Today I headed to Mount Tam for some hiking on the ridge trail and to overnight at the West Point Inn. I parked at Pantoll and hiked about 2.5 miles down the Matt Davis and Coastal trails, it was so clear I could see the Faralone Islands. I only saw one other person on the hike-definitely one of the advantages of being able to hike mid week. The trail alternated cool forested sections with warm sunny exposed parts, it was a pretty thin trail at some points with a steep drop off, very glad I had my poles!
After I finished I got my gear out of the car and hiked the two miles to the Inn (you have to hike or bike in, that’s one of the things I love about it!) The West Point Inn is one of my favorite places to go. An old inn built in 1904, no electricity, lovely fireplaces, wonderful community, amazing views especially at sunrise and sunset. There are seven rooms upstairs in the Inn itself and five cabins, I booked myself into one of the rooms in the inn since I was by myself and didn’t need a cabin. It ended up that I was the only one in the Inn, and only a few of the cabins were booked. The other people staying at the inn were lovely, a few retired teachers including one who had been the music teacher at the Bolinas school, later in the evening she played the piano for us starting with Stairway to Heaven and ending with The Entertainer!
The sunset did not disappoint, I sat out on the deck for a long time watching the sky darken. We had a roaring fire in the fireplace, which everyone relaxed in front of after they had eaten their dinners, sitting in the leather couches and chairs talking about many different topics- education, travel, evening kayaking through the bioluminescence in Tomales Bay and most especially hiking!
I got into bed tired from the day and so happy to be in a cosy bed in a magical place.