Point Reyes: Mount Wittenberg Trail

I returned to Pt Reyes today to go retrieve my loyal hiking poles, waiting forlornly there in the Admin Building for their owner to pick them up. To commemorate their return to the fold, and since I had driven all that way to pick up the poles and since the weather was only light misting rain (for the most part), I went for a short celebratory hike up the Mount Wittenberg trail off Bear Trail. (I was on a time crunch, and I really only had about two hours there for a hike.)

It turns out, and perhaps not too surprisingly, that Mount Wittenberg trail is a relatively steep, in places, trail that leads to both other trails (Sky Trail and Coast Trail) and to the summit of Mount Wittenberg--really more of a large hill than a 'mount[ain].' No view of the ocean, but we had low clouds today, so perhaps on a clear day there might be a glimpse of the waves glinting.

What was cool about this trail, however, is that it's an interesting mix of single track, loam, roots, and rocks, all the while surrounded by "Lost World" ferns, some dense, dark forest, a lush open meadow here and there.

Below: This tree is covered in a lace moss--which is actually, I think, a lichen and indicates the clarity of the air around that area; that lichen, if that's what it is, only grows in very clean air. Deep breath, everyone. :)


Throughout the hike, I had the inescapable feeling of being in a different world, and I would not have been surprised to have seen a raptor or some kind of dinosaur or, preferably, a hobbit. For the entire hike, I seemed to be the only person on earth, and this feeling of a solitary existence was quite a wonderful experience.

All the path, the ferns and forest were stunning; the surrounding plants were incredibly green and lush, just dripping with chloroform and fresh air and the appearance of growing before your eyes. The day was damp and cool, which lent the forest an even greater feeling of mystery. I felt that any time I would bump into one of the tule elk (which really do live there) or mystical creatures (which should live there).

One critter into which I did bump was a wonderful little lone woodpecker, actually pecking at a branch and making a slight knocking sound on the wood. It sounds like someone banging on a tree trunk with a pointy little hammer, which, of course, it really is, but I hadn't heard that sound before, and I found it enchanting. I've always wanted to see a woodpecker in action, so to speak, and now I have. I was really happy to spend a few minutes watching and listening to the woodpecker's work.

No woodpecker pics, however and unfortunately, because my camera only has a 7X optical zoom, and I needed a more sophisticated camera for this type of shot. Still, a wonderful memory for me from this hike.

Below: I had no idea that these types of toadstools/mushrooms lived there (or, to be honest, were even real):

Below: This tree has some interesting fungi growing on it:

The actual summit of Mount Wittenberg doesn't allow a sea view, but it is in a pretty meadow with lush forest surrounding it.

There's a sign noting "Mt Wittenberg Summit" about 10 yards off the trail near the top, but the sign is on a trail leading further up, so if that's the summit, the summit, interestingly enough, isn't actually the highest point on the hill. Hmm. I didn't have time to explore the trail past the summit sign, but it appears to go on further up for another mile or so.

I would advise hikers to consider the summit of the hill a waypoint on the way to Arch Rock or elsewhere rather than a destination in itself. The summit did not seem to be that exciting a place in and of itself, as far as I could see, but the walk there. although relatively short, was great.

The Mount Wittenberg trail leads to a confluence of other useful trails which themselves can lead you to beaches, amazing views, and longer hikes, so the Mount Wittenberg trail is definitely worth integrating into a longer hike.

I drove through Point Reyes Station on my way home, and here's a picture of a famous sign there:


Weather:

• Overcast, light to moderate showers throughout (still grateful for my waterproof shoes and rain jacket; a baseball cap also keeps the rain off my face, which makes things more manageable for me at least)


• Low 50's (no gloves, yes, layers)

Stats:

• Bear Valley Visitor Center to Mount Wittenburg Trailhead: 0.5 mile


• Mount Wittenburg Trail to summit: 1.8 miles each way (3.6 miles total)
  
• Z Ranch Trail to 'summit' sign: 0.2 miles (barely)


• Time: about 1 hour 20 mins (with lots of looking, listening, and pausing for pictures).


• Drive-time: 2 hours from home

Overall: A nice little trail--lush, solitary, and beautiful. Well worth considering doing in order to avoid the inevitable crowds on Bear Valley Trail to Arch Rock.

Next Point Reyes hike: Estero, I think and/or Arch Rock via Sky etc on a quiet day.

Want to learn more?

Point Reyes National Seaside site: http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm

Point Reyes National Seashore Association: http://www.ptreyes.org/index.shtml

Non-Sequitur

Found this funny commentary about how self-righteous we hikers can get with non-hikers: :)

"As mentioned earlier, [hikers] love to be outside. But not everyone knows that another thing they like to do is make people feel bad for wanting to watch sports on TV or play videogames. While it would be easy to get angry at [hikers] for this, remember it is hard wired in their head that the greatest thing a person can do in their free time is to hike/walk/bike outdoors.

Usually, they will see that you are preparing to enjoy your life and they will say “hey, lets go for a hike in the park,” and most people will say “hey, thanks but I’ve been working all week and I’m really excited about watching this game,” and then they will respond “don’t be a lump on the couch, you’re wasting your life away, etc…” If you ignore them, they will eventually go away.

And much like most things with [some] people – they win both ways. If you decide to go with them, they feel good about getting someone off the couch and “into the fresh air,” and if you don’t decide to go, they can spend their entire time outdoors saying “boy, this is great, X doesn’t know what he/she is missing!” and running on a mix of self-satisfaction, Odwalla juice and muesli."

