A great beginning, 5.8 miles completed, 403.9 miles to go
Distance: 5.8 Miles Elevation Gain/Loss 1,215 feet/1,290 feet
Having 403 miles remaining of a 400 mile hike is hardly a cause for celebration. But getting started is a worthy event, and picking a starting point from so many choices took some time. After pouring over the various options, some near and some far, I eventually chose to start in Purisima Creek Redwoods. The driving factor being the shape of the trail. The route shoots out west from Skyline Blvd and makes a twisty half circle while winding its way back to Skyline at the other end. And, while the trail itself is 5.8 miles long, the distance from the start to the end is only 2.1 miles along the road. So I decided I would make this a 7.9 mile loop by beginning my hike on Skyline Blvd.
But Skyline is not an ideal place for hiking. First of all, this section has quite a bit of traffic considering how far removed it is from any urban area, and how long it takes to get a car up the twisty roads. Second, in spite of the many turns and blind hills, traffic runs 50+ mph. With no sidewalk and a very limited shoulder, it was not a fun walk.
After 45 minutes of what felt like walking along the highway, I was very excited to finally reach the southern trailhead for this section of the hike. As I went deeper into the woods and the cars faded away I felt my energy increase. The trail was beautiful. It had been raining recently and water was everywhere. Streams were flowing everywhere making tiny waterfalls along the trail. On occasion the streams flowed into the trail spreading and winding their way through it to eventually converge on the other side and continue cascading through the forest. Coast redwoods were all around with huckleberries and blackberries growing on the ground.
Starting in the south end, the trail begins by dropping 1000ft along a multi-use fire road shared with mountain bikers, and turns onto the single track, hiking only Craig Britton trail. Many fallen redwoods crossed the trail, evidence of the harsh winter storms of earlier this year. A black-tailed deer spotted me and, initially curious, took a few steps toward me before deciding it was safer to disappear quickly up the slope. Eventually, the single track emerged from the redwood forest into dense, short coyote brush, providing views of the valleys and even, at one point, all the way to Pillar Point on the coast.
As I made my way back up along Harkins Ridge trail, the sun eventually capitulated to the dense overcast, significantly reducing the temperature. I thankfully had two layers in my pack to keep me warm enough to make the it through the final climb back to my car. First trail finished!
A map of this trail can be found here: Purisima Creek Trail
Next segments:
Clockwise: San Francisco Peninsula Watershed: Fifield-Cahill Trail
Counterclockwise: El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve to Huddart County Park
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