Mount Tamalpais
Hike Review
I hiked almost the same path last year and the conditions were remarkably similar.
What I Learned
I think this was my first hike in a long time and I did not listen to anything (music, podcast, or audiobook) even though the hike was more than 15 miles long. With Cassie, I never seem to get tired of just being with her, whether we are talking, laughing, singing, or just staying silent.
I was sad to learn that the cafeteria at Muir Woods sometimes closes 30 minutes early if the staff feels like it. We made it 25 minutes before closing time, but the staff said that they had a long day and they decided to close early. But we were famished, so we ended up eating more than $50 worth of snacks that would have been less than $20 outside the park. I think next time I’ll just pack something.
I ended up taking photos and scanning instagram while Cassie painted for about an hour at the top of Mount Tam. It wasn’t a bad way to spend time and enjoy myself at the top of Mount Tam.
What Happened?
19.1 miles, 10 hrs 43 mins, 4452 ft of ascent
For the last few months, I had wanted to show Cassie my favorite section of trail in the Bay Area—Steep Ravine Trail from Dipsea Trail intersection up to Pantoll Campground. On this beautiful Saturday, I finally got to. We were supposed to go backpacking this weekend, but I had a minor injury on my lower shoulder that I did not want to make worse, so we decided to go hiking instead (hiking is an activity that won’t engage my shoulder right? It won’t make my injury worse, right?). Mount Tamalpais was our awfully gorgeous backup.
We woke up groggy and found out that we missed our alarm by an alarming amount. Instead of waking up at 5 AM and leaving the house at 5:30 AM, we snoozed the alarm countless times to get up around 7:30 AM and leave the house around 8 AM. The late start meant that we were at risk of missing hot food from Muir Woods, but we were confident in our hiking abilities and started off the hike from Stinson Beach with gusto.
Our first stop was Stinson Tree, where we didn’t have ocean views due to the fog, but we got to enjoy the serenity of the place for a few minutes before other hikers came along. We then hiked my favorite trail section—Steep Ravine Trail—and enjoyed it as much as we could (Cassie even repeated my rock climb of a random boulder on the side of the trail). We then made a short stop at the West Point Inn where we perused their snack selection (the best thing I spotted was cup ramen being sold for $2). And in a blink of an eye, we were at East Peak, enjoying the scenery and some snacks we had brought.
After about an hour, we started the second leg of the hike by hiking down to Muir Woods. This section felt longer than the first 8 miles, as it was in full sun, and I enjoyed it less due to that. Still, once we got past Mountain Home Inn, the green of the forest rose and protected us from the sun. And as we cooled down, we got to enjoy the serenity that is Muir Woods.
We didn’t stay in Muir Woods long as the food wasn’t very good (even though it was pricey) and we headed back to our car via the Dipsea Trail. It was made especially pretty due to the setting sun and we got to our car just as the sun was setting. After a 19-mile day, we celebrated with a chicken burger from Amy’s Drive Thru and drove home with huge, but tired smiles on our faces.
