After our usual pre-hike confab next to the Tennessee Valley parking lot, we began the long 1.7 mile slog up the steep Marincello Road. Shortly after setting out, we stopped near the location of a gatehouse to the Marincello development which would have created a “planned community” of homes and commercial properties in the Marin Headlands. The gatehouse is long gone and the Marincello site ultimately became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 
Although the temperature probably was in the mid-50’s at the trailhead, the paucity of shade along the Marincello Road and dearth of clouds in the sky meant that the upward hike quickly became warm and jackets and sweaters went from our backs into our daypacks. Before the hike was over, the day’s high would be near 80 degrees --- not exactly what one would expect for early November. However, there were a few spots along the eastern edge of the road cool enough to make it possible for a banana slug to avoid desiccation while being the subject of a fauna lesson by Stan.
According to Google Earth, the Marincello Road tops out at nearly 900’ above sea level before descending to its intersection with the Bobcat Trail. Here we could see buildings in San Francisco poking up over a saddle between the hills of the Headlands, the Gerbode Valley where the Marincello development would have been built, and fog skirting the coast south of the Golden Gate.
A jackrabbit wasn’t startled by our large group walking along the trail above him. In fact, he “charged” at us, the came to a halt 10-15’ away. Maybe he was a relative of the “Killer Rabbit” that once went after President Jimmy Carter.This hike has one of the most scenic lunch stops of all of the meanders that we take in Marin during the course of the year. A large rock outcropping is a somewhat lumpy “couch” where one can munch away while looking down at and across Richardson Bay.
As we finished our mid-day meal, Stan reviewed the history of the proposed Marincello project and the political and legal battles that were fought over it. Gulf Oil, the last private owner of the property, sold the land to the Nature Conservancy which in turn transferred the land to the federal government for inclusion in the Marin Headlands section of the newly-created GGNRA along with Forts Baker, Barry, and Cronkhite.
After lunch we turned north and walked a short distance down the Alta Trail before veering off to the left to descend down the narrow and steep Oakwood Valley Trail. Despite the fact that the trail is lined with trees and ferns, it was quite a warm walk back to the Tennessee Valley Road.We didn’t get into any arguments as we hiked up the Rhubarb Trail to the parking lot. This last leg of the hike always seems interminable, perhaps because one can drive along the road which parallels it in just a few minutes, while hiking the same stretch takes a half-hour or more.
During the outing we saw Turkey Tail and Giant Honey mushrooms, sticky monkey flowers, cotoneaster, pennyroyal, and wild roses. By the end of the day we had walked about 5 miles even over hill and dale.
(All of the photos, except for the one of the Marincello gatehouse, were taken by Theresa Fisher. Here’s the overview of the hike she created with her GPS).
No comments:
Post a Comment