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May 27, 2005
International Wildflower Appreciation Day
Wildflower Appreciation Day is an annual holiday at Juniper Ridge when we shut down our computers, turn on the answering machine, and take off for the day to hike and enjoy all the green goodness that spring has to offer. And oh what a lovely day we had this year on Mt. Tam! Check it out...
See what I'm talking about - sparkly blue sky, the sea of fog below? Every year I get a couple of days like this on my beloved Mt. Tam, and it's always magic like nothing else in the world and brand new like I've never seen it before.
We hiked the coastal trail from Pantoll to Willow Camp, and it was like this the whole way - gorgeous views north to Pt. Reyes, the fog to our left, and wildflowers everywhere we looked.
OK let me introduce the entire juniper ridge staff and this years wildflower appreciation day participants: Erica (red shirt) is my all-star designer, photographer, order supervisor, project manager - she does everything and I'd be lost without her. Becky (sunglasses) is our newest employee, and she runs everything in the warehouse from making the soap to shipping out the orders to driving the forklift and she's an awesome addition to our little crew.
Here I am getting down and nerdy with my wildflower book. It's a good thing I have my face buried in a book on this beautiful day - can someone please tap me on the shoulder and tell me to put the book down; tell me I don't need to be a know-it-all or do anything but just enjoy what's here and now and all around me.
Brodeia dancing in the wild oats
Here's the album cover for Bread's second record, oh wait, that's me realxing in the Wild Oats after lunch.
We began dipping into the sea of fog when we started our descent off Bolinas Ridge down towards Stinson Beach.
Erica immersed in the ocean of fog just above Stinson Beach
Dude you know you're having a good day when you're sipping a milkshake at the Parkside Cafe in Stinson Beach. And besides, we're gonna need a little sugar energy to help us make it back up the hill to Pantoll.
The oaks/bay laurel cathedral on the Dipsea trail just after leaving Stinson Beach
One of my favorite things about this loop is the incredible variety of ecosystems and terrain - just an hour ago we were in the land above the clouds, and know we're in the green gnome land of old growth redwoods and giant ferns on the Steep Ravine trail. If you live in the Bay Area, and you've never done this loop, you're wasting your time - get up, get down and feel the funk, nature is your Niles Rodgers and he's laying those sweet guitair punches down so thick and heavy, you know you gotta dance ...
Nerdy Botanical Aside - Redwoods create their own weather. Outside the green canopy of these giants, you see plants such as Yerba Santa and Chamise that like it hot and dry and grow all the way down to Mexico; but underneath these sheltering boughs, you find hardcore Northwest plants such as this beautiful Columbine, Actaea, False Solomon's Seal, Trillium etc ... That's because the Redwoods have recreated a little pocket of the Northwest here. Redwoods make their own weather by creating shade and collecting fog on their needles to make "rain" in the middle of the dry season. There are redwood groves as far down as the Santa Lucia's on California's central coast, recreating this same Northwest magic in country that sees less than 20" of rain per year.
Omigod, my employees hate me! I've made them hike all over the place from the top of the ridge to the ocean and now we're on our way back up again. We could have done a shorter version of this hike by going down the Matt Davis trail instead of Willow Camp, but I'm like a dog when I get outdoors and I can't stop hiking - I see the sky and the flowers and I start panting and I just can't stop myself. Note the despairing body language: hunched over postures and grim expressions - they're tired and wondering, with good reason, if their boss isn't just a little insane.
Well maybe they're not totally sick of me - here we are at the end of the trail just below the Pantoll parking lot. Thanks Erica and Becky for a wonderful day!
About Bay Area Backtracks. This blog entry is categorized under "Bay Area Backtracks" after San Francisco KRON's "Bay Area Backroads" starring the charming and indefatigable Doug McConell. Now I clearly love that show or I wouldn't waste time here talking about it, but sometimes I wish our friend Doug spend less time with the little old lady at the Bonsai Tree garden, and a more time on the trail. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for life's more gluttonous pleasures, and I'll be happy to point out my favorite restaurants and inns as I reimagine Backroads as I would like it to be - think of this as a slightly more rustic, outdoors oriented and less tourist centered version of Bay Area Backroads.
Posted by juniperridge in Native plant walks
Comments
Thanks for the awesome pictures - makes me want to turn off my computer and hit the trails. Too bad it's a work day and I'm stuck from 9 to 5! Maybe Saturday...
Posted by: Nancy at June 1, 2005 7:16 PM
Agghh! Why did I ever leave the land of milk and honey??!! What the heck was I thinking?!
I'm supposedly studying natural medicine, but these days that means sitting in front of the keyboard ad nauseam, in between learning to crack backs and suture pig feet. When I'd rather be hanging with the Juniper trees and chilling on Stinson Beach.
Thanks, Hall, for putting a little nature back in this naturopath's day.
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