Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Getting the Worm


Bald Hill
(Nathalie Coffin Greene-Phoenix Lake- Shaver Grade- Connector- Bald Hill Trail- Yolanda- Worn Springs Rd- Return to Phoenix Lake)
(6.0 miles)

This was supposed to be a much different run. The plan was to meet at Rodeo Beach at 7:00 this morning, but unfortunately my running companion called me at 6:40 to say that her car was broken into last night and she wouldn't be heading to Marin. As I was already in Marin, I decided to hit the trails a little closer to Richmond than Rodeo Beach, and headed for Nathalie Coffin Greene-- and at 7:oo in the morning, one can actually find parking!

When I woke up early this morning, it was pouring, but an hour later, the rain had stopped and amazing light was coming through the clouds. I decided that even if I wasn't going to Rodeo Beach and all the views from there, I still wanted a view, so I would run to the top of Bald Hill, which I hadn't done in a long, long time.

My run today started like this run, but then took the left-handed Yolanda trail instead of the right, to head up toward Bald Hill. Yolanda is a beautiful trail that follows the hillside, opening up to views of the hills of Marin. As you can see, the recent rains have prompted a proliferation of green growth.

Yolanda ends at Worn Springs Road--to get to the top of Bald Hill, you turn right, up the hill. I must confess that at this point, my running wasn't always um, running-- this hill is STEEP, and for some reason I felt sluggish (like a wet sponge) today.

However, once I finally got to the top of Bald Hill, the view made it completely worth it. The light shining through the clouds made me feel like I was in an inspirational Hallmark card, and from the top of Bald Hill, I could see most of the Bay.

After snapping a few pictures, I headed down Worn Springs Road and back to Phoenix Lake. This loop was less than we had planned to do from Rodeo Beach, but I think it's definitely a worthy little loop-- some rather difficult uphill and a screaming downhill as you come down Worn Springs Road.

Once again, I was glad to have gotten up much earlier than I would have on my own. I wish the car break-in had not happened, but we're thinking about making it a regular occurrence, so there will be more mid-week Marin runs!

Also, it's possible to take dogs on this trail. They are supposed to be on leash, but there were very few people on the trail at 7:00 am, and I saw a couple of dogs (gasp!) OFF-LEASH!

2 comments:

Jo Lynn said...

Nice run! It great to have someone to meet up with so early, is't it?

wcaitlin said...

Beautiful pics and thanks for stopping by my blog. Hope to meet you out on the trails!

C