Lighthouse to Bridge (November 2018)
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Heading south into Bolinas, early in the morning, late in November, I am filled with confidence bordering on hubris. That is to say, yesterday went well. Fears that simmered like background static for the weeks leading up to the trip were met and conquered, perhaps even with style points. Fear number 1 was simply getting to the starting point. Normally my family would drive me but they are visiting relatives in Austin. I must temporarily leave the security of my warm and fuzzy introvert shell and ask friends. Which also means explaining my idea/route and tucking my tail between my legs if I bail-out. At 43, with a wife and kids who are 8 and 11, I will abort for safety without a second thought, but with all the time alone will I get my head so far up my ass that I give up for no good reason? It’s happened before. Fear number 2 is smoke from the Camp Fire. Would it be safe to walk? Would I need the N95 mask someone gave me? Is walking in the smoke much different than being a backpacker that smokes? Fear number 3 is drowning when crossing a ¼-mile stretch of nearly open ocean on a glorified pool toy; further explanation is not required. Fears 4 and 5 are simply hiking at night (in a spooky forest) and stealth camping (weirdos come out at night, like vampires?). In my fear hierarchy these last two rate pretty low, and in fact when I’m backpacking with my children they don’t even register on the scale. Being alone tips the scale.
It’s now morning and these fears are history. My last significant challenge, crossing the Bolinas Lagoon, is minutes away. It’s only 250 feet across. Sometimes, on hot summer days, we drive over to play in the water and I swim back and forth for fun. This time I’ll have a packraft, paddle and life jacket. Crossing is such a certainty that I planned to abandon my life jacket at the Limantour Beach parking lot (after the ¼-mile crossing) so I wouldn’t have to carry it for the rest of the trip. Maybe I’ll even swim just to make it more challenging. Then I reached the water…
To read all about my walk from the Point Reyes Lighthouse to the Golden Gate Bridge (almost) click on this link to access my Google Photos album:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PRZckhbQi5UqkvmB8
…then read the captions associated with each photo. Note that I’ve only uploaded a few of the photos here onto BPL. The route is marked with numbered pins in the Google Earth image below and each number is described below; cumulative distances in miles are shown in brackets. Distances are approximate as the route includes off-trail sections, older seldom used trails, beach sections, road walks, etc.
1 – Point Reyes Lighthouse [0]
2 – Drake’s Beach Parking Lot [4.5]
3 – Drake’s Estero [6.0]
4 – Coast Campground [10.5]
5 – Wildcat Campground [18.5]
6 – Palomarin Trailhead [24.0]
7 – Bolinas Lagoon [30.0]
8 – Stinson Beach [32.0]
9 – Dipsea Trail / Highway 1 Junction [32.5]
10 – Dipsea Trail High Point [35.5]
11 – Muir Beach [40.5]
12 – Tennesse Valley Beach [43.5]
13 – Rodeo Beach [45.1]
14 – Julian Trail [46.6]
15 – Golden Gate Bridge North End [50.0]
16 – Golden Gate Bridge Midspan [50.8]
17 – Marina Blvd. at Baker St. [53.4]
Map of the Route.
Point Reyes Lighthouse from Marinas.com.Heading south from Drake’s Beach. Note that I couldn’t start from the lighthouse as it was closed for repairs.
Redwood forest along the Dipsea Trail.
Looking north at Muir Beach.
Looking South at Tennessee Valley Beach.
Sunset over Rodeo Beach.
Bay Bridge, San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.
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