Happy Holidays from The Meandering Blog!

Happy Holidays from the Meandering Blog! See you on the trail next year!

Winter 2014 College of Marin Hike Information Now Online!

While you won't be able to register for the Winter 2014 Meandering in Marin hike series until Thursday, January 2, 2014, as of today you can find information on the hike course numbers, fees, and dates on the Community Education section of the college Website.

Click here for information on the Tuesday hike series.

Click here for information on the Monday hike series .

Meandering in 2013: It's A Wrap!

Alas, after ending today's Sky Trail to Bear Valley hike, there will be no more Meandering in Marin for us during the final two weeks of 2013!

Enjoy the holiday break from huffing and puffing up the trail!

We resume our Tuesday treks on January 7, 2014 when we do the one-way Pine Mountain/Elliott Nature Preserve shuttle hike in Fairfax.

(Registration for the College of Marin Winter 2014 hike series will open on January 2, 2014.)

Winter 2014 COM Hike Series Registration

The College of Marin will mail out the Winter 2014 Community Education schedule, including that for the Meandering in Marin hikes, during the college's December 23, 2013- January 1, 2014 holiday break.

Registration begins on Thursday, January 2, 2014. Look for more information from Wendy by or before that date.

Lake Lagunitas "Final Exam" Hike Photos Now Online!

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

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

Sky Trail to Bear Valley Hike (12/17) Preview

We return to Point Reyes National Seashore on Tuesday, December 17th for our the last  outing of 2013.

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.

(Click here for a MapQuest map showing the trailhead location; click on "Get Directions" at the top left side of the map and enter your location to get driving directions and estimated travel time from your location). 

When we get to Mt. Wittenberg we’ll go down Old Pine to the Bear Valley Trail. Maybe by this time mushrooms will be up!

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.

(Click here for a MapQuest map showing St. Rita's, and directions and estimated driving time to the trailhead from there.) 

Weather forecast: As of Tuesday afternoon, December 10th, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly sunny, with a high near 62.  (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:

Quit Griping About the Cold Weather!

To say that it was not warm on today's hike would be a gross understatement. It was at least as cold as if not colder when the muddle puddles in the trail were frozen solid during our December 8, 2009 hike.

The outside thermometer on Dick Jordan's car registered 42 degrees when he arrived at the Lake Lagunitas parking lot, and just 46 degrees when we finished our hike.

But, per this story on The Slatest, we could have been hiking in the Antarctic where +42 F would have felt balmy compared to the -135.8 F record lowest-on-earth temperature recorded there.

Early morning frost warnings in Marin should end by Friday of this week, and it should reach a pleasant 62 degrees (above zero) when we hike at Point Reyes National Seashore next Tuesday.

Bahia Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during last week's hike at Bahia are now online!

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

Muir Woods Hike Photos and Video Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during our hike up the Dipsea Trail and down the Ben Johnson into Muir Woods are now online!

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




And here's a short YouTube video Dick Jordan made from clips filmed during the hike.


  (Click here if the YouTube video player isn't shown.)

"WINTERIM" 2013-2014 HIKE SCHEDULE NOW ONLINE!

After our "Final Exam" hike on December 10th and the end of the College of Marin "Fall 2" hiking series, we'll begin our "Winterim" hikes on December 17th. Then we'll take some time off to enjoy the holidays before resuming our weekly hikes on January 7, 2014. "Winterim" ends on January 21st.

Click here for details on all of the "Winterim" hikes.

Lake Lagunitas “Final Exam” Hike (12/10) 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. We usually see newts and some mushroom on this hike."

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. Then continue past to toll booth until you reach the end of the road.

(Click here for the MMWD map and directions. Or click here for a MapQuest map showing the trailhead location; click on "Get Directions" at the top left side of the map and enter your location to get driving directions and estimated travel time from your location).

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, 2014.  (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. (Click here for a MapQuest map showing the St. Rita's, and directions and estimated driving time to the trailhead.)

Weather forecast:  As of Thursday December 5th, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly sunny, with a high near 61. (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 17 up Sky Trail to Bear Valley.