8:50 AM - Rock Springs Parking Lot
My son Ben and I took Susie the puppy and headed across the grassland
via the Benstein Trail. After crossing a couple of tiny creeks, we were in
mixed evergreen with Coast Live Oak, Madrone, and Douglas Fir. It was
very quiet. We stopped for a bit and watched some juncos playing
in the trees.
9:05 AM - Simmons Trail
The Simmons Trail cuts off to the left. To the right is a stand of dead trees
with lots of acorns that have been stashed there by the Acorn Woodpeckers.
After a bit the trail drops into the forest with some Redwook and Tan Oak as
well. As we started up the hill we say a small brown hawk swoop silently
through the trees. We never did get a good look at him. I was surprised to
see almost no mushrooms here.
9:30 AM The trail exits the forest and becomes very rocky as it climbs through the chaparral. Lots of chemise and buckbrush and manzanita. We heard a lot of Wrentits and saw a green over yellow bird that we couldn't clearly identify. Near the top of the hill we could see a bunch of Seargeant Cypress, many of which have suffered badly after the big windstorm.
10:00 AM We reached the top of the hill which had become covered in manzanita. It is unusually green this year and feels thicker somehow. What was "way cool" was the view - there was a low fog over Alpine Lake and the valleys, but the hills stuck out green. Neat! We stopped for a bite. Then descended down the trail as it went through Douglas Fir and California Bay woods. Again, almost no mushrooms.
10:15 AM The trail evolves to more California Holly. We startled a flock of Robins on the way. It almost felt like grouse exploding out of the brush they were so loud. We came around the corned and sat on the bench that overlooks the Ocean. The spit of land that sticks out feels like it should be Pt. Reyes. Neat. Still very, very quiet.
10:30 AM - Barth's Retreat
We wandered through the picnic tables at Barth's Retreat, and followed a
butterfly up the trail. For the first time I noticed a rock with a plaque on it:
To Joseph Zapell Friend of the Hiker10:40 AM Across the Laurel Dell Fire Road the trail becomes officially Music Camp Trail. It is completely unmarked. Ben led off. At this point the trail and the creek are pretty much one and the same! Then it shows up on the left of the creek, then crosses over, then crosses back. About 40 paces later there's a double-trunked Douglas Fir and we took the faint track to the left to Music Camp that was built in the 50's.
10:50 AM - Music Camp
There's a music stand there and a tumbled-down picnic table. We read
one of the notes on music stand:
The music of the mountain does not need to be heard to be loved. -- PBS 11-6-95.Nice thought... We had lunch, poked at the prayer sticks, rang the bell and tinkled the triangle in the tree and then headed back to Laurel Dell Fire Road. At this point the book recommends taking Mickey O'Brien trail. We took Laurel Dell Fire Road instead.
11:20 AM - Laurel Dell Fire Road
This was my first time here. Very interesting. Glimpses of the ocean
across lots of rolling hillside before you drop into a Douglas Fir forest.
There was lots of evidence of damage from the recent wind storm.
Many many stumps of 50 year old Douglas Fir trees (we counted the rings!)
along the road side, and tons bits of branches. It felt like we had wandered
into a tree lot the day after Christmas. Kind of unsettling. But as we wound
down the hill we started to see mushrooms now and again, just a bit too
dry to really identify. Took time to watch a butterfly warming in the sun.
We also shared a joke:
A tourist walks up to a Mainer and asks "Have you lived here all your life? The Mainer answers "Not yet."Ben and I fall down laughing.
12:05 PM - Laurel Dell
We hit Laurel Dell which was shrouded in shade. I was amazed how low
the sun was on the horizon for noon! So we walked farther and sat on a
recently fallen Douglas Fir. Ben jumped up! We looked down and there
were hundreds of LadyBugs in a big clump. We were amazed. I
sat in the sun and watched them practice(?) flying for about 20 minutes.
Ben and I wondered if they had just hatched or just joined. Maybe there's
something like www.bug.com???
12:45 PM - Cataract Trail
We finally wandered off and started back up the hill on Cataract. Here
there were a number of mushrooms, mostly Rosy Russulas. We
looked again at the Corsair engine in the stream, and continued on.
Near the top we say a couple walking their cat on a leash. OK,
OK, it's Marin, I understand.
1:35 PM - Rock Springs Parking Lot
Back to the car and a drive down Mt. Tam and back
to the fog near sea level.
Here's what we saw:
Birds
Acorn Woodpecker,
Scrub Jay,
Common Crow,
Wrentit,
American Robin,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
"Oregon Junco"
.
Reptiles & Amphibians, etc.
.
Shrubs
Manzanita,
Chemise,
Huckleberry.
Trees
Douglas Fir,
Sargent Cypress,
Coast Live Oak,
Tan Oak,
California (Bay) Laurel,
Toyon,
Coast Redwood,
Madrone.
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-- Michael Paul Thoma
I'd value your comments. Email me at mike@thoma.com
Last updated 13 Jan, 1995.