It's originally from Stuff White People Like, but it really could applyto hikers in general--myself included. :)

Point Reyes Nat'l Seashore: Bear Valley to Arch Rock

First, after I had healed just fine from the appendix, I injured my knee after some ill-advised running, and so I couldn't hike from just before Christmas until today.

But--today finally came, and I judged my knee was strong enough to handle a hike. This time, we went off, this time not up the Hill, but rather to the Point Reyes National Seashore to explore the hiking gems there.


My intrepid friend Maria and I decided to hike from Bear Valley Visitor Center along the:

1. Bear Valley Trail to
   
2. Arch Rock whereupon we had lunch and then returned via
   
3. Sky Trail to
   
4. Coast Trail to
   
5. Baldy Trail which led us safely back to the last part of
   
6. Bear Valley Trail and the Visitor Center.

All the trails are well signed, and the Visitor Center has trail maps and lots of advice. I left my loyal hiking poles there, incidentally. Sigh. I called the center, and the ranger said they'll hold them safely until I return on Friday to pick them up.

After several weeks of foggy weather, it was a relief, once we arrived on the coast, to see that the weather cleared for the first half of the hike for a very much appreciated clearish day, clear enough for sun-block and a cap.

The weather was also easily clear enough to enjoy the views at Arch Rock.

Below: views of the coast looking North (top) and South (bottom) from Arch Rock



On the rock, we found ourselves in a gaggle of Boy Scouts, also out to enjoy the day, and coincidentally, the Meetup group. :)


Bear Valley Trail: highly popular trail because it's the most accessible trail from the Visitor Center. Be prepared for company (trail runners, families, Boy Scouts, mountain bikers). It's very workable to share the trail, but just don't go expecting isolation.

The trail itself is a smooth, fire trail really, but with loam. Pretty muddy, of course, this time of year, but as Maria noted, there's really 'no bad weather; only bad clothing.' We were well prepared with waterproof boots and layers, so the mud and weather was no issue to us.

Some mountain bikers here and there on the trail; they can bike up to the four way junction of Glen Camp, Bear Valley Trail (which continues straight) and Baldy, but there they have to lock their bikes to a bike stand and then hoof it the rest of the way.

Bear Valley Trail leads all the way to Arch Rock, a largish, smallish promontory, jutting out into the sea--great for lunch and rugged Northern CA coastal views.

Whales are a little further up north by the Lighthouse, so no whales for us today, but,during our lunch break, we did see plenty of diving seagulls and what looked like cormorants, plunging into the sea. All of the wildlife action was accompanied, of course, by stunning ocean views.

The actual arch is underneath the promontory, so if you want to see it, you have to climb down a steep little use trail just before you get to the rock outlook, and then clambor over a tide pool or two. It's worth doing, but you need steady feet on the way down and on the slippery rocks. If you do go down, be careful also as you stand looking at the archway. Rogue waves come up through the arch, and they can at least splash you if not threaten to knock you down/into the sea.

Below: We joined the scouts who had earlier clambored down the trail because we all wanted to see the famed 'arch' of Arch Rock.

The gentleman in the white hat in the picture above got soaked a few seconds after this picture was taken. Fortunately, however, neither the guy nor any of the scouts was knocked into the sea. I was amazed and relieved that nobody needed rescuing.

My son later advised me to "Never stand on wet rocks." Wise advice, my friend, wise advice.

Coast Trail to Sky Trail: the Coast Trail leads pretty quickly to the Sky Trail, abd both are off the beaten path compared to Bear Valley Trail. Coast and Sky are each much smaller trails than Bear Valley (which appears to be one of the main trails from the Visitor Center--much more accessible than these smaller trails).


Sky Trail is a single track trail, pretty steep in places, which takes you up through ferns and trees. It's a pretty trail, with periodic views of the ocean here and there. Because it's steeper, there are many fewer people on it, so it's a much quieter way back than Bear Valley Trail.

Below: views of Arch Rock from near Sky Trail. Looking below at the ocean line, you can kind of see the North side of the arch.

Baldy Trail: No pics for this one, but Baldy is also a much quieter trail than BV Trail because it too is steeper (only going down this time) and because it's a single track. Very foresty and ferny, very pretty, and accompanied by the chuckling of a creek with periodic tiny waterfalls.

Weather:

• Mostly cloudly for the first half, with increasing mist leading to a pretty steady shower for the second half. It's a good idea to bring water/windproof layers to the coast, even in summer.


• Temps were mid-high 50s, so not cold.


• Always windy on the coast, however, so bring some layers for the time spent on Arch Rock.

Stats:

• Bear Valley Trail to Glen Camp/Baldy junction: 2.9 miles


• Bear Valley Trail from junction to Arch Rock: 1.0 mile


• Coast Trail to Sky Trail to Baldy Trail: 1.5 miles


• Baldy Trail to Bear Valley Trail junction: 1.1 miles


• Bear Valley Trail back to Center: 2.9 miles


• Total mileage: 9.4 (plus about half a mile of wandering around exploring).

Time: about five hours (including pauses on trail for pix and lunch on rock).

Map of Point Reyes National Seashore area: http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/upload/map_pore_areamap.pdf

Point Reyes National Seashore website: http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm

Overall: highly recommended--great trail. If you'd like a quieter route to Arch Rock, avoid Bear Valley Trail.