Adventure #1 - Bolinas Coastal Hike to Alamere Falls
Updated: Jan 29, 2021
Objective Reflection:
For my First Adventure set out for this hike from Moraga at around 10am and had a beautiful drive up the coast on Highway 1 between the Marin Headlands and the Muir Woods National Monument. It began raining as I passed Stinson beach and headed down into Bolinas. Although this trail is considered heavily trafficked and usually busy any day after noon, the parking lot was almost empty when I arrived. Once on the trail, I only ran into a few fellow hiking pairs and a few solo runners. The beginning of the hike at the Palomarin trailhead leads you into towering eucalyptus trees before hitting the coastal cliffs and overlooking the beach below. From here I was looking forward to continuing along the Palomarin Beach Trail, but since it is currently closed I followed the Coast Trail through the redwoods towards Alamere Falls. At this point the rain had stopped, but the trail was muddy with quite a few unavoidable puddles. The trail looped around Bass Lake, Crystal Lake, and Pelican Lake for some good views and plenty of wildlife. Around four miles in, there is an arrow built from rocks in the pathway which points towards a break-off trail for the Alamere Falls lookout. This trail isn't maintained by the National Parks Service, but it was clearly well hiked. Reading the reviews on Alltrails was incredibly helpful since I knew what to expect and which markers to look for on my way in. The shortcut led straight to Alamere Falls where I sat on the cliff and watched both the waterfalls and waves and snacked on a little unconventional smoothie bowl before turning back around. Overall, this was the perfect round trip to break in my new boots, try out my trail mapping skills, and spend some time alone in a beautiful and unique area.
Personal Reflection:
Starting this class I was determined to push myself to become more confident as a solo adventurer so right off the bat I wanted to do something simple and safe, but challenging. Although I've done day hikes by myself and hiked in this area before, this trail was new to me and I wanted to attempt doing a longer trip on my own. Hiking with groups is such a good way to have uninterrupted conversation, get to know new people, and make memories, but I've always struggled to find time and mental energy to do a long hike alone. Even though I consider myself an avid hiker and enjoy it greatly, I never put much effort into finding the right gear, preparing a schedule, or finding the right destinations. I'd usually just use what I have and stay close to home. This was one of the first times I truly felt prepared to go hiking and comfortable the entire time. My only concern when arriving was that the trail was somewhat empty, after expecting it to be crowded, especially hearing stories as a single female hiker, but once I got started I remembered that I was prepared, trackable, and in a safe, well marked area which calmed those initial nerves. I'm glad that I pushed myself so early in the class to go out of my way and find somewhere new, and I think that energy and hiking high will carry me into some exciting things this coming month and moving forward as a solo adventurer.
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