Two weeks ago, I wrote that I hadn't hiked for nearly a month. If that tidbit had gone unwritten, I'm almost certain another month without hiking would have slipped by unnoticed, but writing about it made me aware and fueled my desire to get back on the trail that weekend.

The first question was when to hike. Due to family obligations, the only available blocks of time were Saturday and Sunday mornings before eleven. If I got up early enough to be at a trail head by eight and gave myself an hour to get back, shower and drive, I would have roughly two hours to hike. I estimated I could cover four miles of steep terrain or six miles of level terrain in that amount of time.

The next question was where to hike. Since I had recently seen an episode of The Great Outdoors about it and was going to be nearby, I set my heart on hiking Montara Mountain, which is located about twenty miles south of San Francisco and is part of San Pedro Valley Park and McNee Ranch State Park (within Montara State Beach).

Because of the time constraint, I chose to start from San Pedro Valley Park in Pacifica. The plan was to hike the Brooks Creek Trail to the Montara Mountain Trail, which I would take until I reached the boundary between the county and state parks. There, I would backtrack to the trail juncture and take the Montara Mountain Trail down to the starting point. In all, it would be a steep four-mile loop (with a tail, which technically made it a lasso).

From Highway 1, I turned onto Linda Mar Boulevard and took it until it ended at Oddstad Boulevard. I made a right on Oddstad and then a quick left into the park's gated entrance, which opens every morning at eight. Parking was available in the bordering neighborhood, but I felt guilty about leaving my car in front of somebody's house, so I made my five-dollar donation and parked in the empty lot instead.

Before I left the car, I checked the time and temperature. It was 8:10 AM and 60 degrees outside. The trail head was well marked and easy to find from the lot. Despite being a continual climb, hiking the Brooks Creek Trail was a pleasant experience. Eucalyptus and other trees (that I should learn to identify) provided plenty of shade and I could hear the flowing creek below and to my left.


Less than a half-mile into the hike, I came to the first trail junction marked with a signpost and bench. The trail branching to the left was the Old Trout Farm Trail that would loop down to the parking lot if I followed it, so I kept to the right and continued to climb.


The tall trees quickly gave way to manzanita and other shrubs that reminded me of the chaparral in Pinnacles National Monument. I soon came to a second bench that offered a great view of Brooks Falls across the valley. Being summer, the waterfall was barely trickling and hard to spot, but I'm sure it is quite a sight in the winter and spring.

With scarcely a cloud in the sky, I became conscious of the sun and the fact that I had forgotten my wide brim hat. I was obsessing about it and continuing my ascent when I heard slithering by my right foot.

The sound snapped me back to the present and I stopped, looked down and spotted a garter snake parallel parked along the side of the trail. I know they're supposedly harmless, but as soon as the snake started moving again, so did I, but in the opposite direction and at a faster clip.

Just over a mile into the hike, I reached the end of the Brooks Creek Trail and followed the Montara Mountain Trail to the left. For the next third of a mile, I had a fantastic view of Pacifica and the ocean to my right. As the trail continued to rise and bend away from the ocean, I passed two hikers heading the opposite direction. They were the first people I had seen all morning on the trail.

The trail grew steeper and rockier as I progressed. By 9:00 AM, I had successfully negotiated a series of switchbacks to reach the boundary between San Pedro Valley Park and McNee Ranch State Park. The elevation at the border is roughly 1,400 feet, which means I gained just about 1,200 feet of elevation from the trail head.

Because the best of parts of any hike are the moments when I'm standing still, I took a ten-minute break to soak in the view. As I munched on a Clif Bar, I heard approaching footsteps and turned to see a backpacker pass by and continue up the trail into McNee Ranch. Of course, part of me was jealous that he could keep going while I needed to start heading back to the car so I wouldn't be late.

Just as children beg their parents to stay up ten minutes longer, my inner child begged my inner parent to continue hiking just ten minutes more. Apparently, my inner father was on duty because he succumbed to the pleas and I ventured into the state park until 9:20 AM before turning around. If it had been my inner mother, well, no amount of begging would have worked.

Anyway, I made good time downhill. I quickly passed the Brooks Creek Trail junction and followed the Montara Mountain Trail that became a series of gradually descending switchbacks that didn't offer much of a view or any protection from the sights and sounds of civilization, but would be great for trail running.

I reached my car by 9:55 AM. By that time, it was 66 degrees outside and there were only four more cars in the parking lot. All in all, it was a good hike and one I hope to repeat this coming winter or spring. For those who like them, more photos from the hike can be found here.