First Hike of 2010

My mountaineering friend Emilie invited me to go on a day hike with two of our friends at Huddart Park, a county park in San Mateo near Woodside, California. I haven’t done much Peninsula hiking and have never been to Huddart Park, so I thought it would be nice to start the new year with a hike in a new area.

The weather was nice and foggy with a little mist—perfect for hiking in redwood trees. With the moisture came lots of fungi, moss, lichen, and banana slugs. We even saw two rough-skinned newts cruising around with each other. We did have to dodge some horse apples, but the trails were remarkably root-free and not too muddy. Some trails where even paved, which was a bit odd, but minimized my normal stumbling on every rock and bump.

Overall it was a nice park, worth the small entrance fee, and a pleasant way to start the new year!

Trip Stats:

• Location: Huddart County Park, Woodside, CA
• Trailhead: Ranger Station Parking Lot
• Mileage: 8.14 round trip, figure-8 loop
• Elevation Gain/Loss: ~1,760 ft; low point 666 ft, high point 2,010 ft
• Trails Traveled: Dean Trail, Chinquapin Trail, Archery Fire Road, Dean Trail, Crystal Springs Trail
• Terrain: Well-maintained single and double track, some trails with asphalt. Good sturdy trail signage. Only a few obstacles—a couple downed trees, a few locked horse gates.
• Flora & Fauna: Redwood forest and mixed evergreen with lots of madrone and tan oak. Lots of moisture, fungi, banana slugs, fog, spider webs, newts.
• Facilities: Bathrooms with water at various picnic areas in park. $5 entrance fee. Maps available.
• Flickr photo album

EveryTrail GPS Track with Photos: Huddart Park: First Hike of the New Year

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Hike #1 Trails Challenge ’09

Western Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum grande) seen on French Trail.
Roberts Regional Recreation Area & Redwood Regional Park Loop As I wrote a couple weeks ago the East Bay Regional Park District is hosting its annual Trails Challenge. Last Thursday I hiked my first official challenge trail of 2009. I chose a “summer” recommended hike as it was a nice warm sunny spring day and this route would be shaded by redwoods and oak woodland most of the way with just a smidge of chaparral and grassland. Being midweek I had the first half all to myself, but later in the afternoon I was joined by equestrians, mountain bikers, and dog walkers. Along the route, I was pleasantly greeted by plentiful wildflowers and a “serpentine prairie” right here in Oakland. Date Completed: March 26, 2009 Location: CA, Oakland, Roberts Regional Recreation Area & Redwood Regional Park Mileage: ~7.1 mi round trip Elevation: +/-1700'; lo pt 822'; hi pt 1,535' Trails Challenge Total Miles: 7
	California tortoiseshell butterfly (Nymphalis californica). It briefly landed on Dunn Trail in the Serpentine Prairie Preserve part of Redwood Regional Park.
Links: View all my photos from this hike Read more about the Trails Challenge Learn more about the serpentine prairie Roberts Regional Recreation Area official website Redwood Regional Park official website
	Backlit sword fern on Graham Trail in Roberts Regional Recreation Area.
Topographic map of my route. Click for a larger view.

A Swan at Lake Merritt

I've never seen a real-life swan until this year at "The Lake". They are HUGE, bigger than geese. According to my copy of The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Western Region this is a mute swan:

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), an introduced species and a tame pond bird, is smaller [than a Trumpeter Swan] with a black knob at the base of its orange bill. Mute Swans hold their necks in a graceful curve with bill pointing down.

It swam right up to me probably thinking my camera was something tasty I was going to offer it to eat. I don't know what it is doing at the lake because apparently we are too far south of the normal range.

Many people don't know that Oakland's Lake Merritt was the first wildlife refuge to be established in North America (proposed 1869, instituted 1870).

• More about Mute Swans at Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  
• More about Lake Merritt at Lake Merritt Institute

View more photos here at flickr.

