Across The Mountain And Back (Mt. Burdell, March 31)

(While the rest of the Meanderers were having lunch at Hidden Lake on Mount Burdell, Dick was wolfing down a sandwich on Southwest Airlines flight 437 from Phoenix to Oakland. As the hike ended, Dick was trying to type "posts" to his Arizona trip blog while the Wi-Fi equipped plane bounced through turbulent skies over California's Central Valley. Here's his recap of the Mount Burdell hike based on information and photos from Theresa Fisher, and his write-up of last year's Spring outing on the mountain).

When we were standing in a circle sharing our adventures of the past week, the most exciting thing (in Theresa's opinion, but she thinks we'd all agree) was that a Cooper's Hawk flew into Rachael's livingroom and it took her about 20 minutes to help it get out. It seemed to be OK after flying out and the only damage to her room was a bit of blood by the window where the poor thing kept bashing into it, and a broken glass object that fell from a shelf. It was a warm day and Rachel had had both sides of the room open and the hawk may have been attracted by smaller birds near her house. Why it flew farther than necessary is anybody's guess!

Theresa let people know that during the past week a wild turkey has been at her house 4 times! Her husband saw it right out the front door yesterday as well. (This photo of Ben Franklin's choice for our National Bird perched out Theresa's roof was taken the Friday before the hike). Theresa know it's turkey mating season, but is not so sure Mr. Turkey will "get lucky" in her neighborhood.

Linda invited us all to a fundraising get together at her house for cause her friend is involved in. to help people of Afghanistan and said she would send us an email regarding the fundraising soiree.

This hike basically traverses Mount Burdell from west to east, touching on the western boundary of Olompali State Park. (We hiked in that park almost exactly a year ago on April 1, 2008. Just like this year, Dick was on a flight back from Phoenix and missed the hike, but wrote this brief recount of that outing). Our track is shown on the following Google Earth image (click on it to open a larger version in your Web browser) which Theresa created using information collected by her GPS.


At the outset, this hiked dropped a bit in elevation, then we went cross-country through some serpentine outcroppings to search for wildflowers, before heading up the mountain in a northeasterly direction. Then we turned north and east on an upward slant until we hit the Salt Lick Fire Road before switching back to the north and west on the Burdell Fire Road. Wendy warned us to watch out for "bovine matter" (aka "Meadow Muffins" or "Cow Pies"). During a few spring months, the Marin County Open Space District allows certain portions of the preserve to be grazed by small herds of domestic cattle. The District says that his practice helps to reduce the non-native grasses which have a tendency to overcrowd many native species. We came quite close to some of these four-legged milk-factories as we crossed the mountain.

As we stopped to check out a granary tree for Acorn Woodpeckers, a couple of equestrians rode by and one asked if we were a "bird group". She didn't wait for an answer before she asked a question about a bird that's been hanging out in her yard. Some kind of a hawk, white, about the size of a crow. Well, of course, our Wendy right away said it probably was a White Tail Kite. The rider said that was very happy to learn that was probably the bird she'd spotted and said she'll look for its black shoulders the next time she saw it.

a White-breasted Nuthatch was in a tree next to where the Acorn Woodpecker was sitting. It darted in and out of the branches quickly but most of us got a good view, albeit quick, through our binocs. Even though common, Theresa had not seen one before.

It's a bit of a climb to reach Hidden Lake, a "vernal pool" (basically existing only during Spring) that the Marin County Open Space District says is home to several rare plants as well as salamanders, frogs and other critters when there is water in this depression on the mountain. This was a pleasant place to stop for lunch about two and half hours into our outing. (Wendy and Kathy went on a successful frog hunt by the pond after lunch).

When we did this hike last Spring the skies overhead were mostly gray and periodically gusting winds made the day seem more winter than spring-like especially after the 80-plus degree temperates we'd enjoyed only a week or so earlier. And a few rain showers fell as we strode down the mountain from Hidden Lake after lunch. But this year the weather was grand, with North Bay temperatures in the mid-70's.

We saw an abundance of blooming flora such as Blue Dicks, Butter & Eggs, and Fiddleheads, plus Purple Needle Grass (the California State Grass), Milk Thistle (used experimentally in Europe as an antidote to Death Cap Mushroom poisoning --- it may be approved by the U.S. if all goes well), and Subterranean Clover (which has birth-control qualities, or causes infertility, whichever way you want to look at it). Our fauna spotting included not only the frogs around Hidden Lake, but Western Fence Lizards and a Beechy Ground Squirrel. (Click here for Wendy's list of plants and critters seen on this hike).

According to Theresa's GPS, the total distance hiked was 4.6 miles which we covered at an average "meandering speed" of a whopping 1.1 mph (presumably this speed number factors in time taken for "plant and animal stops" and our lunch break). Our minimum altitude was 147.108', maximum altitude was 878.821', for the whole hike per the profile shown below --- click on the profile to open a large image in your Web browser).


(If you didn't already see the photos Theresa shot during the hike, you can view them in the mini-slideshow window in the "Meandering In Marin On Tuesdays" blog, or by clicking here to go directly to the Picasa Web album of photos from the latest hike).