I’ve always been a little intimidated by the Dipsea, what with it being the site of the oldest, continuously-running trail race in the country, not to mention having a reputation for being mercilessly hard. But mostly I was intimidated by the fact that it wasn’t a loop. So on my only other attempt, 7 years ago, I hiked a few miles in, taking pictures of flowers along the way, and then turned around and headed back to Mill Valley. At the time I’m not sure I was as acutely aware of my limits (in terms of miles-per-day-hike) as I am now.
So when I looked at the Dipsea Trail again two weeks ago and saw that it’s “only” 7.5 miles from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach, I was a little surprised by my prior reticence. I’ve been looking to push the envelope beyond my recent 12-mile day hiking threshold, so a Double Dipsea seemed like just the ticket. I left Mill Valley at 10:30am and emerged on the beach at Stinson at 1pm. Exactly 3mph, just like clockwork. I sat down in the sand facing the waves and ate my lunch of beef jerky, marcona almonds, and mozzarella string cheese. Then I got up, turned around, and headed back from whence I came. I arrived at my car around 4:30pm, about 3 hours after leaving the beach. A little slower, a lot sorer.
Ignorant of the overcrowding issues, we pulled into Mission Peak Regional Preserve late in the morning last weekend just as a parking spot opened up. I was impressed by the number and diversity of people attempting this 6-mile hike with 2100 feet to climb. Not surprisingly, the rocky summit was crowded. We ate a quick lunch at the top before continuing down the very steep Horse Heaven Trail back to the parking lot.
After getting married a year ago, Stephanie and I drove out to the northern tip of Point Reyes, a place called Pierce Point Ranch, hoping to see some tule elk. They weren’t around, but we explored the historic dairy buildings before heading out in search of oysters.
It was a complete coincidence that we ended up at the Pierce Point Ranch two weekends ago, to go hiking in celebration of our 10th Halloweeniversary! And hike we did: 9.5 miles out and back on the foggy Tomales Point Trail. This time we saw lots of elk, and even a coyote up close. Here are a few shots from the multi-rutted trail.
A month ago I hiked a loop from the Mitchell Canyon Vistor Center to the summit of Mt. Diablo and back again. It was about 13 miles round-trip, with 3269 feet of elevation gain and subsequent loss. You’d think standing on a trail and pointing a camera straight ahead would result in a “good” shot more often than not, but the opposite is true—especially in terms of interestingness. The sky was clear, the autumn sun was shining at a sharp angle, and I came home with bupkis. This was the best of the bunch. Meh.
I’m fortunate to live within bicycling distance of work. Google says it’s about 2.2 miles door to door. There are dedicated bike lanes almost the whole way, and the route is mostly flat. San Francisco has a temperate climate year-round, bordering on cool, and we’ve had a series of dry winters, so I’m able to bike almost every day. When it rains, I prefer to take an umbrella and BART.
I get to work around 9, sometimes a little before, sometimes a little after. I work in a unusually bright and well-lit space for an engineering team. Actually engineering, design/product, and growth/marketing all sit together, currently 11 people. It’s a good group, and I genuinely like everyone I work with. A catered lunch arrives every day around noon. I used to look down on perks like these—as infringing upon my food-finding and choosing autonomy—but now I value it, because it brings everyone across the whole company together and away from their screens once a day. We use that time to eat, talk, play games, and share silly videos. And then it’s back to work until 5 or 6.
