Angie, Jean, Jennie, Jenny, Tom, and I hiked in Point Reyes National
Seashore.
The drive to Point Reyes took about an hour from the Sir Francis
Drake exit off 101. While most of the Bay Area was drenched in
a heat wave and clear, sunny skies, as we neared the trail head
we noticed a thick fog billowing over the hills from the ocean.
As passed the Historic I Ranch, Historic J Ranch, etc., until
we reached Pierce Point Ranch -- the start of our hike.
One word of caution -- there are no restroom facilities at the
parking area, although there probably are at nearby McClures Beach.
We started off around noon, winding our way through through the
hills. Most of the vegetation consists of grasses and bushes which
don't exceed waist height. As such, you would think the views
would be fantastic, but instead our view of the world was completely
crippled by the enveloping fog.
The trail is a wide dirt road which rises up and down usually
gently. There is one reasonably long climb up. At that point there
are some views to the right of Tomales Bay. Our goal, Tomales
Point, lies at the northwestern end of a narrow peninsula, with
the Pacific Ocean on the left and Tomales Bay on the right.
Raven in flight
The hike was rather uneventful for the first hour or so. Then
we started to hear the ocean on our left, though we could not
really see it through the fog. A couple of large black birds flew
around on our left. We later found out they were probably ravens.
Elk near their favorite pond
The reason for doing this hike is to see the ocean, see Tomales
Bay, and see Tule Elk. But so far we'd struck out on all points.
We kept searching through the fog, trying to spot one of the hundreds
of elk living in on the peninsula (part of which is called Tule
Elk Preserve). Finally, as we rounded a corner and started a descent,
we spotted them. And not just one, or two, or a dozen, but probably
around a hundred or so. Sitting around, eating, enjoying the nearby
pond.
Elk staring us down
We stopped by the side of the trail and took pictures. We started
at them, they stared at us. They seem to be accustomed to people,
or at least unconcerned with them. While we ate our lunch a small
group of them slowly made their way towards us, but they kept
a reasonable distance before scampering back.
Elk butt
Elk in the fog
One of the few elk we saw with horns
One book called the Tomales Point hike probably the best place
to spot wildlife, and I'd have to agree. We even spotted a few
elk with large horns. Eventually, though, we had to continue on
our hike, which meant walking away from the elk. We descended
down to a small group of trees which looked like some sort of
cypress trees. We then crossed a small stream and started a short
ascent.
Lupine bush
Hiking toward one of the only groups of trees on the hike
The trail shortly turns to sand and the going gets tough. There's
nothing more frustrating than walking uphill in the sand. I was
glad for my trekking poles. They helped me make my way through
sand, past all the wildflowers (mostly bright yellow lupine bushes).
Hidden away in the vegetation were thousands of thick, fuzzy caterpillars.
These are some of the largest caterpillars I've seen, some probably
more than 1/2 an inch in diameter. We first noticed them on the
sand occasionally before Jean noticed them hanging all over the
plants. Big black and orange fluff balls.
Caterpillar on a lupine
Caterpillar on a thistle
This whole time our sight was still hindered by the thickening
fog. We could hear a foghorn across Tomales Bay, but could not
see anything there. We continued to hike through the sand, even
though we had no visual idea of how far we had to go. The fact
that the scenery was almost completely unchanging didn't help
our sense of time.
Eastern edge of the point (Tomales Bay side)
Finally, after being in a fog for so long, we reached a crest
and looked down at the ocean. We'd finally reached Tomales Point
and were surrounded by water on three sides. On the left, the
rock dropped away a vertigo-inducing 100 or more feet straight
down. On the right, the drop the drop was more gentle. The waves
crashed on a rocky beach further south along Tomales Bay. Jean,
Tom, and I continued walking around the point and reached the
very tip. The views were astounding. Jean went back up to get
the others while we soaked in the view.
Western edge of the point (Pacific Ocean side)
You can practically walk down to the water's edge. Although that's
definitely not recommended considering the heavy surf that could
suck you out to sea. The rocks, the water, the waves, the sand,
all created an awesome image of sea meeting land. And the best
part of it was that the sun was finally showing and the fog was
finally lifting! Just in the half hour we were there our views
opened up incredibly. Suddenly we could see the community on the
other side of Tomales Bay, filled with heretofore unseen sailboats.
Tomales Point
Group shot looking northeast
We can finally see the beach on the other side of Tomales Bay
Bird in flight over the ocean
As we made our way back the way we came, I kept looking back to
witness views we hadn't seen on our way there. Looking back, we
could see that if the fog had lifted earlier, it would have been
quite easy to see what our destination was. The land obviously
ends with a triangle culminating in Tomales Point.
Looking back at Tomales Point
Usually an out-and-back trail is somewhat boring since it covers
the same ground. But this time it was completely different because
we could now see what we could not see before. The views were
impressive. And the tule elk were clearer now, standing next to
a shimmering blue pond. Unfortunately, they were no longer as
close to us as they were before, and the fog had lended them an
air of mystery.
Elk Pond - this time in sunlight
Lone elk wandering below the pond
When we made the long descent that mirrored our long ascent on
the way there, we saw another group -- just a small group of 6-10
-- tule elk in a valley near White Gulch, an inlet of Tomales
Bay. Our only other encounter with elk that day would be seeing
a couple on the side of the road on the drive back.
As nice as the views were, the hike seemed very long on the way
back. Partly because of the sand, and partly because the scenery
all began to look the same. Finally, I spotted a car driving on
the road ahead of us. And soon enough we were back at the parking
lot. We'd done we'd come to do -- seen the ocean, the bay, and
the elk. Next time I'm here I hope to have a 300mm or 600mm lens
so I can take some nice close-ups of the elk. It's a beautiful
hike which deserves being done again -- but the fog which hindered
us is probably a frequent visitor.
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