A Delightful Trail in Point Reyes

This summer one of our outdoor days at the Coast was spent in Point Reyes. This was my first time using alltrails.com, and it was very helpful in identifying a hike that was the right level of difficulty. We took the trail from Muddy Hollow to Limantour Beach and back. It was shady much of the way, NOT muddy except for one spot, and mostly level.

Along the way we really enjoyed seeing the different flowers. I plan to find a book that will help me identify them!

The trail was wooded and shady, then opened up to show views of Drake Estero and then finally, the beach. Each view so different and beautiful in its own way.

Once we got to the beach, we enjoyed the sweeping vistas. It was not crowded, so we had no trouble social distancing. We walked south for awhile, but when we turned around to head back north we discovered it was quite windy so we had to fight our way back up.

Next time we'll test out the weather conditions before walking quite so far!

In addition to nature, there is lots of history in the area. Another item to put on my list of things to learn about.

There were some little animals under the sand that you didn't notice unless you paid close attention. When the wave came in, they would come out (presumably to hunt/eat) and then they would disappear again. I looked them up and discovered they are Pacific mole crabs. Fascinating!

Other excitement on the beach included lots of sand dollars. I have never seen so many in such good shape.

On the way back we encountered a family of quail. It was a real lesson in nature and how quickly these tiny quail learned to survive. What happened was this:

- A father and his band of babies ran out of the bushes and ahead of us down the trail. Katelyn moved ahead to get closer, Rick and I stayed back. Out of the bushes in front of us popped another baby! Now we were worried about how the single baby would reunite with the rest of the family since Katelyn was between them.

- Then out popped the mama quail! She had stayed back with the single baby. She guided him to hide back in the bushes. We went ahead and passed them, as well as the dad who had also helped his flock hide.

- Now we're all ahead of the two bands of quail, and looked back to observe. The dad came out of hiding, making a certain call, and scurried back to the mama and her single baby. Then his call changed, and now all the little babies hopped out of the bushes to follow him. They had stayed in hiding until he gave the "all clear!". Amazing how they had learned that already in their short lives.

I look forward to exploring more trails at Point Reyes once the fire excitement dies down!