Tomales Point

So as promised, I made it out to Point Reyes on Saturday! I left at 8 AM and the drive was nice, about 20 miles, mostly 2-lane highway through Redwood Forests. October is a nice time to visit because it is usually really clear and warm, while most of the rest of the year is foggy and colder. The sacrifice is in the colors -- spring and early summer are much greener, so if you are lucky enough to get to Point Reyes on a rare clear summer or spring day, that is when this place is at its best. I wasn't disappointed though -- I knew before I left that it was going to be very brown. Anyway, the Redwoods only accompanied my drive until I crossed the San Andreas Fault. For whatever reason, Redwoods give way to oak and other varieties as you cross the San Andreas Fault. Then there was just farmland as far as you could see for a little while, and finally the picture above is from the road, about 2 miles from the starting point of my hike. See all the trees? I like hiking in trees unless its in the desert (a.k.a. Zion, Moab, etc), but this area put a whole new spin on hiking for me.

The hike went to the end of this peninsula. All sounds of traffic and airplanes and the urban white noise was gone. All I could hear was the constant roar of the surf, the occasional seagull, the ringing of the bell on a buoy out at the point. I read somewhere that the surf here at Point Reyes is some of the strongest on the west coast, so it was smashing pretty violently into the cliffs. Just looking down I could see some pretty amazing rip-currents. That's the phenomenon that can happen when a strong wave brings a lot of water high onto the shore, and then rushes back out again. I've felt rip-currents as high as my waist that have been so strong it takes some concentration in order to stay on my feet. Looking at this surf from this high perspective, I could tell that there was no way I could stay on my feet in those rip-currents, which were easier deeper than I am tall.

There were tons of elk out there. I saw three herds total, and in each herd I counted 50 to 80 elk. Then as I got toward the end of the peninsula I spotted this huge rock off the shore that was covered with pelicans. They were just chilling, poking each other and flying around. They are big suckers, bigger than they look here. That is no small rock. Actually it is huge. I wish I had something to put it into perspective. Other wildlife I saw was in the water. I'm not sure exactly what it was I saw, but I definitely saw some shadows flitting around off the shore, just beyond the reach of the surf. I had read that this time of year humpback and gray whales are migrating southward, and certain kinds of rays and sharks are constant in the area. I wish I knew what I saw.

So the end of the hike was of course Tomales Point, 4.7 miles from the trailhead, which made for a 9.4 mile hike total. It took me three hours and was well worth the trip. It was great stress relief and put a new "theme" into my hiking portfolio. I had previously had Mountain Hiking, Desert Hiking, Forest Hiking, and now I've got Seashore Hiking.