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The constant dismal rains we've had for the past weeks or so have the inevitable silver lining: waterfalls are gushing again.
So on Saturday, once it hit home that the day was turning out quite nice, relatively speaking, I headed up to Marin's favorite quick-fix for thundering water, Cataract Falls.
I've posted some pictures, in case you need proof of what you know has to be true: the gully is a thousand shades of the vibrant, garish green of moss and fern, with air so laden with fragrant mist that a deep breath is intoxicating. The trails are at least half mud. (See a few of my photos at picasaweb.google.com/mrredwo...amalpais -- and, if you go, bring a tripod if you own one).
As you probably know, there are at least four ways to get to the cataract.
The toughest is to come all the way uphill from Fairfax/Alpine Lake Rd (trailhead about 37.959121,-122.609847). I'm not sure of the status of this route: the heavy winds accompanying our storms might have blown down quite a few trees, and the lakes might be high enough to cover the trail in some places.
The trailhead at 37.936642, -122.638557, recommended by Tom Stienstra in his Foghorn book, and by Jane Huber on bahiker ( www.bahiker.com/northbayhi...tfalls.html ), is currently inaccessible to vehicles: downed trees have closed the Bolinas-Fairfax road.
The quickest route in is using the Laurel Dell fire road, coming off Ridgecrest Blvd at 37.919251, -122.628783. Stienstra refers to this as the Laurel Dell loop, and it's pretty easy to be down to the cascade and back to the trailhead in ninety minutes or so.
Or, for a longer and more scenic route, the Cataract Trail starts at Rock Springs at 37.910918, -122.612792.
Frustratingly, I'll be heading back to the same place as soon as possible (given that my only transport is a motorcycle, which makes the riding/hiking/riding combo potentially quite uncomfortable). I lost my sunglasses somewhere between the Laurel Dell picnic area and the falls, and my precious prescription Raybans are worth a repeat trip to try to find them, as futile as that seems. If I find them, I might celebrate by doing the Steep Ravine, too.
But: if anyone else does this trip and find my glasses, you know how to contact me, right?
And if anyone wants to go with me tomorrow, drop me a line!
--
Richard
So on Saturday, once it hit home that the day was turning out quite nice, relatively speaking, I headed up to Marin's favorite quick-fix for thundering water, Cataract Falls.
I've posted some pictures, in case you need proof of what you know has to be true: the gully is a thousand shades of the vibrant, garish green of moss and fern, with air so laden with fragrant mist that a deep breath is intoxicating. The trails are at least half mud. (See a few of my photos at picasaweb.google.com/mrredwo...amalpais -- and, if you go, bring a tripod if you own one).
As you probably know, there are at least four ways to get to the cataract.
The toughest is to come all the way uphill from Fairfax/Alpine Lake Rd (trailhead about 37.959121,-122.609847). I'm not sure of the status of this route: the heavy winds accompanying our storms might have blown down quite a few trees, and the lakes might be high enough to cover the trail in some places.
The trailhead at 37.936642, -122.638557, recommended by Tom Stienstra in his Foghorn book, and by Jane Huber on bahiker ( www.bahiker.com/northbayhi...tfalls.html ), is currently inaccessible to vehicles: downed trees have closed the Bolinas-Fairfax road.
The quickest route in is using the Laurel Dell fire road, coming off Ridgecrest Blvd at 37.919251, -122.628783. Stienstra refers to this as the Laurel Dell loop, and it's pretty easy to be down to the cascade and back to the trailhead in ninety minutes or so.
Or, for a longer and more scenic route, the Cataract Trail starts at Rock Springs at 37.910918, -122.612792.
Frustratingly, I'll be heading back to the same place as soon as possible (given that my only transport is a motorcycle, which makes the riding/hiking/riding combo potentially quite uncomfortable). I lost my sunglasses somewhere between the Laurel Dell picnic area and the falls, and my precious prescription Raybans are worth a repeat trip to try to find them, as futile as that seems. If I find them, I might celebrate by doing the Steep Ravine, too.
But: if anyone else does this trip and find my glasses, you know how to contact me, right?
And if anyone wants to go with me tomorrow, drop me a line!
--
Richard
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