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golden gate

Surf, Rolling Hills, Lung Busting & Zen

January 7, 2011 by Shelli

Those of you who know me and/or who read my blog, know that I live on the frontier of Wyoming and that I LOVE Wyoming and my “back yard”, the beloved Wind River Range.

Greetings from Muir Beach.

But, I am also falling in love with the San Francisco area — specifically the Marin Headlands.

Don’t worry, friends and family, I will not leave my heart here in San Francisco. My heart is in the Wind River Range of Wyoming.

Muir Beach.

What helps me love this place are days like the one I experienced Thursday.

(Note: I am here for my third of five weekends of learning and developing my life coaching skills at The Coaches Training Institute.

Because it can be, well, difficult, to get this girl out of the frontier and often travel doesn’t go as planned, I build a buffer day into these trips. I depart out of Riverton, WY, on Wednesday afternoon and arrive here Wednesday night. Thursday is a free day to allow for travel if plane doesn’t show up on Wednesday afternoon to take me out of the frontier.

Fortunately, I was able to get out and arrived here Wednesday night, which meant Thursday was all mine and I wanted to further experience the outdoor beauty of this area.

Last month, I hiked from surf to summit. Read more about that amazing hike from Stinson Beach to top of Mt. Tamalpais.

The adventure started at Muir Beach, and it was cold! I quickly learned that 41 degrees and windy, at sea level, is colder than same conditions in my high and dry Wyoming. Fortunately, I had packed some “Wyoming winter clothing.”

I hiked from Muir Beach, along the Coastal Trail, to Pirates’ Cove, to Tennessee Valley, up to Coyote Ridge and then to and through Green Gulch organic farm and Zen Center back to Muir Beach. All told, it was about seven or eight miles and 1,600′ or so of elevation gain.

It was a spectacular hike. By my standards, which are high due to the beauty and ruggedness of the Wind River Range, I rate this hike as “epic” for many reasons, which I’ll share with you here.

The Coastal Trail is awesome. It took me right over the rugged shoreline.

Despite the cold start, there was blue sky as I hiked the “shore-hugging” Coastal Trail. This stretch provided awe-inspiring scenery, with the Pacific Ocean surf “crashing” against the shore below and a trail that provided just enough lung-busting to keep me warm. The wind was howling but invigorating all the same.
Pirates' Cove.

About 1.5 miles into the hike, after a short downhill hike to the shore, is Pirates’ Cove. From my understanding, this is a location where people would bootleg liquor during the Prohibition. (As far I could tell, today there no is hooch to be had.) I stood for a few minutes just to listen to and feel — to fully experience — the ocean’s power and sounds and smells. This is a great little cove and worth the side trip.

From there, I continued toward Tennessee Valley, a lush, rolling valley that is home to some big raptors and other wildlife. This part of the hike was surreal, as I hiked in and out of low clouds and mist.
That's a glimpse of Tennessee Valley Cove.

Next, I left the Tennessee Valley Trail and headed up to Coyote Ridge. From top of the ridge, I had panoramic views that were a little tempered by low moving clouds and fog. This was a long, sustained, pretty steep uphill, which suited me just fine. I hiked pretty steadily up for 20 or so minutes before reaching an intersection of trails.

Once up the hill, I continued toward Middle Green Gulch before finding the Green Gulch Trail. I had a tip from a friend, Chad, who is a local, who described the Green Gulch Farm, home also to a Zen Center, as “well…very…Zen…very, very special!!!”

After hiking up and around some ridge-tops and hills and through a string of Eucalyptus trees, I arrived at the Green Gulch Farm & Zen Center. Here, I won’t lie, I felt a little lost and like I was trespassing, not sure if I was “on the right trail,” but was greeted by a nice gentleman who provided some great interpretation for me.

Green Gulch Zen Temple.

I learned that Green Gulch is an organic farm and Zen Center, that among other things, hosts about 70 Zen students at a time. I stopped in the small store where a nice woman and man were working. I bought some tea and before continuing on my way, I asked, “Well I’m from Wyoming and I’m trying to fully experience this area today. Is there anything you can offer me in terms of Zen enlightenment or tips to take with me?”

Green Gulch farm.

This was great! One told me to “breathe.” The other suggested, “Don’t believe everything you think.” Wow, glad I asked! One of these would have been enough to think around, so I was particularly grateful.

Next, I stopped into the Zen Temple. Unfortunately there was no meditation until later in the day so I couldn’t experience that, which I’m sure would have been an amazing experience. But I talked briefly to an Asian monk there. He didn’t speak English but after trying my best to communicate what I was doing and that I was “sorta lost… I’m from Wyoming and hiking through here … do you have any thoughts for me?” he said, in a very friendly way, to “Just Be.”

What a perfect way to end an amazing hike. I hiked through the farm fields and was soon back to the start, Muir Beach.

To cap the hike, again on a tip from a friend, Sean (also known as S.O.S.), who’s a local, I stopped by the historic and wonderfully quaint Pelican Inn, a bed and breakfast, complete with dining room and pub, that is right near Muir Beach. Capturing the spirit of 16th Century England west country, this place is incredible and should be a must-see for anyone who visits the Muir Beach area. Here, I had a wonderful salad of organic greens and a cup of spearmint tea.

Stepping back in time at the pub in the charming and historic Pelican Inn.

It was a perfect day that included new and awesome scenery, some great exercise, invigorating, fresh, coastal air, solitude, Zen and culture!

