(Hiked this with my brother/Six Pack Partner @Hound-Of-Mt-Sizer, and my other brother who we may convince to join the challenge next year.)

We left the house around 5:30 am to get to Stinson Beach by a little before 8. The roads were quiet and clear… but all that changed when we got to Stinson Beach! The day was cool and overcast, with the fog expected to lift later in the day. A perfect day—but we had unknowingly chosen the day of the La Sportiva Trail Race (I think that's the one) to make our ascent, and the parking lot was already crowded with signs and runners.

We started out on the Dipsea Trail, which was cool with a lovely view of the beach. The Steep Ravine trail is one of the most beautiful redwood trails I've seen. Conveniently, we did have plenty of opportunities to step off the trail and enjoy the view, because of the race-runners coming fast and furious upon us every couple of minutes.

Actually, the runners were superbly friendly and polite, always announcing their presence with “On your left!” “Beautiful morning isn't it?” Or “Runner behind. Thank you!” While I generally prefer hikes that make you feel like you're the only person on Earth, having the runners there gave the day a camaraderly feel.

When we got to the Pantoll campground we veered off onto the Old Stage Road, bidding goodbye to the runners as they headed off in a different direction. This road was well-maintained and took us the rest of the way past the lovely West Point Inn to the summit.  I'm sure it would have been equally as enjoyable as the Steep Ravine Trail, except the fog never lifted, so the road part of our hike was not nearly as scenic as the first part.

We couldn't convince the fog to lift—even at the top—but the summit has its own beauty, with the final rocky ascent and the fire lookout at the tip-top. There were bathrooms, and fountains to refill our water if we needed. We stopped and had lunch looking out over the trees and the fog, then took the same route (sans runners) back to the beginning.

Late lunch at the Breakers Cafe was the perfect end to our day!

Total mileage: 15
Total time: 6 hours