By that time, temperatures were in the 70's, but the sun was sitting lower in the sky than in summer, casting longer shadows, and giving a "Fall" feeling to the scene.

All four seasons in a little over four hours. Not bad for a "Winter" outing.