But wait, still not over. The day was capped when I visited some friends for dinner, which included delicious fresh salmon (a real treat for this Wyoming girl!), and other great eats, completed by some great conversation.

The only thing that could have made this day better would have been to have my husband, Jerry, and our three sons, Wolf, Hayden and Fin, with us. So, I’ll be working on reliving this day with them the next time…

But, like I said, I’m starting to fall in love with this place.

Videos:
MUIR BEACH TO PIRATES’ COVE:

TENNESSEE VALLEY TO COYOTE RIDGE:

GREEN GULCH FARM & ZEN CENTER:

Acknowledgements:
Thank you Josh Steinitz, Chad Herst, Doug Peck and Sean O’Sullivan for providing tips that helped me have this amazing experience while visiting your neck of the woods.

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: golden gate, green gulch, hiking, marin headlands, muir beach, pirates cove

From Surf to Peak, Mt. Tam is Epic Hike

December 8, 2010 by Shelli

I was recently in the San Francisco, CA., region for my life coaching training.

At the surf (Stinson Beach), marking the start of my hike.

I arranged my travel to arrive one day early so I could do a little exploring. I also did this because getting the girl out of the frontier does not always go smoothly so it’s necessary to provide a “buffer day.”

Turns out my flights went like a dream and I arrived on schedule, which meant I had a whole day — including transportation in the form of a rental car — to explore.

My choice for the sightseeing day: Hiking to top of Mt. Tamalpais. Locals refer to this mountain as “Mt. Tam.” The mountain, which is situated in California’s beautiful Marin County and is visible from San Francisco, reaches 2,574′.

What an amazing mountain and an awesome hike this was for me. I hiked from surf, through large redwood forests, lush, mossy/rainforest-like sections that had mist and waterfalls, and mountain terrain to the top of East Peak, the second highest point of the mountain, which reaches 2,572′

A section of the Steep Ravine Trail.

The mountain is part of the Northern California Coast Ranges. Despite being smack dab in the middle of a pretty heavily populated region, much of Mt. Tam is protected by Mount Tamalpais State Park, Muir Woods National Monument and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed.

There is a large network of trails. I was able to hike several different trails. As a result, I was able to experience new sights and terrain along the way up and down. I hiked the famous Dipsea Trail and Steep Ravine Trail to Pantoll Ranger Station, then Old Stage Road, Nora Trail, Fern Creek Trail, Matt Davis Trail and the Coastal Trail.

To hike only to the Pantoll Ranger station and back, using different trails going and returning, it’s about seven or eight miles total. To continue linking various trails from Pantoll Ranger Station to the top of East Peak makes it a 14- to 16-mile hike, depending on how often you want to explore different trails that take you a little further.

About one mile before reaching East Peak. (The ocean is there, but you can see the clouds obscure it)

At top of East Peak.
A section of the Matt Davis Trail.

Yay! Made it to top of Mt. Tam and back to the beach.

The weather was not perfect. Actually it was perfect temps for uphill hiking. But there was fog and mist and clouds, making it hard to truly capture the views that this hike affords. At times it was hard to determine where the separation between clouds and oceans was. But hey, mist and fog are things this Wyoming girl is not used to, so perhaps they added to the experience.  This was a glorious hike and one I will never forget.

Some notes:
It took me more time than it should have to drive to Stinson Beach because I took some wrong exits and turns in route. (My bad for second-guessing my Droid’s navigation lady.) But the drive was beautiful. Much of it was on the winding California Highway 1 and revealed gorgeous beach and ocean views throughout. Also, I love Stinson Beach, which is a quaint, beautifully-set unincorporated community situated at 26′ elevation.

I had a much more difficult time finding the trailhead. I was expecting huge signs and big parking lots at the trailheads. After all, a lot of people live in this area and travel to this area. Mt. Tam is a popular local hike and a popular place for visitors to go. I was wrong. The trailheads were simply little signs near streets. Actually they were very tactfully marked. I just wasn’t focusing hard enough.

Also, on the 15 or so miles I hiked, I saw (and spoke briefly with) only about eight people. It was more like my hiking experience in Wyoming than I would imagined on that front on this particular day. Everyone was super friendly, including the two flower children/hippies that hugged me and wished me good karma while meeting me on the last stretch of trail to East Peak.

Finally, thanks to my friend, Josh Steinitz, CEO of NileGuide, for suggesting this hike!

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: dipsea, golden gate, hiking, matt davis, mt. tamalpais, northern california, stinson beach

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About Shelli

Hi. My name is Shelli Johnson. I live on the frontier in Lander, Wyoming. I’m a wife, a mother, an entrepreneur, certified life/leadership coach, wellness coach, keynote presenter and inspired speaker, leadership development facilitator, personal development strategist, writer and adventure guide. This blog mostly includes stories about adventures and travel, but other passions are reading/books, technology, fitness, nutrition, and national parks, so you’ll find a wide range of articles here. I am founder of Yellowstone Journal and YellowstonePark.com, and NationalParkTrips.com, which was my first business. My current company, Epic Life Inc., is in its 7th year, and going gangbusters. If you’re interested in learning more about my current work, I hope you’ll jump over there and learn more about that. I have a more personal blog, more directly related to life and living and leadership, at YourEpicLife.com/blog. I’d love it if you’d also check out that collection of my writings. Thank you for stopping by! Finally, if you’d like to connect with me directly, please email me if you’d like to connect.

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