Mountain Home to Bootjack Hike (10/5) Preview

Per Wendy, "this hike takes us through redwood forest, over Fern Creek, into chaparral, and finally to lunch at Bootjack. The return is fairly level and shady."  (Click here for a recap of our October 2008 hike).

Directions to trailhead: Take the Stinson Beach/Highway 1 exit off Highway 101. Go west through Tam Valley and up onto the ridge. Turn right onto Panoramic Highway and follow signs to Mt. Tamalpais. Drive about 4 miles. When you reach Mountain Home Inn on your right, park in the parking lot across the road on your left.

40 minutes from College of Marin. Carpoolers can meet at the Greenbrae Park & Ride lot between 9:00-9:15 am.  Restrooms at trailhead and Bootjack.

Weather forecast: Dick Jordan is still out of town on vacation, but you can click here for the National Weather Service forecast.

More on this hike:  Hike B9 – Matt Davis – Troop 80 Trails – in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, shows the area where we’ll be hiking.

Devil’s Gulch Hike (9/28) Preview

Earlier this month we hiked in Samuel P. Taylor State Park on the south side of Sir Francis Drake. This time we'll cross the road and hike up towards, but not all the way to the summit, of Mount Barnabe. 
(Click here for Theresa Fisher’s recap --- without the photos she originally included which have disappeared somewhere into cyberspace --- of our September 2008 hike).
Here's Wendy's description of the hike: "This may be only mountain named for a mule! We’re not going all the way to the lookout on the top, so we’ll keep within our 1000’ elevation gain limit. (Mount Barnabe is 1446’; click here for photos taken from the fire lookout). The way up is longer and more gradual (about 5% grade), but you’ll want your hiking poles for the shorter fire road down. We’ll stop by the Samuel and Sarah Taylor’s grave site."

Directions to trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard past the main park entrance. As you head west, watch for the sign for Devil’s Gulch on your right and the dirt parking area on your left.  Parking fee is $8.00 unless you have a park pass.

Time: 40 minutes from College of Marin. Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita's Church in Fairfax about 9:10-9:20 am. No restrooms at trailhead. (Use ones at main park entrance as you pass by). 

Weather Forecast: Dick will vacationing in British Columbia when we do this hike, but you can click here for the National Weather Service forecast for this area.

More On This Hike: Hike D11 – Devil’s Gulch to Mt. Barnabe – in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows the general area where we'll be hiking.  (You can also find the trails on page 4 of the park’s brochure).

Meandering News Update

Stan Walker is obviously doing a great job as a hike leader.  He must have spent hours working on his “Elk Call” in order to scare up this buck “shot” (with a camera) by Ted Rathbun during Tuesday’s Pierce Point hike at Point Reyes National Seashore.

In case you didn’t receive Wendy’s latest e-mail, here’s an update on her status:  “Good news! I saw the doctor today and x-rays show I'm healing well.  I can start physical therapy next week. Meanwhile, I can sleep without the brace which I very much look forward to!  September 30 is the next landmark.  That's the date I start 50% weight bearing.  Thanks again for your cards, emails, phone calls, and assistance this last month.  I think we're finally turning a corner!”

(Dick Jordan is off to British Columbia.  You can follow his misadventures on his trip blog, O Canada!  Meandering hike previews will be sent to your e-mail in-box while he is gone.)

CORRECTION: Tomales Point Hike

Carpoolers should meet at St. Rita’s Church in Fairfax between 8:30-8:45 am, not 9:30-9:45 am as originally stated in the hike preview you received via e-mail.  (The hike preview posted on the blog itself has now been changed to show the correct time for carpoolers to meet).

Tomales Point Hike (9/21) Preview

We return to Point Reyes National Seashore this coming week. Wendy says that "on this hike we'll look for the tule elk, once at the brink of extinction and now making a heartening comeback. This Point is also special for its views."  (Click here for a recap of our September 2008 hike).

