Point Reyes 2010


Trip Report

 

Greetings from the Red Leader,
 
For our second dayhike we were joined by new members, Laura McKeegan and Cristina Lauck.  Also along were Kay and Mark Nougchi, with their friend Bill.  We met at the Whale of a Deli in Point Reyes Station, at 6:30 am on Saturday the 10th.  From there we caravanned to the Point Reyes Visitor Center at Bear Valley, where we left a car for the end-of-hike shuttle.  We then headed over the hill on the Limantour Road, turning past the Youth Hostel, to the Laguna Trailhead parking lot where our hike began.  Kay and Mark were in training and were carrying their internal frame backpacks.  We started South, along the Laguna Trail, climbing up into the fog.  We didn't have far to climb as the ceiling was at about 320 feet, and we started at 160 feet.  The Laguna Trail topped out at about 390 feet and we hiked along in the fog.  No views of Drakes Bay.  On the trail we stopped often and practiced reading maps in the fog.  We made good use of our compasses in the fog, orientating our maps.  No way at all to tell North.  As we hiked along we found some fresh "cat" scat, either a bobcat or mountain lion.  There was a bit of bear scat too.  We kept on, South, down to Coast Camp, where we took a short break, making use of the facilities.
 
After hoisting our packs we headed South, along the Coast Trail, to the Woodward Valley Trail.  Here we turned northeast and began the 800 foot ascent to the Sky Trail.  The foggy weather was perfect for hiking up hill and we soon arrived at Woodward Valley, where we took a pack break and a snack.  The sun came out while we rested and when we resumed our walk, we hiked North under blue skies.  We reached Sky Camp about 12:30 and stopped at the group camp-site for lunch.  I had hoped the fog would clear enough to allow for some compass practice but the fog stayed just below our elevation, blocking views of Point Reyes.
 
After lunch we backtracked to the junction with the Mt. Wittenberg and Meadow trails.  We dithered about climbing the 200 feet to Mt. Wittenberg, with no views because of the fog, or, descending the shorter, Meadow Trail.  We chose the shorter, flatter route and started down to Bear  Valley.  When we arrived Kay and Bill decided to hang out in the Bear Valley Natural History Museum, while Laura drove me and Mark back to pick pour cars.  When we returned from our car shuttle, we discussed stopping for dinner at the Station House Cafe.  Kay, Mark, and Bill were not able to stay, so Laura, Cristina and I retired to Point Reyes Station for cold drinks and sandwiches.  I was back home before 7:00 pm.
 
It was a great day and we really enjoyed the company of Kay, Mark and Bill.  Kay and Mark are planning on joining us for the second six-day hike and I'm really looking forward to having them along on a multi-day trip.

 

Red Leader Out