Muir woods Stinson Beach & Mount Tamalpais
Hello Friends,
I just landed in San Francisco and am on my way to my hotel in an Uber. Ryan is my driver he is from Nepal worked in Dubai then got a green card to work in the US. Ryan has a deep accent curtly dark hair thin framed glasses and loves chatting people up. He has been here since 2014 and likes San Francisco but thinks it is expensive. He wants to move to Dallas because he heard it had a better cost of living. He lives with 6 friends in an apartment in SF for $3200 per month. It is a crowded living arrangement but they get along well. He is ready to have a house and feels he could get a nice home with space in Texas.
I enjoyed my ride and conversation but it is late and has been a long day. Tomorrow I am on an adventure in Muir woods. I chose to hike & run this weekend as usual. Muir Woods, Stinson Beach and Mt Tamalpais are in front of me in the morning. The last time I was at Stinson Beach was in 1991 the morning after a Mardi Gras Grateful Dead show at the Oakland Coliseum. I had started following the Dead in 89 and was living in Vail Colorado at the time skiing as much as possible. My roommates and I decided a road trip for a Dead show was in order. We had already been planning our Spring tour after the mountain closed and needed to see Jerry and the boys. This adventure will be completely different and challenging.
Saturday morning a quick breakfast in the hotel, an omelette with gruyere cheese, (very San Francisco) filled my trail pack and headed out. I am excited to be back on a trail in the woods.
I arrived at Stinson Beach about 9:00am and stopped at the Parkside Café for an organic breakfast burrito to be my trail meal. I am not sure how to interpret that marketing but to say it was vegetarian. The trail starts about three blocks from here and I meandered my way over. I took of my light jacket and just had shorts and my running shirt. It is best to start cold so you aren't stopping to remove layers 15 minutes after you start running.
The start of the trail is a steep forest with giant moss covered trees. It is well maintained with railroad tie steps and fencing in certain steeper areas. A lot of work was put into keeping the trail maintained. About 30 minutes into the ascent I ran into a large group of Korean hikers. Korean's love to hike and hike in groups. There were about 40 in the group and when I approached they shouted announcing "runner" up the line and moved aside. I thanked them as I passed and it was a pleasure to have a group with such a focused trail etiquette.
Once I ascended about 1700 ft. and broke out of the forest into open pastures with patches of trees, I was astounded by the view. Grassy hills, patches of forest and a layer of ocean fog creeping up the mountain. I had to stop and take it in. From here it is a relatively easy run to the Pantoll Campground/Ranger Station. Quick stop here for water if needed then back on the trail. You can go a few different ways from here and I chose the stagecoach trail. The trail has incredible views the whole way up. The marine fog covering the bay then creeping up the mountain is one of the most beautiful scenes you can imagine. Bright sunny day with the fog in the distance covering the city and bay is such a memorable picture in my mind. I almost feel selfish to have that view with no one to share it with.
The next section is an easy hike or run to the west peak then the east peak and the final summit. The last piece of this Trail is a bit of class 2 hiking. It is great getting to the summit but I am always a bit bummed when is see there is a parking lot full of cars and a bunch of people climbing for 10 minutes to get the view I hiked and ran for 8 miles to get. I guess good for them to be able to see the views and stand on a peak. I am sure individuals less fortunate health wise are grateful it has a road to the top. For me it is so meaningful to have the journey to a peak ending with a prize of a view. I am grateful I get that chance. I had an amazing climb up with so many memorable little moments. The journey is what drives my adventure and what we see along the way.
I stayed on the summit for about 30 minutes looking in every direction. The views are unbelievable and there were a few birds of prey soaring above diving for their next meal. I was mesmerized watching them swoop and glide across the tree tops.
Descending down the fern creek trail then crossing over to the West Mount Tamalpais point I was in a focused state of mind, going down I always seem to be. I want to keep up my pace and not get injured. I find that when individuals are tired they tend to be less focused and watchful. This is where an injury can happen so it is something I always think about. When I arrived at the ranger station I saw a bus to Stinson Beach and was short on time. It was tempting to just get on a bus for a quick ride down. I did not take the ride and kept running. I am so glad I did. The pastures, forest and final greeting of the Ocean was a view I loved seeing.
Walking into Stinson I was tired but satisfied and most of all happy. Another fantastic day being outside in nature enjoying life.
Matthew Tepoorten
Stinson Beach to Mount Tamalpais via Matt Davis Trail on AllTrails
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/stinson-beach-to-mount-tamalpais