A New Year, New trails, New Trilliums, New Elephant Seals!
Happy New Year from my First Day Hike. The best way to start a new year is with a good long hike! January 1, 2024 dawned with perfect weather to take a nice long hike. I picked up where I left off last spring on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Though we've been in Marin County since November 1, this was my first out of park hike. This particular hike on the Bolinas Ridge Trail is not that easy to get to. The trailhead is only 19 miles away by car, but the last few miles on the Bolinas Fairfax Road are not for the faint of heart. It is paved, but windy, narrow, and with steep drop offs. I had hiked south from this trailhead last spring and Rob and I were not looking forward to driving there again, but we did it on January 1, so I could walk back to camp from there. It was about 12 1/2 miles long, but with little elevation gain, mostly down hill as it followed the ridge before dropping down on the Jewel Trail to the Cross Marin Trail and then right back to our campsite....