Saturday-Sunday, June 13-14, 10:00 am, field trip to Donner Pass area
Join Larry Abers and Britt Thorsnes for two days of moderate to lightly strenuous hikes exploring early blooming wildflowers of the volcanic ridge tops in an area that was highlighted in Larry’s presentation in the Wayne Roderick lecture series this past winter. We expect to see Fritillaria atropurpurea, Allium obtusum, A. platycaule, Phoenicaulis cheiranthioides, Astragalus whitneyi, A. bolanderi, Lewisia nevadensis, Sedum roseum, et al. There are great views, we will cross snow patches, and maybe startle a black bear! Bring sunhats, sunscreen, sunglasses, sturdy walking shoes, water and lunch. Be prepared for a wide range of temperatures. The closest camping is at Eagle Lake USFS campground and there is lodging and meals available in Soda Springs and Truckee. Saturday’s hike will go to mid/late afternoon. Sunday’s hike will go to mid/late afternoon. RSVP as space may be limited. Call Larry at 510-799-6234, or you can send an e-mail to bthorsnes@earthlink.net. Please provide us with your name, the number of people in your group, and your contact information (phone number or e-mail.)
Directions: For Saturday, meet at the trailhead the Peter Grubb hut at 10:00 am. From I-80 north exit at the Boreal off-ramp; cross under the freeway and follow the pavement to where it ends at the trailhead (about 1/4 mile). Park on the roadside and meet at the gate.
For Sunday, meet at the Pacific Crest trailhead at 10:00 am. From I-80 north exit at Soda Springs and follow the old highway 40 to the crest. Take the small gravelish road to the right (south) going “behind” the Nordic Center. Park where you can, and it may be easier to park near the “front” if there are a lot of hikers. Look for the Pacific Crest Trail signs. Meet at the trailhead.
Saturday, July 11, 10:00 am to approximately 2 pm, Abbott’s Lagoon, Point Reyes.
This gentle, flat 2-mile-long trail that leads out to the dunes and ocean at Abbott’s Lagoon is a year-round favorite with Marin CNPS. By July, we should have the summer species of the marshes in full flower. Doreen Smith will lead us to the rare Sidalcea calycosa ssp. rhizomata, delicate Campanula californica and the very colorful, but rank-smalling Stachys chamissonis along the newly refurbished boardwalk-enhanced trail. Around the brackish lagoon, the receding water level should expose emergent aquatic plants, including Lilaeopsis occidentalis, an unusual member of Apiaceae (carrot family) at the southern limit of its range. On the bluffs above and south of the bridge we should find the blue-flowered coastal Gentiana affinis var. ovata. A plant list can be downloaded from the Marin CNPS website.
Directions: Take 580 over the Richmond-San Rafael bridge and then go to the ramp connecting to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in San Rafael. To get to Abbott’s Lagoon from central Marin County, follow Sir Francis Drake Boulevard west for about 20 miles through some of the small towns of Marin County. Go past Fairfax, over the hill to San Geronimo Valley, and on west to Olema. At the stop sign in Olema, turn right onto Route 1, and then after several miles make a left turn back onto Sir Francis Drake Boulevard; the sign is for Inverness and the lighthouse. (If you’ve gone into Point Reyes Station, you’ve gone too far.) At the fork in the road over the hill from Inverness, take the road that’s marked “Pierce Point Road”, and follow that another few winding miles going northwest to the clearly marked parking lot for Abbott’s Lagoon, where there are restroom facilities.
Janet Gawthrop