Salamander Orgies, Waterfalls, and Powerful Insight into the Womenfolk

It's important to call "shotgun" when you are driving in Jai's car.  That's because she has seat warmers and they are awesome.  I was all hopped up on caffeine and death metal when I met up with Jai and Shawna for our bi-weekly trek.  They were looking pretty fired up themselves.  That was a little surprising, since I knew they had spent the night previous at a salsa club, probably downing tequila shots and rubbing up on Latin men named "Enrique."

     We headed out, and I, by way of preemptive "shotgun" call, enjoyed the kickass seat warmer.  Shawna then pulled a slick one by feigning car-sickness, a horrible malaise that can only be cured by sitting in the front seat.  We made a quick stop on a turn-out, and I spent the rest of the drive pouting in the backseat.   

    Jai picked a hell of a pretty hike this time out, and we spent a few hours hiking under a green canopy that hugged the Northern California coastline.

    We passed a large puddle in the middle of the trail that was full of newts.  They were horny little bastards.  Of the 25-30 we saw, probably half of them were getting down.  A few piles of 3 or 4 at a time were going at it.  Shawna blushed.  It was cute.

    We arrived at the highlight of the trip; a series of waterfalls that lead out of the forest and flow off of a steep drop-off ending on the beach and into the Pacific Ocean.  

    We tripped and stumbled our way down the steep, dirt trail leading to the beach, where we could eat our sandwiches and drink our whiskey.  Shawna and Jai nearly died.  I blame Enrique.

    I finally remembered to bring my flask.  Jameson Irish Whiskey, Boi!

    After that, we stumbled back up the hill, flopped about dramatically by the waterfalls, and headed home.  There was an excess of estrogen, and I learned all sorts of useful information about women.  Seriously, I am enlightened.  And I owe it all to these two.

Location: Bolinas (Marin County)

Mileage: 8.6m

East Peak of Mt. Tam - No Cigar

Inspired by Lorien's New Year's Hike and Cigar festivities, I set out early (moderately) to hike the east peak of Mt. Tamapais.  I brought a dominican cigarillo and, lacking a normal lighter, a blue-flame torch.  With the lack of planning that is fairly typical of my life, I remembered to buy some water at the last stop before heading up to the national park.  I parked up by the ranger station and picked up the trail at the Pantoll trailhead. 
    Compared to some recent hikes and expeditions, the trail to the summit was very relaxed, sloping gently upwards, and allowing for some spectacular views of the Pacific Coast.  On clear days, you can see all the way to the Sierra Nevada mountains, but this was not a clear day.  It was still pretty though, and the cloud layer looked like the ocean, with taller hills breaking through the fog and resembling dark islands.

    Like a jackass, I packed the lighter at the bottom of my day pack, allowing it's tip to get broken off by the water bottle.  So, no cigar at the top.  My flask, typically reserved for Irish Whiskey or Bourbon, was contaminated with vodka...a favor for a friend, don't ask.  
    I emerged from the trail to find that a road and parking lot was present from the other side, so there were actually quite a few people huddled around the scenic area a few hundred feet from the top.  Of this large group of people who had driven all the way there, few folks pushed up the last 0.2 miles to the actual peak.  It always surprises me how short a distance people venture away from the parking lots of beautiful places...it's almost like they want to say they have gone somewhere, without actually having the experience of doing it.  "Been there, done that, got a T-shirt" comes to mind.  It's even more disturbing in a section like Mt. Tam, which is a very mild uphill route.


*steps off soapbox*

The view from the top was pretty sweet, and even on this cloudy day, the Pacific stretched far past the capability of my vision.  I tried to take a picture of myself with the view as a backdrop, but the short arms that hinder my boxing also makes these self-portraits difficult. 

    There wasn't a whole lot of wildlife that I could see, probably because of all the people, but I did see a large hawk, quite a few squirrels, and I surprised a large bobcat on the way back.  Typically, they are very skittish and avoid people, and he was only the 2nd that I have ever seen outside of captivity.
    Overall, this was a nice hike that I would do again, and it was good to be able to find some degree of wilderness so close to the Bay Cities.


East Peak Elevation: 2,572 feet
Out & Back Mileage: 7.96 miles