Madman's anniversary was this past weekend and after 15 years of his antics, incessant "training", and Overcast skies greeted me, as I slipped out the back of the Point Reyes Seashore Inn, crossed the narrow creek that bordered it in back, and began my run up Rift trail to Big Bear Trail. A circling golden eagle kept a steady orbit over me as I covered the open and marshy ground towards Big Bear trailhead. Despite 4 days of road/mud riding my legs were feeling fresh, so I scouted the big trail map for a 1 hour loop. Having done the trail out to Arches, and wishing for something more than the widely hiked and run Big Bear, I selected Old Pine as a backcountry connector to other trails that would circle me back. The others however were steep, so I played it safe by electing Old Pine for slower ascent.
Running Pt. Reyes is a very unique run in coastal California. It's topography and fauna seem somehow different and other-worldly in contrast to Big Sur, Monterey, Aptos or other central CA runs I've done. There's something almost jurrasic about it as the trails meander through giant coastal redwoods, large swaths of fern and laurel. It's almost rain-forest like. 1.8 miles in the breaks out in another large meadow after a slow but steady climb from the start. I took a few minutes to take in the view as the marine layer's mist streamed through the pines surrounding the namesakes trail. Old Pine's trailhead advertised 1.8 miles to Skyline Trail. From there I intended to descend back on two other options. But, I also have never trusted NPS trail mileage, and, so I did a quick time calc of when I ought to see the trail's merge. Given the steepness of the trail, I guesstimated I should connect in 16-20 minutes. If I didn't, I'd turn back as I was without water and off a more widely used trail where help--should it be needed-- might be long in coming.
With a glance at the standard trail warning sign about the dangers of possible mountain lions, I rehit the start button and began my climb up. The trail pitched up steeper than the prior few miles, but the vegetation was lush and sometimes spooky, as it wound its way through dense laurel shrubs under towering pines. Horses had recently passed through, and though the trail was firm and relatively dry, it still provided a few things to watch, 'horse apples' being just one of them. As I approached my first time mark of +16 min I still hadn't summitted (I had assumed, of course that Skyline ran along the 1500 range top above me). In fairness to the NPS, the trail was steep, the occasional mud/bog holes slowed me up, and I had take a couple short walks to take in the view and yell "Hey Bear!" (that always throws off potential mountain lion attacks as I'm sure it gets them to look over their shoulder too!). By +20 I had summitted but still had no connector trail or signs. I cheated by walking a minute or two more to ease the heart rate, but still no trail.
Now this is a facet of trail running, I think many of us share. It is damn hard to mind turn-around times as you just KNOW the next trail/fork/descent/bar is 100 yards ahead/around the turn/past that bush). I am absolutely sure that had I gone just 10seconds further I'd have found the turn along with Swedish models cooling down for their run down the hill with me.
But alas, it became an out and back. A great out and back that gave me 7.5 miles of gorgeous running views and experiences and I'm sure that the Swedish models would have just giggled too much and drowned out all the cool bird calls.
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