Pt Reyes, January 2007

WHAT

My webpage on Pt Reyes: Pt Reyes

My webpage on Bay Area hikes: Bay Area hikes (It has a map of the Bay so you can locate Pt Reyes)

My webpage on hiking in California: Hiking in California

WHO

Aditya
Ania
Anne
Aurelie
Bianca
Breanna
Chris
Emily
Jason
Ksenya
Mihai
Mirela
Paul
Randy
Shashi
Sindy
Sofia
piero

COMMUNICATING

Cellular phones do not work in Point Reyes (thankfully). Shashi has four walkie talkies (Sofia gets one). I have three.

CARS

If i understood correctly (10% chance):

Jason, Breanna, Ksenya, Ania (south, in fri, out sun AM) - Ford Explorer - CA 4GDY640
Anne, Mihai, Mirela (south, in fri, out sat eve) - Toyota Corolla - CA 4DDA567
Shashi, Sofia, piero, Aurelie (Peninsula, in fri, out sun eve) - Honda Accord EX Gold - CA 5RUH572
Paul, Emily, Randy, Chris (PA/Oakland, in fri, out sun) - Navy Blue Subaru Station Wagon - CA 3WDA970
Aditya (SF, in fri out sat 5pm) - Subaru Impreza - CA 5TRU005
Bianca, Sindy (SF, in fri out sat eve) - Civic Honda - CA 5MMD676
CANCEL Ksenya, Ania (south, in fri, out sun AM) - Toyota Prius - CA 5VDV627

We meet at the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge friday after dinner at 7:15pm.

NOTE: I NEED THE MAKES AND PLATE NUMBERS OF ALL CARS. You may get a $$$ parking ticket if your car is not listed in the form that we will fill out at the ranger station. This message will not repeat: if you change car at the last minute, try to remember that you also have to give me the new make/plate number.

CAMP

Friday: Bianca, Sindy, Ksenya, Ania, Jason, Breanna, Anne, Shashi, Mihai, Sofia, Aditya, Paul, Emily, Randy, Chris, Mirela, Aurelie, piero

Grand total of 18 people. We have a group campsite for everybody at Coast Camp. You owe me about $1.98 each. Exact change only please.

If you meet a ranger who asks you how many we are at the group campsite, the answer is: 14 (FOURTEEN).

Saturday: Ksenya, Ania, Jason, Breanna (leave early sunday), Sofia and Shashi (leave late sunday), piero (leaves sunday mid afternoon), Emily, Paul, Randy, Chris (leave sunday)

We have a regular campsite at Coast Camp: $2.34 each

I think the campground is about a 15 minute walk from the parking lot (for the few of you who still trust my estimates).

Most frequently forgotten items: flashlight, toilet paper. This time please surprise me.

TENTS

Anne (for 3), Bianca (3), Ksenya (2), Mirela (3), Paul (3), Chris (2), Jason (6)

Anne's: Anne, Mihai, Aurelie
Bianca's: Bianca, Aditya, Sindy
Ksenya's: Shashi, Sofia
Mirela's: Mirela, piero
Paul's: Paul, Emily
Chris': Chris, Randy
Jason's: Jason, Breanna, Ksenya, Ania

WEATHER

The current forecast is "sunny" and relatively warm during the day but still very chilly at night. (Disclaimer: i don't make the weather forecast, i just read it).

SATURDAY's HIKE

(Subtitled: THE TEN)

Wake up at 6:30am.
Drive from the Coast Camp to Palomarin at 7am.
Get to the Palomarin trailhead and start hiking at 8am.
That means 9 hours of daylight.
Description of the route: Click here

All these people hike one way from Palomarin to the Coast Camp: Bianca, Sindy, Ksenya, Anne, Shashi, Mihai, Emily, Mirela, piero. That's "The Ten" (drum roll).

I recommend these people bring a headlight. Depending on how many detours we take and how many stops we make, the hike may well end after sunset.

We need to pack as many of these people as possible in as few cars as possible (two or three). At the end of the one-way hike, we have to go back to Palomarin and rescue the cars.

Why don't we hike two groups against each other so we don't have to shuttle cars? Good question. I tried it but so far nobody seems to like the idea of splitting the group. Talk to me if you'd like to.

Before you volunteer your car: the last ten minutes of the Palomarin road are unpaved. The road is good but your car *will* get a lot of dust.

PLEASE... This logistics is fragile and time consuming: 1. If you have to flake out, do it now; 2. If you want to add a friend to the one-way hike, don't do it (unless she's really cute :-) ). Seriously, one-way hikes are not trivial (esp mine).

SATURDAY's HIKE - ALTERNATIVE HIKES

(Subtitled: THE WISE ONES)

For the ones who don't do the one-way hike: Paul, Sofia, Aurelie, Jason, Ania, Breanna, Randy, Chris, Aditya.

