NO HIKE ON MAY 31ST

Just a brief reminder that there is NO HIKE on Tuesday, May 31st.

Our next hike will be June 14 - Bear Valley to Five Brooks Shuttle Hike, at Point Reyes National Seashore.

NO HIKE ON MAY 24TH

Just a brief reminder that there is NO HIKE on Tuesday, May 24th.

Our next hike will be June 14 - Bear Valley to Five Brooks Shuttle Hike, at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Dick Jordan's 20th Show for MarinTV to Air Soon

Dick Jordan's 20th show for public access TV station, MarinTV, Yellowstone: Saving The World, Park By Park, airs during the next two weeks on Comcast Channel 26.

(Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park. Dick Jordan Photo)

Dates and times for the show are:

• Thursday, May 19, 7:00 pm
• Sunday, May 22, 3:00 pm
• Wednesday, May 25, 5:00 pm

If you aren't a Comcast subscriber, or miss seeing the show "live" on TV, you can watch it on YouTube.

Bolinas Ridge to S.P. Taylor Hike (May 17) Preview

Looking West from Bolinas Ridge (S. Walker photo)

The College of Marin Spring series of hikes ended last week so this will be our first "pay-if-you-go" hike between now and the Fall 1 COM series.

This hike is mostly downhill or level! Bleeding Hearts may be in bloom!

Directions to Trailhead:
Meet at Samuel P. Taylor State Park at 9:30 am.

Unless you have a State Park Pass, pay the $8.00 day use fee/parking if you leave your car there.

We’ll carpool to the Bolinas Ridge trailhead and hike back down. 
  
Click here for a Google Maps map showing the parking lot at Samuel P. Taylor. Click on teardrop icon on the map or on "Directions" on the left-hand side of the page for driving times and directions from your location.

Carpool leaves from St. Rita at 9:10 a.m.

Restrooms at Samuel P. Taylor, none at trailhead.

THIS IS A SHUTTLE HIKE SO CALL OR E-MAIL WENDY IF YOU'RE COMING: Home phone: 415 457-3949; cell 415 517-0488; E-mail: bdreskin@comcast.net.

Weather forecast: As of Tuesday, May 10th, the National Weather Service forecast was partly sunny, with a high near 70. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: "H8 - Taylor State Park to Bolinas Ridge" in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, is a 10.2 mile loop hike which starts and ends in the state park. We're doing this hike in the opposite direction, but only one-way, from the trailhead on the south side of the road where Sir Francis Drake Boulevard reaches a crest between the McIsaac Ranch at Tocoloma (intersection of SFD and Platform Bridge Road) and Olema, so our total distance hiked should be more like 5 miles.

Although part of the area is within the GGNRA, it is actually administered by Point Reyes National Seashore. The Point Reyes Hiking Map (South District) shows the trails that we'll be following within the GGNRA.

The Google Earth image below shows the area where will be hiking viewed from just east of Olema toward Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is the yellow line snaking through the picture. You can see the trail beginning right off to the road on the right. (Click on the image to open a larger view in your Web browser).

Lavender-Blueberry Soup Recipe

Here's the link to the recipe for the Lavender-Blueberry Soup that Dick Jordan brought to today's "Final Exam" luncheon.

(It's the same one he made for the Spring 2008 and 2011 "Final Exam" feasts so some of you may already have the recipe.)

Rock Spring "Final Exam" Hike (5/10) Preview

As we do each year, we'll wrap up the Spring College of Marin hiking series with this Mount Tamalpais State Park hike. (Click here for a recap of our 2010 hike.  View photos from past hikes in the online album).

Here's Wendy's outline for the hike: "We should see Coral Roots (a native orchid), Meadow Rue, and Golden Banners on this mostly shady loop hike."

"Bring a plate and utensils, and food to share for the Gourmet Final!"

Directions to trailhead: Go south on Highway 101 to the Stinson Beach/Highway 1 exit. Go west on Highway 1 and wind around a lot. At the top of the ridge, turn right onto Panoramic Highway and continue to the 4-way "crossroads." Take the middle road to Mt. Tamalpais. Continue along this road for 5-6 miles.

At the Pantoll Ranger Station the road divides. Take the upper road for about 1 mile. The road divides again. This is Rock Spring. Park here. (Click here for a Google Maps map showing the parking area at the trailhead.  Right click on the teardrop icon or click on "Directions" on the left-hand side of the screen to get  driving time and directions from your location.)

Driving time from College of Marin 55 minutes.

Carpoolers can meet at the Greenbrae Park and Ride lot at 9:10 a.m. (Click here for a Google Maps map showing the parking lot on Drakes Landing Road; right click on the teardrop icon to get driving time and directions from your location.)

Outhouse at trailhead and mid-way.

Weather forecast: As of Tuesday, May 3rd, the National Weather Service forecast for the area around Rock Spring on Mt. Tam was sunny, with a high near 68. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: The "B17 Simmons - Potrero - Arturo Trails" hike in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows the trails that we'll be hiking on, although we'll probably follow a different route (Simmons to Benstein to Potrero Meadows to Laurel Dell and back up the Cataract Trail to Rock Spring). Page 6 of the state park brochure has a trail map that shows the area.

Here's the hike profile and route we'll follow.

The Google Earth image below shows were we'll be on the mountain. (Click on the photo to open a larger image in your Web browser).

Barry Spitz at Book Passage on June 4th

Marin hiking trail expert, Barry Spitz, will be speaking at Book Passage bookstore at 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard in Corte Madera at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 4th.

(Book Passage Photo)

Here are the details from the store's Website:

"The mountain is eternal, but trails change, and in his new book, Mount Tamalpais Trails, Barry Spitz updates and expands the roster. Spitz, who has spent more than forty years uncovering Mt. Tam’s secrets, shares his encyclopedic knowledge of the mountain’s complex network.

"A revised and expanded edition of his classic guide, this new book includes detailed descriptions of more than 160 trails and fire roads—every inch of which he walked and measured—and completely new maps, as well as full-color photos and an introduction to Tam’s natural and human history.

"Barry Spitz is the author of nine local interest outdoors and history books, including histories of Mill Valley, Marin, and San Anselmo."