#nationaltrailsday So disappointed to not hike yesterday but hopefully I can get some answers about my Achillies heel pain tomorrow. So at the moment sidelined to the bench I did some archiving and sorting of old photos and came across a couple that made me stop and reflect on a few things. (and I thought best to bore you all with them too). Anyway hiking is something Kate and I have always done since we have been married. Around Mt Tamalpais, West Marin and Point Reyes we have been beating the paths for over 12 years. A blip in time for some folks and when you work at REI you hear trail stories from beginners to life timers. One thing I have always done is carry a camera. Mostly small digitals starting with small Canon S100 to the G series and now DSLR’s. These days with multiple larger lenses, tripods and other equipment it can be a mission. Still it is worth it to catch moments in time that may really be part of history in years to come. The Drake’s Estero and Tomales Point trails were some of the first hikes we ever did here and are favorites when visitors are in town. One photo that sparked this post is of the Estero trail and shows the land slide that happened during the wet weather caused by El Nino in 1998. This photo taken in April 2006 shows the bare earth 8 years afterwards. The land slid 200ft towards the bay. It is still there but now covered in growth. You see it as you come out of the pine forest and over the pedestrian bridge on the left hand side. The Drakes Estero trail has been procured over the last years and I’m not so much in love with the beaten path. All of its fancy gravel, drainage and gates but with the pressure of tourism and a gigantic city 90 mins away what do you expect. Still once you get to where the beef cattle roam you can twist your ankles and walk in cow pads to your hearts content. You can see anything from coyotes, great horned, barn and burrowing owls, bobcats, badgers, seals and more. It all depends on the luck of the day! Happy Hiking!