An option for those who have never seen the falls is that they hike from Palomarin to Alamere Falls with us (1h 30' at my speed) and then walk back to the Palomarin parking lot (thus 3h) and drive back to the Coast Camp. From the Coast Camp they can hike towards Sculpture Beach (30') and meet us there. These are two short roundtrip hikes (3h and 1h) that allow you to see two of the main attractions of our one-way hike. And it would immensely help the logistics: each person driving back to the Coast Camp removes one car from the Palomarin parking lot.

Suggested carpooling for going to Palomarin: Shashi's car: 5 people (way back: Paul drives), Aditya's car: 4, Jason's car: 5, Chris' car: 4. This way no car will be left at Palomarin.

SUNDAY

(Subtitled: THE NATURE LOVERS)

(Only for those who stay sunday - everybody else skip to "Raccoons").

Options:

Whales, elephant seals, etc (mostly driving, short hikes)
Abbott's Lagoon if you want to see birds
Tomales point if you want to see elk, deer, etc (Recent pictures of these two are here - scroll down to the bottom of the list)
and more. Everything i know is here

Personally, i will go to the lighthouse (for whales), Chminey Rock or Drakes Beach (for elephant seals) with whoever is driving there in the morning, and then hike a loop around Drake's Estero (for birds and mountain lions).

Saturady's dinner and sunday's breakfast: Paul, Emily, Randy, Chris, Ksenya, Ania, Jason, Breanna and piero will cook at the campground.

Shashi and Sofia will eat at a restaurant in Inverness (boooooh).

RACCOONS

If you leave any scented item in the car (food, toothpaste, sunscreen, deodorant, girlfriend, etc), your car *will* be damaged by racoons. Raccoons in Pt Reyes cause more damage than bears in Yosemite. There are lockers at the Coast Camp.

If you invite friends, and you like your friends, make sure you tell them about raccoons, because those friends are not reading this email.

POISON OAK

It's all over the coast trails. And it's hard to spot in this season because it has no leaves.

DIRECTIONS

Anybody who wants to caravan: we meet at the parking lot at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge at 7:15pm.
We take 101 north. Take the San Anselmo/ Francis Drake exit. Turn left and follow Francis Drake as it winds through a few small towns and eventually a foresty road (this takes about 30 minutes).
Francis Drake dead ends in Olema. Turn right and immediately (100 meters) left into Bear Valley Rd (there is a sign that says "Point Reyes" but it might be hard to see it in the dark).
If you are on the right road, you will see the sign for the Visitor Center. (If you are not with me, ignore that sign and continue straight). (If you are caravaning with me, we stop here to pick up the permits and fill out the form). Bear Valley Rd ends after five minutes at a stop sign. Turn left into Limantour Rd. Drive to the end of Limantour Rd. You are at the beach. Park.
We'll probably get there at 8:30pm
Remove all scented items from the car
Carry your tent/sleeping bag/food etc to the campground
The Coast Camp is about 2kms from the Limantour parking lot. The first km is along the beach (walking on sand). Then about 1km on a trail. Good luck finding the trail in the dark.
We'll probably reach the campground at 9pm
If you ever find the campground, store all scented items in the lockers
Find the group campsite number 8AB
Pitch tent
Walk 100 meters to the beach
Romantic ones: enjoy the starry sky
Suicidal ones (i.e., Mihai): join piero to go look for mountain lions

See below for the original description of the hike. If you forward this email to anyone, please do not remove the John Wheeler quote. That's the whole point.

"Somewhere something incredible is waiting to happen" (John Wheeler)

Original email of two weeks ago.

Hikers and nature lovers,

... omissis...

Jan 20... Coastal views. Waterfalls on the beach. Lakes. Tide pools. Beaches. Coves.

This is still my favorite Bay Area hike, as advertised here, and one of piero's world-famous suicidal one-way hikes: the Pacific Coast trail in Pt Reyes via Alamere Falls, several lakes, several beaches with coves and Sculptured Beach.

Details of the route are here.

Mid january is also the peak of the yearly migration of Eschrichtius Robustus (better known as "whales") at Pt Reyes, and a good time to check out the elephant seals.

People who don't want to do the whole thing are very WELCOME because we need a car at the other end. They can do a shorter round-trip hike from the end to whenever they meet us (eg, Sculptured Beach, best place for tide pools and picnic).

Why mid january?

Low tide is preferrable in order to maximize the exploration of beaches/coves/tide pools/etc.
The fog is rare in january
The rains make everything look more impressive.
It can be coupled with whale watching and elephant seals (Elephant seals, Whales).
And the fog already starts in march

The day-long Coast Trail hike can be combined with a day of shorter hikes and/or sightseeing. Lots of wild life. See these pictures (scroll down to the bottom of the list for Abbotts Lagoon and Tomales Point).

piero, migrating animal

"Somewhere something incredible is waiting to happen" (John Wheeler)