8:35 AM - Gate Out of Parking Lot - Natalie Green Park
Susie and I began our hike for real by walking up the fire road. The water was spilling over the dam, and bouncing in the pool. We took a left at Phoenix Lake and wandered around. No flowers. Lots of examples of storm damage with broken trees everywhere. We saw a few different kinds of ducks on the lake.

9:05 AM - Gertrude Ord Trail
We started up the steps that defines the beginning of the trail around the cool side of the lake. As usual, not too many birds. What was cool was seeing people who said "Happy New Year!" as they walked or ran by the other way. After 2 weeks in the East Coast where nobody says nothin' it was a delightful change!. We stopped (OK I fell and that's what made us stop) to look at a place that Ben and I had stopped at for lunch when he was really little. Smile...

Susie and I went "off trail" and scouted the tail end of the lake looking for Marsh Wrens. No luck.

9:40 - Shaver Grade
We scrambled up the hill and hung a left on the fire road. As we passed the cabin we scoured the trees for birds. We saw one Great Blue Heron who looked a lot like a pterodactyl. We saw a few mushrooms along the road and one slightly scared Milk Maid which was the only flower we saw all day. We did hear a lot of Acorn Woodpeckers that inhabit the dead trees at the beginning of this section of the fire road. For some reason it was also Laborador Day - black ones, yellow ones in abundance. Susie held her own as the chocolate, however.

We hit Hidden Meadow Trail about 10:15, but decided to pass, and continue on Shaver Grade. It was well worth the extra bikers that we encountered with the sun coming through the Douglas Firs.

10:45 - 5 Corners; 11:00 Six Points
We hit 5 Corners and struck out on Bald Hill Trail on the way to Six Points. The trail has been re-routed here, so you're on the back side. It's interesting in the darker woods, but so much prettier when you come back to the original trail. Mt. Tam is sitting there in the sunshine like someone had it on display. Susie and I kicked back on the log immortalized by Susie and Steve Plath. We kicked back, shared my lunch, and watched for hawks. Wonderful.

11:40 - Leave Six Points on the Yolanda Trail This was an interesting part of the hike. As usual, this is very warm since the sun cooks you as you walk back down the hill. Susie stopped often to drink from the intermittant streams.

At one point we could hear soaring birds trying to ride the thermals. Then we rounded a corner and saw their shadows swinging across the trees. Sound and silhouette. Way cool! Then we rounded another bend in the trail, and there was a big hole where a tree had fallen and we could see Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks and (probably) a Cooper's Hawk twisting by riding the thermals. We sat and watched for a few minutes. Boy did I wish I had a camera!

12:35 -Phoenix Lake Road
We hit the fire road again, passed through the gate, and walked the extra half an hour back to the car to end the hike by 1:05. I don't know if it was luck or a holiday, but we didn't have a ticket from Ross' finest, so we slunk outta there "quick like a bunny" as my late Mother used to say.

Five hours in the sunshine on Mt. Tam... what a way to begin the New Year! Here's what we saw:

Birds
Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Mallard Ring-necked Duck Ruddy Duck Turkey Vulture Cooper's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Coot Band-tailed Pigeon Anna's Hummingbird Common Flicker Acorn Woodpecker, Stellar's Jay Scrub Jay, Common Raven Common Crow, American Robin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Townsend's Warbler Oregon Junco, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow .

Mammals
Grey Squirrel.

Mushrooms
Western Grisette, Black (on tan oak) that looks like Witch's Butter, Ambiguous Stropharia .

Reptiles & Amphibians, etc.
.

Shrubs
.

Trees
Douglas Fir, Coast Live Oak, Tan Oak, California (Bay) Laurel, Toyon, Coast Redwood, Madrone.

Wildflowers
.

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Last updated 25 Feb 1996.