Backpacking: Butano State Park Trip Report

View of the sun getting ready to set from the Landing Strip near the trail camp on Butano Fire Road.
Figuring I should take advantage of not having to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving and wanting to burn off all that turkey and pie, I asked my friend Brian to join me for a short backpacking excursion. Originally I thought a two-nighter from Hetch Hetchy to Rancheria Falls in Yosemite might be nice, but then I remembered how gnarly traffic would be on Sunday coming home through Tracy and the Altimont Pass...BLECH!!! So I narrowed it down to this local one-nighter at Butano State Park returning home Saturday rather than Sunday to avoid the holiday return traffic frenzy. Backpack Stats: Date: November 28 & 29, 2008 Location: CA, Bay Area, Pescadero, Butano State Park Mileage: ~11.25 Elevation: +/-2,081' ; lo pt 281'; hi pt 1,690' Trailhead: Mill Ox Trail TH Lat/Long.: 37.208,-122.333191 TH Facilities: NO toilet, water, or phone at trailhead; phone at entrance; water & toilet at picnic area on right after entrance station. Trails Hiked: Mill Ox, Jackson Flats, Canyon, Trail Camp, Butano Fire Road, Mill Ox Route Type: Loop Trail Terrain(s): single track: steep in parts, slippery when wet, roots, some gravel higher up; fire road well maintained (mountain bikes allowed on fire roads). Camp Lat/Long.: 37.22451,-122.291451 Camp: designated trail camp first come first pick; pit toilet, trash cans, NO WATER—pack it in or be prepared to hike for it; No fires, stoves only, some sites have log table w/bench Plant Communities: Riparian, Redwood Forest / Mixed Evergreen, "Vernal Wetland", Chaparral. Why go?: newts, lots o' banana slugs, fungi & lichen, nice sunset from the abandoned landing strip by camp. Trail camp is not heavily used, local solitude. Official Website: Butano State Park View the entire flickr photo album.
	Fire-breathing newt crossing, BEWARE!
	Brian molesting a newt for my photographic exploitation.
Newts, & Slugs, & Fungi, Oh My! This was my first time visiting Butano State Park and I was quite impressed with the sheer numbers of newts, banana slugs, and variety of fungi and lichen. This is one moist park! I was also quite amused by all of the "Slow! Newt Crossing" signs. I'm really not sure it is possible to drive slow enough to see a newt actually crossing the road in front of me, but I tried my best. Along the trail I spied a clump of fungi I had never seen before. It was a series of almost translucent white finger-shaped stalks pointing out of the leaf litter only a few inches high. Once home I found out it was named appropriately enough: Fairy Fingers. There were many other species, some of which I had seen before in other redwood parks but never took the time to figure out what they were. This time I did a little research after getting home. Three of the species I identified were: "Fairy Fingers" Clavaria vermicularis "Lungwort" or "lung lichen" Lobaria pulmonaria "Sulfur Shelf" or "Chicken of the Woods" Laetiporus conifericola
	Clavaria vermicularis a.k.a. Fairy Fingers
	Enjoying the little camp table at site #1 and a few afternoon rays of sunlight. The redwood canopy above creates a very damp & chilly environment
Butano Trail Camp As with most of the local backpacking opportunities in the bay area, camping is restricted to a trail camp. Often this situation feels like all the disadvantages of car camping mixed with all the disadvantages of backpacking (all work and no solitude). But not so this time. We practically had the whole trail camp area to ourselves except for one very quiet couple—not visible or audible to us at our site. I don't know if this relative vacancy was due to Thanksgiving weekend and everybody traveled out of the bay area, or if the masses were too busy shopping to hike, or if the camp is just deserted like this most of the time in the off-season. Or maybe it was because there is no water at this trail camp so you have to pack it all in or hike back out in search of the closest running creek. In any case, this solitude created some much welcomed peace. Butano trail camp does offer some amenities such as a pit toilet and trash cans, and some of the sites have little log benches and tables (site #2's was squished under a felled conifer). Also this camp doesn't seem to have the racoon problem of other local trail camps (let's keep it that way people...don't leave out any trash or food "rewards").
	One of MANY banana slugs near camp.
One potential downside is that the camp area is shaded by a reasonably thick redwood canopy, so in the event of fog or recent rain bring some extra dry warm layers and a tent or tarp over and under your sleeping bag because everything left out WILL get wet just from the surrounding moisture and there won't be much sunlight to dry it off the next day. Also be prepared for curious, moisture loving banana slugs crawling on your stuff. Have no fear of the slug. They won't hurt you, but they will leave a slime trail that does not wash off easily. If at camp you find yourself craving views, you are in luck. Not far from camp along Butano Fire Road to the west there is an abandoned landing strip of sandstone gravel surrounded by chaparral and knobcone pine with nice views of the valley to the south and west. After setting up camp, we took a stroll over to the landing strip to explore and watch the sun dip into the blanket of coastal rolling fog with colors turning from silver to yellow to orange to pink to red.
(Topographic map of our route. Click for more viewing options.)

