Halfway Through Summer (Tomales Bay “Final Exam”)

When we did the first of two hikes in Tomales Bay State Park last summer we followed part of the route that we took on June 29th this year:  Down the Jepson Trail, then across the Johnstone, down to the bay, then back north for our “final exam” luncheon just south of Heart’s Desire Beach.  Last year our first waterside stop was Pebble Beach; this year it was it Indian Beach much farther north.  And last year we were bundled up under cloudy skies all day; this year it was breezy at the trailhead, but bright, sunny and warm for the rest of the hike.

Dick Jordan returned for his first hike since the May “Final Exam” at Rock Spring.  The bright red cast was gone from his left hand, but so was his sense of direction.  Dilly-dallying to take pictures on the Jepson Trail, he lagged far behind and found himself standing with a puzzled look on his face at the junction with the Johnstone Trail wondering where everyone else had gone.

First he set off south (the right direction), but neither saw nor heard another hiker, so he did an about-face and quickly headed back down the Jepson Trail.  After another five minutes, he correctly deduced that his first guess was right, and he sped up the Jepson, back across the Johnstone, and down the paved road into the park until he spotted the group below and to the right.  A quick U-turn on the road brought him back to the trail and he met up with Stan waiting for him at the next junction.  If Dick had been pounced on by a puma, the Meanderers might have starved to death:  He had the keys to the car parked by the picnic area with all of the luncheon food cached in it.

When we did this hike last year, we had Tomales Bay State Park all to ourselves.  But this year the fine weather brought many families and kayakers out to frolic in the sunshine.
 
The heavy winter rains had made a difference, too.  Plants, and in particular grasses and shrubs along the first section of the trail, had grown dense enough that a machete would have been useful at times.
 
Although this hike is all on the eastern side of the ridge that runs south from Tomales Point to Palomarin, there are several microclimates in the park and the vegetation varies depending on which part of which trail you are on.  There are Sticky Monkey Flowers in sun-filled areas, and ferns proliferate in the shade of skinny-fingered Bay trees.  Berries, mostly unripe at this time of year, sweeten on the vine in some places.  Marsh plants are found along the edges of the bay where small freshwater sloughs stream into the saltwater.
 
Ospreys, woodpeckers, and warblers were some of the birds that we saw or heard during the hike.
 
Last year the cool winds prompted us to wolf down lunch and quickly hit the trail back uphill to warm up.  This year the picture-perfect picnicking weather had us lingering over our feast and, for the first time, nearly finishing off all the food we had brought.  Dick toyed with the idea of napping away the next hour or so in the shade while the rest of the group huffed and puffed its way uphill after lunch, but reluctantly joined everyone else in the march back to the trailhead.

(Click here for photos from the hike).