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| 8:30am Sunrise on Dipsea Trail 1/2 Way Point |
6:20am
wake up call.
It’s
pitch black outside in Northern California on a 45degree Thanksgiving morning.
No
birds twittering. It’s too early! And our 3 kids agree. Groaning and moaning,
we cajole them out of bed with promises of “a great hike!!!” And when that
doesn’t work, a little Mommy Grizz gentle growling does the trick. We’re on a
tight schedule.
6:57am
we roll-up to the trailhead drop-off point at the base of the world renown
Dipsea Hike. 7.1 miles of gorgeous, diverse terrain, including redwood groves
and wide-open, coastal hills rolling above the Pacific. With segments sporting ominous
names like: Cardiac Hill, Steep Ravine and the completely insulting Insult Hill
just at the final mile, it’s a nail biter for the uninitiated...
It’s
still completely dark out.
In
the headlights of our big old car, I can make out 30 or so wide-awake hikers of
all Thanksgiving family ages with huge, excited smiles on their faces. They’re
gathering, amassing, waiting at the base of the trail for the last arrivals… Ready
for the challenge!
7:03ish
am – Blast off!!! 3rd, 4th, 5th and up graders
lead the charge up the beginning of the 672 steps of stairs to start the hike
off, as the rest of the more old-farty (that's us!) or possibly more-sane group follows.
9am
half-way point. Younger kids and select moms & dads hike into the Dipsea
from an easy ½ way point trail at Pantoll -- so we can join together to hike
to the grand finale breakfast at the surfside town of Stinson Beach on the
other side of the Marin Headlands. Snickers and Starbursts and other kid energy
treats are dolled out ….AND a big group photo is taken – a fantastic
hodge-podge of kids and adults in vibrant outdoor gear with the spectacular
ocean behind us on a Ma Nature ordered blue-bird sky day.
By
10:30ish am the hikers riding sweep are the final ones to come in for a landing
at Stinson: happy, tired, skin knee-d. High-fiving at the tremendous energy
output and achievement on an early Thanksgiving morn. We are giddy.
11am
we’re coffee-d, donut-ted, even Pop-tart-treated after milling around in the
park chatting about our hike and the upcoming day. And we all head off to our
respective showers, formal wear, and Thanksgiving feasts.
Wherever
we live, we are thankful to friends like my friend LR, who organize adventures
like these when we’re all so far away from our own families where we grew up. And so thankful for bringing us
together as a team with an exciting goal for all ages – a giant family of
outdoorsy folk enjoying Ma Nature at her finest.
Namaste
& Three Cheers! -OM
Links to the Dipsea Trail: http://www.dipsea.org/course.html
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