Sky Trail to Mt. Wittenberg Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during this week's Sky Trail to Mt. Wittenberg hike are now online!

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

Bootjack Hike (2/4) Preview

We return to Mount Tamalpais for the second hike of the Winter 2014 series.

The hike description is simple: "A mostly shady trail opens up to an incredible vista at a sunny (we hope!) lunch spot overlooking the ocean! We'll take Bootjack Trail to Van Wyk Meadow, TCC Trail to the Dipsea Trail, and the Old Mine Trail back." (Click here for photos from our past hikes.)

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.  

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.  (Click here for a MapQuest map showing the parking lot; click on #1 to get driving time and directions from your location.)

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). 

50 minutes from the College of Marin.

Carpoolers can meet at the Greenbrae Park & Ride lot at 9:00 am. (Click here for a MapQuest map showing the parking lot; click on #1 to get driving time and directions from your location.)

Restrooms at trailhead.

Weather forecast: As of Tuesday, January 28th, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was partly sunny, with a high near 56. (Click here for an updated forecast.)

Sky Trail To Mt. Wittenberg Hike (1/28) Preview

This loop has spectacular views of the estero and the ocean! (Yes, we do have to hike uphill to earn this reward). Lunch at a scenic spot on Mt. Wittenberg. Last year we saw Amanita muscaria, Zeller's boletes, Pleated Marasmius, and lots of other mushrooms, as well as the start of some spring wildflowers. Level and downhill after lunch.  (Click here for a recap of the hike we took on February 2, 2010. Click here for an album of photos from past hikes.)

Directions to Trailhead:  Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. west to Olema. Turn right on Route 1, then make an immediate left onto Bear Valley Road. Continue past the turn-off to Park Headquarters and go left on Limantour Road. Trailhead is 3.3 miles from this turn at the crest of the road. The parking lot is on your left.

50 minutes from College of Marin. 

(Click here for a MapQuest map showing the approximate location of the trailhead. Click on #2 and then on "Directions" to get driving directions and estimated driving time from your location.)

Carpoolers should depart from St. Rita's 8:45 a.m. (to allow time for a restroom break at Bear Valley), or by 9:00 a.m. at the latest if driving directly to the trailhead without stopping at Bear Valley first.

(Click here to get a map with driving directions and time to St. Rita's.)

There are no restrooms at trailhead, so stop at the Bear Valley Visitor Center if you need a restroom prior to the hike; there will be pit toilets at Sky Camp which we'll reach about 10:30 a.m.

Weather forecast:  As of Tuesday afternoon, January 21, 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:  We'll do a variation on the 4.6 mile hike "G1 Sky-Horse-Z Ranch Trails" in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin. Presumably we'll do this hike in reverse, going from Junction 1 to 4, then to 3, up to the top of Mt. Wittenberg, then down to 2, and back to 1 before returning to the trailhead.  (Click here for the park's South District Hiking Map which shows these trails).

Blue Cheese and Apple Soup Recipe

Here's the recipe (from chef John Ash) for the Blue Cheese and Apple soup that Dick Jordan served at today's "Final Exam" lunch.

Ingredient List

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup finely minced shallots or scallions
• 3 cups peeled and diced tart-sweet apples such as McIntosh or Gravenstein
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2-3 cups rich vegetable stock or chicken stock
• 1/2 pound sweet Gorgonzola, Cambozola, Maytag blue, or other blue cheese
• 1 1/2 cup light cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Drops of fresh lemon juice
• Garnish: Minced fresh chives (or freshly roasted chestnuts if soup served warm, diced tart apples if soup serve cold)

Dick's Ingredient Choices

Dick varied used these ingredients:

• Braeburn apples (neither McIntosh nor Gravenstein were available; used about 5 cups)
• Sauvignon blanc for the white wine
• Vegetable stock (Swanson's organic)
• Point Reyes Blue Cheese
• Heavy (whipping) cream
• Ground white pepper
• Garnish not used

Other Possible Variations

The soup was too "cheesy" for Dick's tastes and some of the other Meanderers who tried it.

The shallots might be replaced with leeks, onions, or a combination of all three, and more than 1/3 cup could be used (probably giving the soup more body.)

Adding diced potato might reduce the "cheesiness."

A milder blue cheese than Point Reyes Blue, or using less than a half-pound of cheese, should keep the cheese flavor from overpowering the apple flavor.

Increasing the amount of cream, especially if the amount of cheese is reduced, could make the soup creamier and the cheese flavor less intense.

Chicken stock might make for richer flavor than vegetable stock.

Cooking Directions

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and saute the shallots until soft but not brown.

Add the apples and cook until they just begin to soften.

Add the wine and 2 cups of broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to simmer.

Crumble and add the cheese and stir until the cheese melts.

Add the cream and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

(Dick added the cream off-heat to reduce the chance it would curdle.)

Let cool a bit.

Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree, in batches if necessary, adding more stock if desired for a thinner consistency. [Dick found the soup too watery, sauteed a couple more cups of diced apples, added the soup to those apples, stirred, and re-blended to get a thicker soup.]

At this point, the soup can either be chilled (for up to 2 days) to serve cold or heated to serve hot. Do not allow the soup to boil, or it will curdle.

Serve hot or cold, with one of the suggested garnishes.

Serves 6 to 8. (Dick got just under 2 quarts, or 8 cups. The soup is quite rich, so keep portions small.)