It’s one thing to wake straight up from bed and go for a run but it’s a project to wake up before 4am to pack up, fly north, and go for a 9 mile trail run into the cool backwoods of Mount Tamalpais. Just go and feel the run.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tamalpais

Instead, a friend and I headed over to Stinson Beach for a hike in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. We hiked up the Matt Davis Trail to the Pantoll Ranger station, stopped for a snack, and then headed back down via Steep Ravine and Dipsea Trail for a total loop of 7.3 miles.

Matt Davis Trail

View in the other direction

Lots of wildflowers were out. I spent some time learning common wildflowers back in Ohio. I’ll have to find a good guide and start learning them out here too.

Near the Ranger Station. Sunny and warm in February – love this.

Steep Ravine Trail

View north on Dipsea trail to Stinson Beach, Bolinas Lagoon, and Point Reyes.

Stinson Beach

After we returned to the beach, we though about stopping for a bite to eat. Unfortunately most places in town were closed or closing up. We ended up eating some snacks on the beach and heading back to the East Bay before rush hour traffic got too bad. Extra bonus – I learned how to get home from this area and avoid the tunnel and the maze. It’s funny how  it’s these little things that make it feel more like home.

Here’s the link to this hike on Bay Area Hiker for more detailed information.

Today is Sunday — day seven of my caffeine boycott, and the first since I went cold turkey that I didn’t suffer from an annoying headache at any point.  I closed out this first week of my real food cleanse, with a sort of spiritual detox at the Steep Ravine campground in Mount Tamalpais State Park.

Steep Ravine is a stunning place, with a rich history aptly described by fellow blogger Donald Fortescue.  The first time I reserved a Steep Ravine cabin, I think it cost $35 per night.  Over time the price has increased to $100, but a weekend there is still worth every penny.

The cabins are comfortable, but have no electricity or indoor plumbing. Built in the 1940s, they are not well insulated but each features a wood burning stove.

There is plenty to do at Steep Ravine… or nothing to do, if that’s your thing. There are beaches and tide pools for exploring, and cliffs for scrambling. There are even some hippy-heavy hot springs when there’s a negative tide.  You can avail yourself of them if you’re an early riser, and comfortable with the human form, if you know what I mean.  (If not, you may prefer to sleep in.)

This trip, I chose to just… be.  In fact, I think this was my first visit to Steep Ravine when I didn’t even listen to the radio or pop in a CD.  I just tuned in to the wind, and the waves crashing into the cliffs below my cabin, read a lot (Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin), napped and enjoyed the view.

The temperature was in the low 60′s during the day but the wind was fierce. There was a surf advisory in effect, which meant I avoided the beach and took photos instead.

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Mount Tamalpais

I am planning a round trip hike from Stinson Beach to the east peak of Mount Tamalpais this April. It will be a celebration of releasing what holds us back and stepping into our strength. Details to come.

Stay tuned!

Sue

Mount Tamalpais

I have so enjoyed having this blog to share my journey, thoughts and musings this last week. I have released 3 pounds and have gained energy, endurance, muscle and mental clarity. Also what is kind of phenominal is that this is one of my busiest times of year and it actually feels like I have gained time, not lost it by putting my efforts into Returning to Health. I feel like as I give time to me to work out, prepare meals, pack good lunches, grocery shop, journal and focus on healing my body as well as my thinking and perceptions, Life has brought spaciousness and expansion. My belief in limitations, even the subtle ones that sound very logical, can hold me back. So when I talk about healing thoughts, beliefs and perceptions, it is really about choosing to change my life by simply changing the way I think about it (Thank you Ernest Holmes). It is a facinating process! I did take a “Before” picture and I am looking forward to posting it next to my “After” picture on April 15th as well as hiking round trip from Stinson Beach to the east peak of Mount Tamalpais. Maybe some of you would like to join in this celebratory hike with me?

So here is to a new week and all that comes with it!!!

