On Sunday I went for a hike with my hiking buddies. We decided not to do a ridge trail hike as we we getting a later start than usual. Instead we hiked the Cataract Falls – Potrero Meadow loop on Mount Tam. It’s a short 6 1/2 mile challenging hike that is beautiful, when on the hot July day. It was shady for most of the hike, which was very helpful because of all of the rocky uphill sections. At one point we came across a rattlesnake sunning itself in the middle of the trail. We didn’t realize it was a rattlesnake until it shook its rattle and we immediately stopped and backed up. Luckily it slithered off into the bushes, and we quickly walked past on down the trail. Whew! Cataract Falls was little more than a trickle, much different from the gushing flow back in February when I was last there. We went through some stunning manzanita tunnels. I managed to drop my sunglasses partway through and backtracked to where I thought they might be, but couldn’t find them. That was the only bummer on an otherwise wonderful day.
Oh, and the views! The views of San Francisco were absolutely stupendous. There was a lot of fog around the hills, and it completely blanketed the ocean. The view was stunning both before and after our hike. On the way back we stopped at Café Del Sol for some delicious wraps and salad for lunch and enjoyed some downtime together, knowing it was our last chance to hang out until I returned in October.
I don’t know if I mentioned it on the blog yet but I am leaving on Monday to volunteer at a goat farm outside of Montreal for month! Then I’m going to take a couple of weeks to explore Quebec and Montreal then end my trip taking the train from Toronto to Vancouver. I am very excited and also very nervous as the place I’m staying is in the French speaking part of Canada. The people on the farm speak both French and English, but mostly converse in French. I’ve been practicing my French, but I know it’s always very different talking to people in person. It good for me to take on these new adventures, it keeps me on my toes and shows me I can learn new skills and find my way in unfamiliar situations.