I did this beautiful hike before I had the capacity to understand it. I took just a handful of photos, didn’t wear a GPS watch and just followed a plan that someone else had made – exactly none of which is my usual MO. After recently rediscovering this trove of photos, I had to actually do research for where it was: I’d simply labeled them as ‘amazing ocean hike’. That it is, and so much more: turns out, this is Point Reyes National Seashore!
It was Kent’s friend Tyler who invited us on this early 2014 wander. One of his friends had organized a friendly hike. So we wound up tagging along on a very social Saturday outing to one of the most beautiful bits of the greater Bay Area.
At some point, I wound up walking alongside a woman carrying a hefty backpack. She was training for something big, I remember. We compared notes on hiking in the US and Korea, where Kent and I were then based. As I oohed and ahhed over dramatic sights of the ocean, this nameless guide correctly identified in me a blossoming love for the California coast.
“If you like this,” she said, “you’ll love he Lost Coast Trail.” She couldn’t have known how her words would echo down the years and prove so very true!
But back to Point Reyes National Seashore. Our trail passed through shady, cool forest and rolled over sunlit coastal bluffs covered with pale grasses and dotted by darker bushes. Our destination was the incomparable Wildcat Beach.
On the way there, we couldn’t help but stop for all kinds of things: downed trees that invited clambering, snack attacks, and the lovely Alamere Falls. All the while, our trek was accompanied by quiet conversations, bursts of laughter, and the patter of many feet on soft trails.
The return journey wasn’t a utilitarian march back to the cars, either. We had a fresh perspective on all the beautiful things we’d passed earlier. And we couldn’t resist another stop at Alamere Falls!
At one point, our group caught up to a group of moms. They were out with small kids who seemed to have lost interest in the actual hiking. One took me aside to ask if I wouldn’t mind leaving a few little wrapped chocolates along the trail for the children to find. She confided that she’d told them a story about forest elves in hopes of motivating them onward. I was happy to comply and play the role of forest elf myself!
The outing ended with a cruise around Bolinas Lagoon and a sunset over the ocean. Turns out, a lot of my favorite things about living in California now have very long roots!
It’s both funny and strange to remember this particular hike now. Funny because I did ultimately make it to the Lost Coast Trail – and loved the place beyond the explaining of it. It was a recommendation that stuck with me across space and time, and the real thing was only enhanced by half a dozen years of anticipation. If I knew who that mystery friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend was, I’d thank her today for her advice. The memory is strange because it’s literally hard to imagine this kind of group trek, complete with interactions with strangers, right now.
As I write this, communal hiking meet-ups are not a thing. What is a thing is sheltering at home and exercising on your own. While that’s felt pretty normal to an asocial person like myself, it’s very true that you often meet like-minded folk doing like-minded things. I sometimes wonder if we’d have discovered even more adventures in California already if we’d had the chance to make friends on the trails.
Point Reyes National Seashore is gorgeous – and huge! We merely peeked at this pretty place. I hope you’ll go and do more. There are adjoining state parks and state marine reserves if you want to extend your adventures. And to stock up or resupply, you can patronize local businesses at Bolinas (on the southern end) and at the towns on the #1 highway (north of and running through the park). To check out Point Reyes National Seashore, first visit the official website here. Happy trails!
