Bootjack to Mountain Theater Hike (2/9) Preview

A mostly shady trail takes us up to the Mountain Theater where you’ll learn the history of its construction and the tradition of drama* on the Mountain.  Lunch at the historic West Point Inn."

(*The Mountain Theater - a.k.a. The Cushing Memorial Theater- in Mount Tamalpais State Park was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The natural-stone amphitheater seats 3,750 people and features the Mountain Play each spring, produced every year since 1913).  (Click here for a recap of our November 11, 2008 hike).
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Directions to Trailhead:  Take the Stinson Beach/Highway 1 exit off Highway 101. Go west through Tam Valley and up onto the ridge. Turn right onto Panoramic Highway and follow signs to Mt. Tamalpais.  Bootjack is about 2 miles past Mountain Home.

As you drive up the mountain, look for the Bootjack picnic area and parking lot ($8/car if you don't have a state park pass) on your right --- if you get to Pantoll at the crest of Panoramic Highway, you've gone too far and need to turn around and drive back down the mountain. (Click here for a map of Mt. Tam that you can view and print out).

Restrooms at trailhead and lunch stop. Driving time from College of Marin: 55 minutes.  Carpoolers meet at Greenbrae Park & Ride Lot at 9:00 a.m.

Weather forecast:  As of Monday morning, February 8, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was for mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 4pm, northwest wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph, and a high near 45.  (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  Hike "B12 Bootjack - Rock Springs Trails" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows the trails in this area although we could take a slightly different route.  (Click here to view a copy of the Mount Tamalpais State Park brochure; the park map on page 6 shows the trails).

UPDATE (Wednesday, February 3, 4:15 pm): The Search for Silvia

In case you didn't receive it, here is the latest e-mail from Bill Dreskin:
 

Dear Friends of Silvia,

 

If anyone happens to have any information, or knows of resources or someone with expertise in the area of satellite imagery, that would be helpful.  A private detective and former FBI special agent wrote: "One of the Southern California wildfire arsons was solved by reviewing dated satellite images of the point of origin, zooming in on a pickup truck and

running the plate. How about that for resolution? That would require GPS

coordinates." 

 

The question is whether there is possibly such satellite data and if it is available from a military or commercial satellite, and the probability of such a time window for capture.  What are the refresh intervals and at what resolution?  We only need 20 meters or 30 meters, resolution, not high resolution 2 meters.

 

1) I estimate that resoutionl needed (still or video) to be helpful would be approx. 20 meters or higher resolution, not 2 meters!  Even 30 meters might be adequate.  We do not need car make, etc.  Just enough resolution to see an unidentifiable  person walk across the North Beach parking lot with a dog on a leash, and see where they went.   And of course a 30 meters view of the beach would be helpful too.  Being able to see water come up near to the parking lot would also be helpful.

 

2) GPS

Point Reyes Beach North

Latitude Longitude

N 38 04.639 W 122 58.503

 

3)  Reports from people at the beach around that time (1 PM) for Sunday, January 24 at Point Reyes Beach North for 11:41 AM to 12:20 PM were sunny, no clouds, blue skies, beach visibility good, no mist or fog.    

 

It may be that there are no commercial or military satellites with adequate update rates to capture that time frame and that the arson case was just luck that they had the right time frame. 

 

Thanks.

 

Bill

NEW WINTER HIKE SCHEDULE

Dicks seems to have at least temporarily solved his computer problems.  Click here to view and print the REVISED Winter 2010 Hike Schedule and Descriptions.  If you didn't already make a note of it, we've made these changes to the schedule:

• Feb. 16:  Steep Ravine/Dipsea (Originally set for Feb. 23)
• Feb 23:  Audubon Canyon Ranch (Originally set for Feb. 16)

HIKE SCHEDULE CHANGE! FEB 16 & 23

Our hike schedule for February 16th and 23rd has been reversed. The new schedule is:

• Feb. 16:  Steep Ravine (originally set for Feb. 23)
• Feb 23:  Audubon Canyon Ranch (originally set for Feb. 16)

Dick is having some computer problems that are preventing him from uploading the revised list to Scribd.com, but he will e-mail you an updated list.