Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Pine Mt./Elliott Preserve Hike (1/5) Preview

SHUTTLE HIKE - NOTE EARLY STARTING, LATE ENDING TIME
 
CALL WENDY AT 457-3949 or send her an e-mail her at bdreskin@comcast.net if you are coming!

We'll kick off the new year with this annual "Winterim" hike. (Remember that registration for the College of Marin Winter 2016 hike series opens on Monday, January 4, 2016.)
 
This one-way shuttle hike starts in oak/bay/madrone woodland, passes through chaparral, then heads down to a valley with a stream, passing some serpentine rock areas. We'll check out birds and mushrooms as we go.  Maybe we'll see the first Milkmaids, or beat our earliest Indian Warrior sighting which was January 6th! (Click here for the recap of our hike in this area in January of 2009. There are a few photos from a past hike in this area in one our online albums.)


Directions to trailhead: We need some people to meet at the end of Cascade Drive in Fairfax at 9:20 a.m. (Click here for a MapQuest map with that location and click on the #1 to get directions to it). If you have time pressure after class go there as well, since the car shuttle won’t get us back to the trailhead until a little after 2:00 pm. Wendy will drive those drivers to the start of the hike.

Others should meet at the trailhead by taking the Bolinas-Fairfax Road past the Meadow Club golf course and up to the crest of the hill. (Click here for a MapQuest map with that location and click on the #1 to get directions to it.)

Park in the parking lot across from the Pine Mountain Fire Road. It is a large dirt parking lot on your left, and the fire road is on the right. If you start going downhill and can see Lake Alpine, you’ve gone too far.  There may or may not be a porta-potty at the trailhead.

Carpool to the trailhead (not the end of Cascade Drive) will leave from St. Rita's at 9:25 a.m. (Wendy won't be at St. Rita's she is going early to drive to the end of Cascade Drive).

Weather forecast: As of Wednesday, December 30th, the National Weather Service forecast for Fairfax on the day of the hike was rain likely, mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. (Click here for an updated forecast). Note that unlike College of Marin sessions hikes, rain can cancel "Winterim" outings. So on the morning of the hike, check your e-mail before you leave home to see if Wendy has cancelled the hike. She'll phone those who don't have e-mail.

More on this hike: We'll be hiking on both MMWD watershed lands (click here for a map that you can view, zoom in on or print) and those of the Marin County Open Space District (click here for a description of the preserve (now called Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserve instead of Elliott Preserve) on the District's Website, or click here for a map of this area).

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