Stepping into my Strength,

~Sue

To celebrate the winter solstice here are lists of recommended winter hikes for the Bay Area. This is an updated and expanded version of the post from last year’s list of Bay Area winter hikes.

Winter hikes for the San Francisco Bay Area
(Click on red links under each heading for more details on listed trails below.)

Bay Area Hiker Winter Hikes: http://www.bahiker.com/extras/best.html

North Bay:

• Mount Tamalpais: Cataract Falls
• Mount Tamalpais State Park: Matt Davis-Steep Ravine Loop
• Pine Mountain/MMWD: Carson Falls
• Point Reyes National Seashore: Palomarin to Alamere Falls
• Robert Louis Stevenson State Park

East Bay:

• Mission Peak Regional Preserve
• Mount Diablo State Park: Donner Canyon Waterfall Loop

Peninsula and South Bay:

• Año Nuevo State Reserve
• San Pedro Valley Park
• Uvas Canyon County Park

Weekend Sherpa http://www.weekendsherpa.com/issues/winter-hike-in-the-bay-area-cascade-falls-castle-r/

• Cascade Falls – Marin County
• Castle Rock State Park – Santa Cruz Mountains
• Vasco Cave – East Bay

In Every Trail: http://www.everytrail.com/guide/bay-area-hiking-by-season

• Cataract Creek Trail, Marin Municipal Water District waterfall hike, in the Mount Tamalpais Watershed north of San Francisco
• Uvas Canyon County Park one-mile Waterfall Loop
• Murietta Falls 14 miles with 4,000 feet of elevation gain one of the Bay Area’s best strenuous hikes in the East Bay Back Country

In SF Gate: Closer to Home: Bay Area Hills, Valleys and Trails by Heather Jones S.F. Chronicle

paved trails:

• Bayview Trail or the Alameda Creek Trail in Coyote Hills in Fremont
• portions of Contra Costa Canal Trail or the Iron Horse Trail

unpaved trails:

• Hayward Regional Shoreline
• Cascade Drive in Mill Valley,
• Cataract Trail and Steep Ravine Trail on Mt. Tamalpais
• Brooks Creek Trail in San Pedro Valley County Park just outside Pacifica for waterfall trail;  if desire longer hike takfalls trail to the Montara Mountain Trail and into McNee Ranch State Park
• Fire Interpretive Trail, a 0.7-mile loop around the summit and  Donner Canyon Road fire trail, view of waterfalls at Mt. Diablo
• Tomales Point Trail at Point Reyes National Seashore

VIA magazine’s article: Off-season Hikes at Pt. Reyes (www.nps.gov/pore.)

• Chimney Rock views of the sea stacks (rock pillars),elephant seals, California gray whales and waves breaking on the Shore.
• Tomales Point for tule elk sightings
• Coast Trail hikes for a beachfront waterfall and views of San Francisco,

Head for the Hills For Winter Hikes in SF Gate on Mt. Tamalpais

• Matt Davis and Coastal Trails for ocean views on clear days
• Steep Ravine on Rainy Days

Local Hikes

• Cataract Falls on Mt. Tamalpais  is a bay area winter favorite. It includes seven cascades, good mushrooms, mosses, and lichens.  Rains only make it better.

Winter marsh hike in the Bay Area lists 12 Mash hikes that are especially good for birding at low tides. see article for more details.

• Martinez Regional Shoreline
• Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
• China Camp State Park
• Elsie B. Roemer Bird Sanctuary (within Robert Crown Memorial State Beach)
• San Leandro Bay Regional Shoreline
• Hayward Regional Shoreline
• Coyote Hills Regional Park
• San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, near Dumbarton Bridge, Fremont
• Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve, end of Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto
• Charleston Slough, end of San Antonio Road, Mountain View
• Mountain View Shoreline Park, end of Stierlin Road, Mountain View
• Alviso Slough Trail, Alviso Marina, Alviso
  

Hiking in California

• Pt Reyes
• Sweeney Ridge
• Anything on the coast
• Portola Redwoods
• Big Basin

