Sunday, February 5, 2012

Alamere Falls and the non-existent Bay Area winter


Super Bowl Sunday (February 5th) and still we've only had a few days of rain this winter. It feels like late spring and I'm sure all is not well in our eco-system.

Since I can't make it rain and am not the type to sit inside, I took advantage of the warm, dry day and headed to the Palomarin Trail, probably my favorite day hike in Marin. The sets of waves were suspiciously consistent, steadily crashing into shore at a therapeutic cadence.

Past the rope swing at Bass Lake and out to the falls we went. The poison oak was just beginning to sprout leaves and irises were popping up in all shades of purple.

Somehow there was enough water to create the usual spectacular cascading waterfall that spilled onto the quartz-filled beach, fighting back meagerly against the salted ocean waves.



Falls and flowers checked off the list, we headed back the way we came and drove off just in time to see the sun disappear glowing into the sea.



Want to experience this? Go through the small town of Bolinas to the Palomarin Trail. Start before noon, bring lunch, a swimsuit & towel, long pants and a sweatshirt. Hike two miles to Bass Lake. Go swimming and test out the rope swing on the far side of the lake. Eat lunch in the meadow or down by the lake and then walk another two miles to the trail to Alamere Falls. Put on your pants and long sleeves (poison oak alert) and walk all the way down to the falls and beach. Make sure you're back before sundown...