This very scenic State Park is
found just North of the Bay Area, and offers many full days hiking well within
driving distance for a weekend getaway.
Here you can see some of my fellow
travelers against the backdrop of this gorgeous mountain.
It is moist enough in the wooded
areas that bryophytes are found on nearly everything they can grow on. What you see in these images is a
picture of the mountain during the dry season. Many of these trails are impassable during the rainy season.
This bridge offered a wonderful
view, and here you see it from below, at eye level, and finally from the ridge
above.
Perspective is everything.
In order to give you perspective
on the size of the trees that surrounded us, I took these shots of my fellow
hikers taking it easy at the picnic area on our trail.
Around the corner from this moist,
dark forest lay a dry, sunny field of grasses and thistles.
Then off we go back into the damp
forest.
Damp enough to harbor banana slugs
(Ariolimax columbianus) this one being a medium sized
specimen, and nearly as long as my foot.
Coming out of the forest again we
were greeted by this vista, truly breathtaking.
Then back into the brambles, what
a ride!
With so many breathtaking scenes
around every corner, itŐs a wonder that we made it through the hike at all.
This view from the highest point
that we reached on our hike left us all speechless, except for Nick who
displayed his uncommonly sharp wit that helped bring us all back down to
earth. Check out the video below
though to get an idea of this majestic scenery.
Then off we go, back down the
mountain, what a wonderful day.
