Hiking Mount Tamalpais

My weekend started out pretty low key, as usual, with a trip to Whole Foods.

Once again, I fell victim to the vegan donuts from the bakery.

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On Saturday morning, I woke up early and started making veggie burgers to freeze for dinner during the week. After wrapping things up in the kitchen, we took the girls out for a little exercise.

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Once they were pooped (literally), Brandon and I jumped in the car and drove north for a hiking trip we had planned in Marin County.

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We reached Marin after a short drive and decided to stop and have lunch at the Table Café.

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They specialize in dosas which are basically crepes that are made from fermented rice and black lentils.

First, we had the black bean soup with crème fraiche.

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Brandon chose the portabella mushroom and leek dosa and I opted for the curried cauliflower.

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They were both really good but the mushroom leek was the favorite by far.

After enjoying our dosas, we drove toward a small city on the Pacific coast named Stinson Beach.

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It was a little overcast but this is supposedly typical for the area.

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We parked along side of Panoramic Highway and walked about a quarter of a mile to the start of the trail. As we were walking to the trailhead, we spotted a few cool plants.

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The hike started on Matt Davis trail which runs right along a small creek.

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Immediately, everything was lush and green and the air was incredibly fresh.

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I wish I could breathe air like that everyday!

After a few miles in the woods, the hike opened up to a nice view of the coast.

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The trail continues in the open hills and gradually increases in elevation.

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At one point you are able to see San Francisco and the Golden Gate bridge, permitting the sky is clear enough.

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Unfortunately it wasn’t quite clear enough for us. Annoyed

Oh well, back into the woods…

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As the hike continued, we managed to see a few different wild flowers starting to bloom.

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After about 4 miles, the hike reaches another trail named Steep Ravine which runs between lots of beautiful redwood trees.

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There were also a few obstacles along this part of the trail.

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Even though we still had a few miles to go, the sun started to set so we had to start jogging part of the way. Luckily, Steep Ravine eventually reaches another trail named Dipsea which opens up again to the coast.

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There was one last stretch of woods before we reached the car and by that point, it was almost completely dark and we had to use the flashlight to help navigate the trail.

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It was a little spooky but I felt safe because I was with my protector. Winking smile

Exhausted, we both breathed a sigh of relief when we finally reached the car. In the future, we would definitely get an earlier start to avoid hiking in the dark again.

After a 7 mile hike that took us about 3.5 hours, we were tired and ready for some food! We stopped at a little place in Mill Valley called Small Shed Flatbreads and ordered salads and  flatbreads that we quickly inhaled.

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We thought everything was good but a little too pricey for what you get.

Overall, it was a fun and adventurous day that left us both sore and happy!

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Where is your favorite place to hike?