Over the last few years I had heard and read a lot about the Dipsea Trail, but I had never actually run it. It was definitely time to change this. From the beach parking lot I started out on Arenal Rd, which leads straight to the trailhead. After about 1.3 miles the Dipsea trail intersects the Steep Ravine trail, which I chose for the climb up the side of Mt. Tam. Aptly named, the trail climbs about 1200 ft in just under two miles. Although steep and technical (there is a 10ft ladder about two thirds up the trail), this is a gorgeous trail. Lush Redwoods and ferns, and the creek make for a great scenery. At the top of the climb I turned right on the Coastal View Fireroad leading to the Coastal View trail. Leaving the forest, the Redwoods were replaced by all kinds of wildflowers. A rather unexpected view for me, since they are not around in the South Bay anymore at this time of the year. As the trail opens up it offers sweeping views of the ocean and the coast line below. The miles just flew by on the descent into Muir Beach. The next mile on the Redwood Creek trail was pretty much the only flat section of the run. It leads back to the Dipsea, which I took back up to Pantoll. From the parking area I picked up the Matt Davies trail for the last 4.2 miles back to Stinson Beach. The first two miles of this trail were rather pleasant, before the gradient increases dramatically, and turns the last two miles of the loop into a hammering of the quads through steep, narrow switchbacks.
The overall loop took me about 3:26. Quite a bit longer than expected, but I also didn't expect the trail to be as technical as it was in sections. I tried my new hydration pack for the first time on this run as well. I am not quite sure if I like it. The fit and comfort were fine, and offer nothing to complain about. The problem I had was that I was reluctant to drink constantly, since I could not see how much liquid I had left (not a problem with handheld bottles, which I usually use on shorter runs). This resulted in having about one liter (out of two) left in the pack upon getting back to the car. I'd say that's a sign of a failed hydration strategy. I guess that's the reason one tests things like this on training runs :-)
After this outing I can only confirm all the good things I heard/read about the trails on Mt. Tam, and I am sure I'll be back for more!
