Spring Is Springing (Blithedale Canyon, March 9)

Spring weather promoted twice as many of us to come out to hike this day as the previous week when rain showers pelted the half dozen who joined Wendy for the Deer Park to Phoenix Lake outing.  While some high clouds began to fill the skies overhead, no rain fell on our uphill-downhill parade.

We walked up the pavement on West Blithedale Avenue from where we had parked, then climbed about three-quarters of a mile up the H-Line Fire Road passing by a graffiti-festooned big green water tank.  Then we corkscrewed our way down to the Southern Marin Line Road and walked a level mile or so, passing numerous dogs and their owners, until we almost reached the end of Crown Road coming up from the College of Marin through Kent Woodlands.  We saw a Bewick's Wren, Dock Beetles, and a Western Fence lizard along this stretch of the trail.

The easy part of the hike ended and we wound our way back uphill on the narrow Hoo-Koo-E Trail until we reached the Corte Madera Ridge Fire Road and plopped down in the sunshine to enjoy lunch with a view across San Francisco Bay to Mount Diablo.  Earl The Pup joined us for the hike, but skipped lunch (apparently he was dieting that day).

Wildflowers were abloom.  Douglas Iris, Star Lily, Letid Adder's Tongue, and Mission Bells were among those we saw during the hike.  Big Leaf Maples were leafing out.  (Click here to see photos from the hike).

We traveled just over five miles (see the Google Earth image below).

The uphill segments all come before lunch.

It was literally all downhill after our repast.