Those two days were very peaceful and enjoyable. Day seven boasted great weather and excellently marked trails. Mount Tamalpais Park was the most beautiful forest I walked through on this entire walk. Unfortunately, the climb was fairly challenging and I did not have very much time to take pictures. The trail maps of both the Marin Headlands and Mt. Tamalpais parks were up-to-date and depicted the woods very precisely. By the time I got to Laurel Dell at 4 PM, I discovered, unfortunately, that I wasn’t allowed to camp there and that there was no drinking water at the site. I had no choice but to camp where I was anyway, and treated a liter of water with Portable Aqua chlorine tablets. The water tasted unpleasant and left the mouth dry, but it worked to decrease the thirst and did not cause a stomach ache.

When I woke up in the morning of day 8 of the walk, the rain was already drumming against the tent. Most of the day consisted of walking the Bolinas Ridge Trail – an almost entirely straight, 12-mile stretch of dirt road through the woods, grassy hills and pastures of the Marin county. I had to closely regimen the amount of time I spent on breaks, as I rarely had a way of knowing how far I had gone except by the time I had spent walking. The trail was as beautifully kept as those in Mt. Tamalpais Park, and I enjoyed walking it – even though the weather was foggy and drizzly this time. I met a number of cows and crows, but not a single human soul up until I got off the trail just east of Olema.

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. Keep going up the mountain, turn right at Rock Spring, and keep going until the road ends at the East Peak parking lot. (Parking costs $8/day unless you have a park pass).

1 hour from College of Marin.  Carpoolers can meet at the Greenbrae Parking & Ride lot between 8:45-9:00 am. Restrooms at trailhead.

Weather forecast: As of Saturday morning, September 11, the National Weather forecast for the hike was mostly sunny with a high near 72.  (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  Hike B21 (Northside – Colier – Lakeview Trails) in the Martins’ book, Hiking Marin, shows the trails we’ll be taking.  You can also view and the trails on page five of the Mount Tamalpais State Park brochure.

Give me these hills and the friends I love
I ask no other Heaven.
– Dad O’Rourke

An escape plan. Escape from the cold, foggy and overcast city. Hiked up to Mount Tamalpais and settled in a warm, shady spot overlooking Stinson Beach. We had a picnic under plenty of sunshine up above the thick marine layer. My soul was recharged but my mind was far from peace. Racing in my head were thoughts about Harriet. Who? Harriet Vander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

Thriller has never been my genre, let alone a massive-hype one. This one is just addictive and pleasantly engaging. What really happened to Harriet Vander? Was she kidnapped and murdered? Was she involved in a religious cult that murdered people in the form of Biblical parody? Is the person who commissioned the investigation actually the killer? Is the whole family involved in her disappearance? My biggest question is: Is Harriet’s mystery resolved at the end of the first installment of the trilogy? All these questions are what drive me to keep on reading. I’ll find out really soon. I’ve got my heart in the mouth. I . . . cannot . . . put . . . this . . . book . . . down!

The drive through northern California is nice.  Lots of Redwood around.  These trees are gorgeous when they are allowed to mature.

View of San Francisco Bay on the drive up Mount Tam

Next camp was at Mount Tamalpais State Park, about 30 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge.  We had to drive up a mountain to get there which is never fun.  Think winding roads, hairpin turns, and a carful of camping equipment and dogs.  We got there early afternoon, set up and made lunch.  Then we went into the city to Fisherman’s Wharf.  We all were having sensory overload.  The place was packed with people.  But we got great pics of Alcatraz and the sea lions.  We had our fill of the action then went back to camp and made dinner in the freezing wind.

For my safety? What could possibly happen if I climbed the "Big Noodle?"

Next morning we packed up early (Eric met up with a turkey while brushing his teeth!) and went back into the city to meet up with Eric’s friend for breakfast.  We went to this Creperie and the crepe I had (the Milano) was freakin’ amazing!  Then we went to the dog park for a bit before getting back on the road.  San Francisco is cool, but big and very spread out.  It’s also hard to navigate your way around if you’re not familiar.

