Coast Trail to the Beach Hike



Coast Trail along Drakes Bay
All Rights Reserved Photo by Rosy Woodruff 2011



Spring is well on its way, and providing a multitude of beautiful sunny days to hike in Point Reyes. On Sunday the sun was shining and the weather was warm; a perfect day to go out and explore. I decided to head out Limantour road to the Youth Hostel where I could jump on the Coast Trail and take a walk out to the beach. Before departing, I took a detour out to the daffodil field tucked away near the hostel. Once an operating Daffodil farm, the field continues to bloom in great numbers each year. After a tricky creek crossing, I hopped up a small hill and was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of yellow and white daffodils. Although the flowers were numerous, I could clearly see where several visitors had picked flowers and left large bare patches in the field, which was a bit disheartening. All in all, however, the daffodil field was beautiful and well worth the effort to get there.

 

Photo by Rosy Woodruff 2011. All Rights Reserved


After I had my fill of daffodils, I moved on to the Coast Trail. Even though it was a magnificent day, the path was not as crowded as I might have expected. Coast Trail consists of a graded fire road that follows a creek down to the coastline before turning south and meandering along the low cliffs. The north side of the trail is lined with coyote brush broken up by spectacular bunches of Douglas Iris, Indian Paintbrush and Buttercups.

I continued to make my way down the trail, stopping occasionally to snap a picture or bask in the warm sun. As I reached the bottom of a hill where the trail crosses the creek, I turned the corner and in front of me was a long deep puddle. After stopping for a moment to assess the situation, I realized there is a shallow sandbar along the north side of the puddle that I could carefully maneuver to avoid taking water inside my boots. The puddle covers a low point in the trail and gradually accumulated more and more water during all of the stormy weather that pounded Point Reyes over the winter, but should dry up in no time if the weather persists. The puddle marks the low point in the trail, and after crossing it I began to climb a gentle slope in the trail until I reached the ocean. The trail travels parallel to the beach, but there are several offshoot trails that offer beach access.

 

Hillside lined with Douglas Iris and Indian Paintbrush
All Rights Reserved. Photo byRosy Woodruff 2011



After taking a relaxing lunch break on the beach where clear skies provided incredible views all the way out to the Farallon islands, I continued along Coast Trail until it collides with Fire Lane Trail which eventually connects with Laguna trail then heads back to the parking lot. This section of the trail is a bit of a steep climb for a bit, but if you stop and turn around while catching your breath, the views are absolutely awe-inspiring. As the trail reaches the top of the crest, one can see where the Inverness ridge is recovering from the 1995 Mount Vision fire, which decimated acres of Bishop Pine forest, but gave us a great deal of insight into fire ecology. Soon after the smoke cleared, fire-thriving plants that had not been spotted in Point Reyes for years began popping up everywhere, their seeds having laid dormant for decades underneath the thick canopy of Bishop Pine; waiting for the day when a surge of intense heat would allow them to open.



Remnants of the 1995 Mount Vision Fire
All Rights Reserved. Photo by Rosy Woodruff 2011


All in all, it was a marvelous day for a hike, and the Coast Trail is definitely worth checking out as the seasons change and continue to provide us with more and more excellent hiking days. This trip can be done backwards starting at Laguna Trail and finishing with Coast Trail to avoid the steep incline near the end, or Coast Trail is an excellent option for a leisurely bike ride down to the beach and back.



East Pacific Red Octopus on Tomales Bay

All Rights Reserved Tressa Bronner

Recently, we had a chance to get out onto Tomales Bay on a beautiful sunny afternoon. It was a great day for paddling as well as viewing wildlife. We saw all kinds of tide pool creatures, harbor seals and seabirds. Our most exciting find, however, occurred as we were launching our kayaks into the bay. Just as the first couple of boats paddled away from the ramp, we began to see long, shiny red tentacles emerging out of the water. Soon after, the head and body of a rather large East Pacific Red Octopus followed as the handsome critter slowly and carefully made his way onto shore. Undoubtedly, our stomping around in the mud launching our boats disturbed him from his cool, shady hangout; but it gave us a great chance to check out one of the bays most interesting bottom dwellers up close as he shifted from red to purple to brown.



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The East Pacific Red Octopus, once thought just be the young of North Pacific Giant Octopus, is its own species entirely. These much smaller cousins of the Giant Octopus only grow to be about 20 inches from the top of their head to the end of their tentacles. Like all octopi, they are capable of changing their color, generally ranging from red to brown and occasionally white. While the Giant Octopus is found in the depths of the ocean, East Pacific Reds prefer the warm shallow waters of bays and estuaries.

Unlike other invertebrates, when the East Pacific Red catches a meal, it does not eat it right on the spot. Instead, it gathers a collection of crabs, clams and scallops and brings them home to enjoy at its leisure. When the meal is done, the octopus carefully stacks the empty shells outside the entrance to their home, giving the other animals roaming the bay a clear idea of who lives there.

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In general, the Octopus is thought to be one of the most intelligent of all invertebrates. Research has shown that they are capable of problem solving and retaining memories. In fact, the East Pacific Red Octopus was the first invertebrate in captivity to show signs of having individual personalities.

Obviously in our rush to get out onto the water we had disturbed the little guy from his normal routine; so once we were finished taking his picture, we helped him find his way into the shade under the dock and out of sight of the hungry seagulls flying overhead.