Mountain Home-Muir Woods Loop, July 31, 2013

Bootjack Trail

Although we had a mild, dry winter, the forested slopes above Muir Woods had several slides this past year. Segments of Troop 80, Bootjack, and Fern Creek trails were rebuilt and rerouted. The Troop 80 reroute switchbacks uphill away from a slide, with a lovely rock retaining wall keeping the trail secure. Bootjack now crosses the creek and sweeps easily down (or up, depending on how you hike it) through the woods to the Bootjack bridge, parts of which were also rebuilt. When I got to Fern Creek, I honestly couldn't remember exactly where the trail ran past the Kent Tree, but I think the new section crosses, then recrosses the creek. Lost Trail was exactly the same, although it needs some TLC in sections.

Bootjack Trail

I encountered no hikers at all on Troop 80 and only saw a few hikers on the last part of Bootjack, near Muir Woods. Lost Trail was hopping, with many tourists making a loop out of it in combination with Ocean View.

Ceanothus

I was surprised to find all the huckleberries already eaten! Only a few bushes down in the flats of Bootjack held some stragglers. However, it looks to be an excellent blackberry year, with massive berries nearly ripe on the trail from the upper section of Ocean View Trail to Mountain Home (I noticed some bushes ripe for the picking while driving on Panoramic as well). As expected, nearly all the annual wildflowers were done for the year. I saw some buckwheat along Alice Eastwood, a smattering of clarkia at the edge of  Van Wyck Meadow, and a nice bunch of sticky rosinweed on Troop 80 spur. On Troop 80 and Bootjack within 1/2 mile of Van Wyck Meadow an occasional Indian pink brightened the sides of the trail. But what did I see on Troop 80 spur? A blooming ceanothus! Don't know this one. Bigleaf maples were beginning to think about autumn on Bootjack Trail.

This hike is included in my book, 60 Hikes in 60 Miles: San Francisco, 3rd edition, just out in bookstores now! Read more about the hike on Bay Area Hiker.