Mount Tamalpais State Park
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Dipsea Trail~Steep Ravine Loop Mount Tamalpais State Park |
June 16, 2010
Since my high-mountain playground remains snowbound even at this late date,
I must travel elsewhere for an outdoor fix. This is my first Bay Area
hike in a decade. Although is is best here in spring or fall, I'll just
have to make do. At 10 a.m. it is warm enough that packing an
extra shirt will be unnecessary.
Day use in Tamalpais State Park entails an $8 parking fee, and my
federal parks pass will not help me here. Many route options are available
starting from the Pantoll Ranger Station, which doubles as the park headquarters.
Today's loop begins in a southward direction. Before long, I am past the old mining site and onto the coastal grasslands. Once I am out of the forest, the flowers appear.
Getting started
⇔
The Pacific Ocean is 1,400 feet below
Italian Thistle
Milk Thistle
Gumplant
Perennial Sweetpea
At a four-way junction I encounter the Dipsea Trail. To the left is Muir Woods National Monument; I turn right toward the ocean. More flower types are on display, some of which are new to me.
On the Dipsea Trail
Bodega Morning Glory
Cow Parsnip
Having drowned my Panasonic camera last week in Wapama Falls, I have reverted to
the Canon G10, the best non-SLR that that manufacturer has been willing
to produce. It is a great hiking unit — that is, except for
close-ups. Due to my own vision limitations, I simply cannot see to
focus properly using an LCD screen, which is all that this model offers.
Although I am getting some nice results, far too many shots are being trashed
by inaccurate focusing. I even brought a new pair of reading spectacles to
assist me; but the whole procedure is enervating and error-prone.
Oh well, I must do what I can today, and switch cameras tomorrow. Only a
model with a diopter-adjustable viewfinder will suffice, and I do own a
couple of those.
Dwarf Checkerbloom
Common Monkeyflower
After stopping to visit with a few ladybugs, I encounter the fanciest trailside
marker I have seen — a mileage indicator for the famous annual
Dipsea Race (see Addendum).
Ladybugs aren't poisoned by the Hemlock
5 down, 2½ to go
Abruptly the forest reappears, and the trail promptly descends hundreds of feet, down many stairsteps into the verdant Steep Ravine.
Pleasant walking
It's really green in here
Junction with the Steep Ravine Trail
The Dipsea Trail continues west to Stinson Beach and the ocean; but I turn east into the dark canyon. This section features several footbridges, hundreds more stone or wooden stairsteps (all leading upward this time), and numerous other interesting obstacles.
This is why they call it 'Steep' Ravine
At one bridge there is a nice place to take a break beside the little
creek. Just beyond this point is a sort of tunnel-tree,
followed by the trail's signature attraction, a 12-foot ladder.
There is not much water in the creek
This trail is made for short people
What fun!
The guy in the red shirt is carrying a big camera with a lens the size of
a thermos bottle. Although the man remains in sight for pretty much all
of the remaining mile of walk, I never observe him taking a picture; meanwhile,
I stop for a dozen shots. My images might not be as high-quality
as his, but at least I have some.
Cotoneaster Berries
More stairs, a couple of switchbacks, and a couple of new flowers near the parking lot complete my journey.
Brodiaea
Checkerbloom
§: Steep Ravine is a special place, with its lush greenery and unusual
trail features. I do recommend that you take this loop in a clockwise direction,
as did I; this saves the best for last, and you get to go up the ladder instead of
down. Next time, however, I will visit in April, so as to catch the best
flower season.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty | |
| Personality |  |
| Flowers | |
| Solitude |  |
ADDENDUM
The Dipsea Race is the oldest cross-country run and second-oldest
foot race of any kind in the United States. Its 100th running was completed
here just three days ago, with stunning results: an 8-year-old girl finished
first, and a grandmother of four finished second! Of course, the
25-minute headstarts awarded to the youngest and oldest competitors didn't
hurt their causes.
Another interesting Dipsea record was achieved by a man who completed the race
67 consecutive times! His last finish was in 2002, at age 95.