It's a newt!

PB090416
Originally uploaded by bondgurl

Taricha granulosa
Rough-skinned Newt

This little guy was cruising around the nasty porta-potties at Muir Beach.

Apparently they have a toxin so poisonous that if ingested (who's going to eat a newt?) it can cause paralysis and death even in large animals including us humans. However, Garter Snakes are apparently resistant to this toxin and can gobble up this little newt no problem. These small amphibians chill along the U.S. West Coast from Santa Cruz north to Alaska.

Check out the hike photo album click here.

Day Hike: Tomales Point Tule Elk Reserve, Point Reyes — September 21, 2008

My friend Sarah mentioned that she had gone on this hike the previous weekend and enjoyed seeing the tule elk. Still awed by all the megafauna I had seen on my 3000+ mile western states vacation the two weeks before, I also thought it would be nice to see these big wild ungulates so close to home. And, it would be a nice way to celebrate the fall equinox and usher in a new season. I convinced a few friends to join me at the trailhead early-ish in the morning to hopefully beat the crowds and to enable a leisurely photo-friendly pace. Hike at a Glance: Length: 10 miles RT (out and back) Elevation change: +/- 1300 feet Trailhead: Pierce Point Ranch, Point Reyes National Seashore TH Lat/Long: 38.18884°, -122.95398° (NAD83/WGS84) Trails: Tomales Point Trail Terrain: Mostly rolling, old ranch dirt road; sandy single track before Tomales Bluff Facilities: Payphone at Trailhead but NO water or toilets (toilets nearby at McClure Beach parking lot). Why go?: Tule elk, sea birds, wide ocean views (when not foggy) Note about directions: Consult the official Park Service directions, not google maps—google tells you to go on Marshall Beach Road which is not open to through traffic, stay on Pierce Point Road. View all of the photos at flickr (click here). Pre-hike Treats Point Reyes National Seashore still has many working dairy farms, so driving through the north end feels more like a drive on a country road rather than a drive in a national park located very close to the San Francisco Bay Area metropolis. The rural feel is also augmented by the fact that it is surrounded by water on the northeast, northwest, and southwest sides: Tomales Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and Drakes Bay respectively. Add to this the quiet of the morning hours, my passenger Brian and I were lucky to not only see the usual birds foraging for breakfast along the road, but a barn kitty, a coyote, a fleeting glimpse of a mature bobcat or young mountain lion (the tail seemed short but dark not striped), and a small herd of bull elk before we even started the hike.
	Bull elk chillin’ by the roadside
Trailhead at Pierce Point Ranch When Brian and I arrived at the Tomales Point trailhead at the Pierce Point Ranch parking lot we were the second car there. After Emillie, Shawne, and Heather arrived there were about a dozen (and two different sierra club groups—one local, one national). Alas, my idea to beat the crowds was only partially successful. Pierce Point Ranch was a former dairy ranch that closed in 1973 and is now a historical exhibit allowing you to explore the old wooden buildings. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures there...I could've as we were a wee bit early, which Brian was not happy about... It was still a little overcast and foggy, but I was optimistic that most of it would burn off so we would at least have a view of the elk, if not the coastline. As it turned out, it would burn off completely to be a nice warm sunny day but with a strong breeze to cool us off during the very few steep ascents.
