"Final Exam" Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during latest week's Lake Lagunitas "Final Exam" hike are now online!

View them on the Meandering blog or click here for the on-line album.

Laguna de Santa Rosa

It's 30 degrees in Santa Rosa at 7 a.m. morning, so what should you do?

Go on a tour of the Laguna de Santa Rosa, of course! Only smart folks would stay snugly wrapped up in a warm bed, instead of getting up at 5:30 a.m., chowing down breakfast, and then driving an hour to hike in freezing temperatures.

That's what Dick Jordan, his wife, and their friends Megan (SPAWN and the River Otter Ecology Project and her husband, Terrence (EAC) did on Saturday, December 15th. The tour of this part of the Santa Rosa Plain and its oak woodlands was put together by the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation and LandPaths. Dick and his group saw kites, red tails, turkey vultures, and buffleheads.

This video gives you an overview of the area:


To reach the Laguna de Santa Rosa trailhead, take Highway 101 north to Santa Rosa, then head weset on Highway 12 toward Sebastopol. The parking lot for the trailhead is on the right, just past "Pete's Automotive" and a Chevron station. (Portapotty in the parking lot; flush toilets at the Chevron station.)

Dick's advice: Go in the spring when you'll find vernal pools and warmer weather!

Sky Trail to Bear Valley Hike (12/18) Preview

We return to Point Reyes National Seashore on Tuesday, December 18th for our the last  outing of 2012.

The trail is about 7.3 miles long, but a lot of it is fairly level, so the hike is a bit easier than the distance implies.  

This is a shuttle hike, so CALL WENDY AT 457-3949 or send her an e-mail her at bdreskin@comcast.net if you are coming! 

Note the earlier than usual meeting time at Bear Valley.

Directions to trailhead: We’ll meet at Bear Valley at 9:20 a.m. and carpool to Sky Trail.

When we get to Mt. Wittenberg we’ll go down Old Pine to the Bear Valley Trail.

We’ll need some people who are not in a rush to drive people back to Sky Trail after we reach the Bear Valley Visitor Center and parking lot.

Restrooms at Bear Valley, none at Sky Trail trailhead, but some as we pass Coast Camp.

Carpool leaves St. Rita Church in Fairfax at 8:45 a.m.

Weather forecast: As of Saturday afternoon, December 15, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Showers are likely and the chance of precipitation is 60%.  (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  "G3 Sky Trailhead to Bear Valley" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, is a version of this hike although we usually go straight at Junction #1 shown on their map and continue on to Sky Camp rather than take the detour up to Mt. Wittenberg (which we do on a separate loop hike from the Sky Trail trailhead) and then back down to the Sky Trail before continuing on to the Old Pine Trail, Divide Meadow and on to Bear Valley.  (Click here for the Seashore's South District Hiking Map which shows these trails).

The following Google Earth image gives a bird's eye view of where we'll be hiking:

Cranberry Soup Recipe

Click here to view and print the recipe for the cranberry soup Dick Jordan brought to today's "Final Exam" hike around Lake Lagunitas.

Winter College of Marin Hike Registration

Winter 2013 College of Marin class registration (including signup for the Meandering in Marin on Tuesday hikes) begins on January 2, 2013.

The Winter 2013 College of Marin Community Education class schedule (in PDF format) will be available online at the College of Marin Website on or after December 20, 2012.

Wendy will be sending out more information on hike dates and course numbers.

Lake Lagunitas “Final Exam” Hike (12/11) Preview

We return to the MMWD watershed for our final hike of the Fall 2012 "2" session.  Here's what we'll be doing:  "We make a partial circle around the lake, looking for ring-neck ducks, mergansers, grebes and other birds, and then make a loop past Pilot Knob, returning on Southern Marin Line. This is often a good mushroom hike if we've had rain. Bring your contribution to our gourmet feast, plus a plate, utensils, and a cup."  (Click here for a recap of our December 2009 "Final Exam" hike at this location).

Directions to trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard into Fairfax. Jog left and make an immediate right in front of the movie theater. The first left puts you on Bolinas Avenue. Follow this until you see the sign on your left for Lake Bon Tempe and Lake Lagunitas. Follow the road to the toll booth by Sky Oaks Ranger Station. (Click here for the MMWD map and directions). The continue past to toll booth until you reach the end of the room.

The day use fee is $8.  You can use $1, $5, or $10 bills and coins at the automated pay station, or a Visa or Mastercard. Annual entrance passes are normally $60 ($30 for those 62 and older), but after September 1st you can buy one for half of those prices and the pass will be valid through January 31, 2013.  (You can pay the annual pass fee at the automated pay station.  Keep one part of the receipt which is a temporary pass good for two weeks, then: 1) stop at the Sky Oaks Ranger Station on the way out and ask them to send the other half of your receipt to the main office in Corte Madera which will issue the permanent pass and mail it to you, or 2) send or take the receipt to the main office yourself).

Time: 30 minutes from College of Marin. Outhouse in parking lot.  Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita's Church at 9:20 a.m.

Weather forecast:  As of Thursday December 6, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was sunny, with a high near 65. (Click here for an updated National Weather service forecast).

More on this hike:  Hike "C16 - Lakeview FR to Pilot Knob" in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, sets out a shorter hike than we'll be doing; instead of following the Pilot Knob trail back to the parking lot, we'll take a longer route back by continuing eastward and then looping back the west, picking up the Southern Marin Line Road (called the Filter Plant Road on the Martin's map). (Click here to view, zoom in on, and print a map of the MMWD watershed lands).

Although this is the final hike of the College of Marin Fall 2 session, we'll do the first "Winterim" hike on December 18 up Sky Trail to Bear Valley.

After taking a holiday break from hiking, we'll meet again for the second "Winterim" hike on January 8, Pine Mountain to the Elliott Nature Preserve.

Bahia Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during this week's Bahia hike near Novato are now online!

View them on the Meandering blog or click here for the on-line album.