Alcatraz as seen from Fisherman's Wharf

We headed towards San Jose to take a picture of the house Eric and his family lived in when he was little before moving to Florida.  Just part of the Conrad History.

House on Skylark Drive in San Jose, CA

We are now headed east towards Yosemite Park.  Adventure awaits!

Seals at Fisherman's Wharf

Bye Bye San Francisco!

Home. The most comforting place in the world. I’m flying home to Marin County (right across the Golden Gate bridge from San Francisco) this afternoon with Vivian and anxiously awaiting her reaction as we drive over the hill and are confronted with Mount Tamalpais; surrounded by fog, it honestly looks like Never-Never Land from a distance.

I’ve thought long and hard about all the things we’re going to do this weekend and here is what I think are the most essential things to do in the Bay Area:

-Walk around Phoenix Lake, a magical place just fifteen minutes from my house.

-Have Comforts Chinese Chicken salad for lunch while people watching in San Anselmo (although I’m not sure Vivian is quite ready for the sight of a real-live crunchy granola hippy).

-Hang out all day at a real-live North California BBQ, complete with organic potato salad and veggie burgers.

-Drive through Napa Valley and stop by Indian Springs in Calistoga for an old school style mud bath and a dip in the mineral spring.

-Visit Stinson beach (one of my most favorite places in the world).

-Try my Nanna’s egg-salad sandwiches.

-Have a beer at Sam’s sitting over the water in Tiburon marina.

Last but not least,

-Lounge for hours by Lindsey’s pool talking about feelings, emotions, spiritual-ness and what we’re going to pick up at the farmer’s market for dinner.

Mount Tamalpais, California

Canon G10

1/1000  @ f/4, ISO 80

Looking online, I discovered that the artist behind them is Michael Schwab, a graphic designer from Northern California. Michael has worked with numerous famous clients and his style of work can be seen in not only other posters, but logos and packaging, as well. If these Golden Gate beauties tickle your fancy, there's more to see in his online portfolio.

{All images via the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy}

Another pretty uneventful day in the world of whooping cough quarantine. I manage to get out and walk the dog today, knowing that I won’t bump into anyone and feeling the need to stretch my legs and get some exercise.

I go up the hill, over, back down, past the High School and along the main road before heading back up the hill. Not a bad little round trip, with views of Mount Tamalpais (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471) in the background almost all of the way. I delight in the beauty that surrounds me today – I can feel that I’ve been holed up for a few days.

The neighborhood gardens are in full bloom, the sun is shining and the High School graduates are out cruising in their cabriolets in full force. So funny, I had no idea we had so many teenagers in the neighborhood, but all of a sudden there they all are, squeezed into their ‘wheels’, delighted that school is out for summer. Not sure this really compares to my final school days in the North of England. The sun didn’t really ever shine enough to warrant even wanting a car where the roof would come down.

It’s a good day for ‘me time’ today. Feels like I haven’t had much of that lately. Too tired to do too much, but spend a lot of time with my head in the computer, marveling at the activity of all of those bloggy moms out there and beginning to hatch plans with a friend about having a potential house sitter from Chihauhua. It’s a friend of her nanny’s. It sounds like a pretty fair deal – she gets to stay here for free – we get someone to look after the cat and the dog. Suddenly can’t get the Beverly Hills Chihauhau song out of my head and call M to let him know of the evolving plan.

