Hi All,
April’s ESCAPE was a hike to Alamere Falls in Point Reyes–always one of our favorites. It’s challenging, it’s diverse, it’s remote, the reward is spectacular, and it’s all free! For those of you who don’t know, the trailhead is at the southern end of the Point Reyes National Seashore, near the little town of Bolinas. It’s about a seven mile round trip hike to a spring-fed waterfall that drops right onto the beach.
We lathered up with sunscreen and anti-poison oak cream and set out on our hike with our brand new ESCAPE Club water bottles. The hike goes along the cliffs above the coast for a while, then heads inland by Bass Lake. We pass through several little microclimates–some more damp, some more shady, some more exposed. Lots of wildflowers, a pond here and there, lots of ferns, and tons of poison oak. Our group this year has some pretty fast hikers, and it’s tough sometimes to get them to slow down and look at what they’re rushing past. Sometimes the attractions are tiny, like a ladybug, dragonfly, or salamander.
The little “unmaintained” trail down to the falls is narrow, and it’s good to be able to identify what’s poison oak, and what isn’t! Then it’s a scramble down a cliff to get to the beach. The ocean surf is too dangerous there to play in, but there was plenty of water going over the falls. Nice that it’s still running, even during a drought. It was slightly overcast all day, but there were plenty of takers who didn’t mind the chilly water.
Back at the parking lot, we had warm tamales, with crema, Tapatio, chips and salsa. Only minimal whining on the way back, and virtually no sunburn or poison oak. So it was another successful trip.
Enjoy the attached photos, and if you have a little more time, our slideshow video can be found here:
We still have water bottles, if you’re interested in having one. And we have a few (smaller) T-shirts left if you know someone who needs one.
Next weekend, our year comes to a climax with the camping trip to Yosemite. And it snowed there this week! Should be another great adventure!
Thanks for reading, and we’ll talk to you again soon.
john