W6/NC-380

This unnamed peak is at the south end of Point Reyes National Seashore, north of Bolinas. I hiked the peak from the southeast, starting at the Olema Valley trailhead on CA 1. There is a small pullout at the trailhead, and another small one just up the road, each with room for three or four cars. There is a big sign, so it was easy to find.

Trailhead.

 The trail descends slightly to a large meadow, which was cool and green. It was a nice change from yesterday's hot, dry hike in Pinnacles. After crossing the meadow an a small stream, the trail climbs up to the main ridge running through the park.

Meadow at the start of the hike.

I felt like I was back on the east coast, with the lush forest and thick understory. This area appears to be popular with equestrians, and I saw three near the summit. Once on the ridge, the trail climbs more gently, with a few dips.

Climbing up to the ridge.

The summit is blocked by a dense wall of plants. I tried pushing through to get to the high point, but gave up after 20 meters. It wasn't worth the effort. The trail runs through the activation zone, and is wide enough that I could set up on the side without blocking the path. I did, and spotted myself on 30. I had much better luck today, and even made two summit-to-summit contacts. Calling on 20 resulted in one contact. I didn't try VHF because I figured that the higher peaks to the East would block my signal.

Setup on the side of the trail.

I went down the way I came up, and quickly reached the bottom. I then headed back over to Mt Tam, to get the only two-pointer in Marin.

Trailhead: Olema Valley Trail on CA 1.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Olema Valley Trail to Teixiera Trail to Ridge Trail.
Red Tape: None. Watch out for horse droppings on the trail.

Some nice flowers on the way up.