	fog burning off—looking south down the coast
Elk Segregation We didn't have to travel too far to see elk from the trail. There was a large group of cow elk (the ladies) at Windy Gap which is about a mile in from the trailhead. Apparently the bull and the cow herds hang out separate from each other until it is mating season (June through September) when the most dominant bull elk will protect his harem of cows from other bull elks, having earned the "right" to first mating by winning fights and other dominance contests with the rest of the bulls. When he's worn out and tired and can't hoard his harem any longer the other bull elk get their chance to score with the ladies.
	Cow elk herd at Windy Gap
	Two bull elk giving us a photo op by standing on top of a ridge
Watering Hole About three and a quarter miles in along the trail there was a pond being monopolized by a herd of bull elk and the accompanying wildlife watchers. Since our goal was to reach Tomales Bluff, we still had a mile and a half to go, so we decided to keep marching on. Just past here is a grove of eucalyptus trees, probably the remnants of what my USGS topo map lists as Upper Pierce Point Ranch (not listed on my "Tom Harrison" trail map). (Eucalyptus trees, even though ubiquitous in California, are not native. Groves of these Australian trees began to be planted in California during the second half of the 1800s.)
	Bull elk drinking in a pond near the trail
Lunching Spot About four miles in we decided to follow a spur trail that headed towards the ocean with a view of Bird Rock (which we renamed Bird Poo Rock as that is what lends it that bright white color). At the end of the spur was a nice warm sandy bluff overlooking the ocean as well as the rock. We decided to break here and eat lunch and even take a little nap. After our naps and some discussion, Heather decided to continue to nap in the sand, while we headed off toward the end at Tomales Bluff.
	The very smelly Bird Rock— downwind on the trail we would occasionally get nasty whiffs
The Last Mile The last mile of trail from our picnic area to Tomales Bluff got very sandy in spots, but manageable. It also looks a bit deceiving as there are two hills you have to hike over, with the first one tricking you like it's the going to be the last, but no, there is one more. Many spurs appear here and there but the trail goes all the way to the end which sits just above some tidal rocks. Sea birds seemed to enjoy this area between Bird Rock and the rocks around Tomales Bluff, with pelicans, cormorants and gulls flying and hanging about.
	Pelican soaring past us on the trail
	Tomales Bluff
	Cormorants and a few gulls sitting on the rocks below Tomales Bluff
Well Not Really The last mile really wasn't the last mile. There were five more miles to go to get back to the trailhead. After picking up Heather at the sandy spur, we marched back the way we came—a little bit quicker as we didn't take so many pictures on the return trip.
	Near the end of our day looking north back up the coastline from whence we came.
(click on topo map for a larger version.)
More Information: NPS.gov: Point Reyes National Seashore NPS.gov: Point Reyes N.S.—Viewing the Tule Elk

