I started the hike heading up the Dipsea Trail from the Stinson Beach trailhead. The temperature was crisp being late October, but not too cold at all. A little over a mile in the trail heads in to the woods, complete with a stream, for the first half of the hike. Everything is very green, and the tall redwood canopy is so shady you'd think it was a cloudy day even though there's not a cloud in the sky.  Halfway to the summit the forest gives way to the Mt Tam ranger station and campground, complete with water fountains and civilized restrooms. Crossing the road I picked up the second, and very different, half of the hike which is a fire road to the top. The views of the bay, San Francisco, and the ocean are stunning, and being a fire road you can crank up a pretty good pace.

Summiting Mount Tam from Stinson Beach is a long, 14+ mile hike, and for many Bay Area residents that means hitting the road pre-dawn. On a weekday morning that means you are very likely to hit some gnarly traffic even as early as 6 AM. Likewise for your drive home. For me that was two hours on the front, and two hours on the back of the hike, which makes for a very, very long day. Whew. But the Challenge is now complete!