I pick up the kids at the end of the afternoon and suggest they play with their LEGO for a while, so as to allow me to cook dinner. I’ve defrosted some wild Atlantic cod and some Wild blue shrimps. I decide to quickly rustle up a stir-fry with some brown rice. This is the result:

Fish and Seafood Stir-fry with brown rice

Cod and shrimp stir fry

Wild Alaskan cod (in freezer section at Trader Joe’s)

Wild prawns (in freezer section at Trader Joe’s)

1 yellow onion

1 green bell pepper

Handful of sweetcorn (frozen)

Fish sauce – about a tablespoon

Soy sauce (gluten free), to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Sesame oil

1. Put a good slug of sesame oil into a wok or sauté pan
2. Sauté the onion for about 5 minutes
3. Add the green pepper and sauté for another few minutes
4. Add the prawns and sauté for another 3 or 4 minutes and then follow with the cod
5. Add in the fish and soy sauce. I only add a little soy sauce at this stage and then add more at the table, according to everyone’s own taste
6. Add a little black pepper
7. Serve over brown rice (I use the easy 3 minute microwave brown rice from Trader Joe’s)

Iris

Our next sightings were almost simultaneous.  George saw a calypso orchid, also called “fairy slipper” not far along the trail.

Calypso orchid

I had walked a bit ahead, right by the calypso orchid — I missed it because the flowers are so small, their blooms being only about an inch.  If they weren’t so brightly colored, it would be easy to miss them completely.

Calypso orchid

Then I made my own discovery – right before he called out to me to come back to see it, I spotted a gorgeous coralroot orchid (Corallorhiza).

Coralroot orchid

The one on the right is in full bloom, and larger than most of the ones we saw here last year.  The flowering portion was about 3 to 4 inches.  These coralroots don’t produce chlorophyll, and have a symbiotic relationship with fungi to survive.  Here’s a closer look at the bloom, with a little bug resting on it:

Coral root

This is a spotted coralroot (Corallorhiza Maculata) - you can see the little spots on the flower.  Most of the coralroots we saw on our hike were like these.  Here’s a stand of them that hadn’t bloomed yet.  They were far off the path and I didn’t want to disturb the hillside, so I couldn’t get too close.

Coral root stand

We climbed up one side-path and found a wonderful stand of calypso orchids.  We had seen many lone calypsos scattered along on both sides of the trail, but this grouping was unusual.  George said they probably bloomed in this same spot over many years.

Stand of calypso orchids

George’s next coup was to find another species of coralroot!  This is a striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata).  He took this photograph because I didn’t want to climb up the hill to get a close shot.

Striped coral root

We also saw a wonderful tall stand of fritillaries, but they were on the down-hill side of the path and in a place even George wouldn’t climb to get a photograph.

Fritillary

Okay, I had to include a photograph — I took this one of a fritillary blooming near the same location two years ago.

It was a very successful trek. We laughed about the robust youngsters zooming past us on the trail, missing the amazing native orchids and other treasures just off the path.  We were also happy to meet some wonderful people who were extremely interested in our finds, and who shared with us their knowledge about bird calls and other plants.  We have some of the GPS coordinates for the orchids, email me if you want to know them.

An excellent source of organized day hikes and astronomy nights is the Mount Tamalpais Interpretive Association: http://www.mttam.net/ On April 17 they are holding the annual MTIA Wildflower walk with wildflower experts at Rock Springs area: http://primaveraexpert.com/wildflowers-mttam_state_park__adjacent_lands

My favorite hiking book is Mt. Tam a Hiking, Running and Nature Guide by Don and Kay Martin

It not only lists the trails but also tells which ones are best for different interests and for each season. It also has drawings and descriptions of common wildflowers and plant communities.

The most comprehensive book for wildflowers is the Marin Flora by John Thomas Howell, Frank Almeda, Wilma Follette, and Catherine Best (Complete Flora of entire Marin County)

Popular wildflower trails include Steep Ravine, Benstein (near Rock Springs), Pumpkin Ridge and Deer Park area.

Two good websites for trails are

Mt. Tamalpais Trails: http://www.trails.com/activity.aspx?area=13911

Marin Trails: http://www.marintrails.com/

Mt. Tamalpais State Park Website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471

Muir Woods National Monument Website: http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm

Astronomy Programs Lectures, stargazing and storytelling at Rock Spring parking area and the Cushing Memorial Amphitheater, more commonly known as the Mountain Theater. http://www.mttam.net/Portals/0/Astronomy/2010_MTIA_Astronomy_Programs.pdf