Directions to trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard west from Fairfax. Turn right at Olema and make an immediate left onto Bear Valley Road. Continue until you pick up Sir Francis Drake again. Go through Inverness. Where the road veers left to Drake's Beach and the lighthouse, bear right. This puts you on Pierce Point Road. Follow it to the parking lot at the end of the road.

Restrooms:  Stop at the Bear Valley Visitor Center to use the flush toilets, or pull off Pierce Point Road at the parking lots for the trails to Abbott’s Lagoon or Kehoe Beach to use the porta-potties. When reach the parking lot for the Tomales Point Trail you can head downhill to McClure's Beach to use the pit toilet there before returning to the trailhead parking lot to meet the group.

Click here to view and print a map of the Seashore showing these roads and locations.

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes from College of Marin.  Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita’s at about 8:30-8:45 a.m.

Weather forecast: As of the morning of Thursday, September 16,the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly sunny with a high near 61. (Clear here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: Hike G18 – Tomales Point Trail in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, is 9.4 mile roundtrip hike to Tomales Point and back.  We’ll only do about half of that route, stopping well short of the Point.

Mt. Tam East Peak (9/14) Hike Preview

This week we take our first hike of the Fall in Mount Tamalpais State Park.

This lovely loop takes up be California torreya trees with their nutmeg-like nuts, past scenic Inspiration Point, to beautiful Collier springs where we lunch under the redwoods. We'll take Northside Trail to International Trail after lunch.

Directions to trailhead:  Take the Stinson Beach/Highway 1 exit off Highway 101. Go west through Tam Valley and up onto the ridge.

Turn right onto Panoramic Highway and follow signs to Mt. Tamalpais. Keep going up the mountain, turn right at Rock Spring, and keep going until the road ends at the East Peak parking lot. (Parking costs $8/day unless you have a park pass).

1 hour from College of Marin.  Carpoolers can meet at the Greenbrae Parking & Ride lot between 8:45-9:00 am. Restrooms at trailhead.

Weather forecast: As of Saturday morning, September 11, the National Weather forecast for the hike was mostly sunny with a high near 72.  (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  Hike B21 (Northside - Colier – Lakeview Trails) in the Martins’ book, Hiking Marin, shows the trails we’ll be taking.  You can also view and the trails on page five of the Mount Tamalpais State Park brochure.

Samuel P. Taylor State Park Hike (9/7) Preview

Here's how we'll kick off the Fall 2010 "Meandering" hikes: "Today we explore the redwood habitat, visit the Pioneer Tree which is over 500 years old, and learn some history of the area at the mill site. We’ll also see one of Marin’s few 'ghost trees,' a white redwood. We’re doing two separate loops, so you can leave your lunch in the car."
 
(Click here for a recap of the hike we did on September 2, 2008).

Directions to trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to the main entrance of Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Parking fee:  $8 unless you have a State Park Pass (or a day pass from the California State Parks Foundation). 35 minutes from COM; carpoolers can meet at St. Rita’s at about 9:20-9:25 am. Restrooms at trailhead and at lunch.

Weather forecast: As of Friday, evening, September 3rd, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was patchy fog before 11am, otherwise partly sunny with a high near 69. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  Hikes D7 (Creek – Ox Trails History Loop) and D8 (Pioneer Tree – Barnabe Creek Trails) in the Martins’ book, Hiking Marin, show the area where we will be hiking.  (Click here to view and download the brochure for Samuel P. Taylor State Park; the trails are shown on page 4).

Fall 1 Hikes Set To Go!

Stan Walker (you’ll have to call him “Professor Walker” now; he’s been added to the College of Marin faculty) will be filling in for Wendy as hike leader this Fall.  Everyone who signed up for the “Fall 1” hiking series should have received a letter with the complete hike schedule, but you can click here to download a copy in PDF format.

Dick Jordan will be traveling in September and October and will re-join the group for the first hike in November (the second week of the “Fall 2” series).  However, he’ll set up a weekly post to the blog (which you should get via e-mail) with information on each upcoming hike.