Point Reyes Day Hike

Normally I wouldn't write about a day hike, but this one was pretty exciting.  We originally planned on taking a certain loop, but we parked at the wrong starting point.  We ended up just picking a loop on the map that looked fun.  So we really didn't know exactly how long it was going to take or what the elevation gain/loss was going to be like.

I forgot to start Strava until about 30 minutes into the hike.  It was a loop, which ended up being ~8 miles total.

Stopped here for a view of the ocean and to snack on some stinky cheese and crackers

Eileen and I were walking down the trail, and lying right in the middle of the path is a bloody deer leg.  What the hell.  No sign of the rest of the deer.  To me it looked REALLY fresh.  It was blood red where it was torn off, and there weren't even any flies or bugs on it yet.  I have never come across something like this in the woods.  We were kinda freaked out, and we ended up leaving the scene without spending much time to investigate.

"Bad news: There is a mountain lion nearby.  Good news: He isn't hungry."

So we continue on for a few miles in order to finish the hike.  At this point it's getting dark earlier than expected, because of the recent daylight savings time change.  So we are out in the woods, it's getting really dark, we have no headlamps, and there is a mountain lion on the prowl.  But to our relief we turned a bend, and the car came back into sight.  Woohoo!

Annadel - Ledson Marsh Loop

I drove up to Sonoma today to ride Annadel again.  It was super fun.  The first part of the ride is mostly firetrail, and it isn't really that interesting.  But when it hits Marsh Trail it becomes some pretty fun single track.  I really enjoyed Marsh Trail, Ridge Trail,  and North/South Burma Trail.

Total distance: 18.9 miles

Throughout the ride, I kept my phone in the elastic side pocket of my camelback.  Near the end of the ride, I touched the pocket, and it was empty!  Shit.  It must have fallen out sometime during the ride, but I hadn't used it in a couple miles.  So I turned around, and started up the hill that I had just come down.  Suddenly a random group of three bikers appeared from the way I just came.  As a shot in the dark, I asked if any of them had spotted a cell phone in the trail.  The guy in front replies "Yeah, I have it in my pack.  It's the blue motorola one, right?"  Hell Yes!  After a high five, and thanking them profusely, I was on my way again.  Plus I only ended up backtracking about 30 yards.

The intended figure 8 loop

The actual loop.

Some people claim that we don't have a proper Fall in California.