Day Hike: Muir Woods Mt. Tam Loop

I remember seeing big leaf maple trees turning yellow in Muir Woods National Monument last year, so in my quest for Bay Area fall color, I thought this would make a nice destination for a hike. (Plus, I also remembered that my National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass would cover the admission fee. Excellent!) HIKE STATS: Trailhead: Muir Woods National Monument Length: 6 mile lollipop loop hike Elevation change: 1500 feet gain/loss Trails: Muir Woods Main Trail, Bootjack, TCC, Stapleveldt, Ben Johnson, back to Muir Woods Main. Terrain: Main Trail is mostly paved and wheelchair accessible; the rest is well maintained single track with some roots and wood stairs. Trip date: October 19, 2008 My photo album at flickr (click here).
	Entrance to Muir Woods National Monument
Muir Woods in the Morning I arrived at the parking lot shortly after 9 am wanting to get there early because I knew that Muir Woods can be a people zoo usually consisting of San Francisco tourists that want to whiz through to catch a quick glimpse at big redwood trees. (Personally, I prefer the redwoods of Big Basin and Henry Cowell as far as local old-growth giant specimens are concerned, but I wasn't here just for the redwoods.) Unfortunately about half a dozen cars pulled up at the same time as me. Luckily most were also the quiet types looking for peace in the woods. There was also my desire for "good" light. I wanted to try and get some decent photos of the trees, particularly the maples, with nice, canopy-filtered, morning light.
	Maple leaf in Muir Woods on the main trail
The Secret Life of Ladybugs Along the trail I saw bunches of sleeping ladybugs. (I also saw this the week before in Mt. Diablo S.P.) Ladybugs go dormant during the cold months hanging out en masse on objects such as a nice log or sometimes a house returning to the same spot yearly - bet you didn't know that! Also, when threatened, they literally bleed a toxin out of their exoskeleton joints that apparently tastes bad and smells bad too (At Henry Cowell S.P. I had to dress up in a lady bug costume and tell little kids to smell a box full of live ones. "Here, smell this. It stinks!").
	Cluster of sleeping ladybugs
	Thousands of ladybugs on branches
Bootjack and the Maples Big leaf maples are deciduous and live along the Pacific West Coast mostly from the Bay Area to southwest parts of Alaska, but can be found in Southern California and the Western Slopes of the Sierras. Maple syrup can be made from its sap but has a different flavor than the sugar maple and isn't widely used. Bootjack trail out of Muir Woods is a nice place to see big leaf maples. It follows Redwood Creek, a perennial stream, up to Van Wyck Meadow and eventually to Bootjack picnic area in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. Even though it is all up hill from Muir Woods, the lightly running creek with it's trickling cascades and the yellow foliage of the maples interspersed in the mixed evergreen forest make it a really pleasant fall-season trail.
	Big leaf maple on Bootjack Trail
Van Wyck Meadow At the junction of several trails, the meadow is a fairly unspectacular small flat with a few big boulders strewn about to sit on and eat a trail snack and listen to birds. It's also a good place to listen to the huffing and puffing of passing hikers.
	Van Wyck Meadow
TCC and Stapleveldt Trails TCC is a nearly level trail that laterals the contours of several small ridges, that weave in and out of the watershed above Muir Woods on Mt. Tam S.P. property. In the shady deep folds of TCC there are some nice fern grottos, and on the dryer ridges, young oak and bay laurel trees. Eventually I came to a confusing trail junction, but after consulting my topo map, I turned southeast/left after the bridge taking the "low road" and in about 50 feet found the sign for Stapleveldt trail to Ben Johnson trail. Stapleveldt trail is a steep yet well designed and graded set of switchbacks that drop you quickly into the small canyon to eventually join Ben Johnson Trail.
	Wildflower near Van Wyck Meadow (haven’t figured out what it is yet…if you know please share!) UPDATE: California Indian Pink (Silene californica)
Ben Johnson Trail This trail a consistent decline, but not too much of a toe-jammer. It seemed to be more populated with people coming up from Muir Woods than the other trails. Ben Johnson trail descends amongst redwood forest with a couple big leaf maples here and there but in my opinion not as pretty as Bootjack. The unnamed creek that it follows was dry, but it may make this trail much prettier when it is flowing in the spring. It joins up with Muir Woods main trail and Hillside Trail at Bridge 4. Since I had taken Hillside Trail on a previous hike and found it to be crowded and no more "scenic" than the main trail, I took Muir Woods Main Trail back to the trailhead.
	Burnt-out old-growth redwood (with abandoned toilet paper thrown on the ground behind it—not pictured.)
Struggling like a spawning salmon through throngs of tourists with loud children and bulky strollers on the main trail, I had to suppress the urge to lecture them about the evils of abandoning bundles of toilet paper behind rocks and trees and underneath bushes. For their part, they must have thought I was some sort of nutjob with my trekking poles, backpacking boots, nylon cargo pants, GPS, two cameras, and a nalgene hanging off of my backpack for what they assumed was just a stroll on the (mostly paved) main trail. Eventually I made it through the hoards and back to the entrance unscathed and without screaming or lecturing anyone about the vices of tissue.
(click on the map for a larger version.)
If you'd like to go, check out these links: Muir Woods National Monument Mt. Tamalpais State Park