Creative Walking

Walking time is creative time. Blisters and all.

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I’ve been fortunate lately to get the chance to spend plenty of time on my feet.

One of my regular walking and running routes is about five miles long and provides about 1,200 feet of elevation gain and incredible views San Francisco and much of the Bay Area.

In the past couple weeks I’ve been hitting it nearly every day – so much so I managed to get a blister on my right big toe on a recent day.

The blister came as I noticed the soles on my running shoes seemed to be blown out. The pounding on my feet even prompted me to do some math in an attempt to estimate how many miles I’d put on them since I’d bought them several months ago.

While I was happy see a tangible sign of getting out on my feet in the form of worn out soles, with the three day Juneteenth weekend approaching I was worried the blister might slow me down.

I took a day off and pretty much stayed inside working without my normal end-of-day trek and the foot definitely felt better.

The downside was without the exercise I wound up staying up about two to three hours later than my usual sleep time.

The next day I decided to give the foot a try on my normal route and there was no problem. Not only that my legs felt rested from the break and I was practically bounding up hundreds of steps I had been trudging up just a couple days prior.

I guess that’s the long way of saying taking a break from a routine, even a routine you enjoy, can pay off.

In addition to rest and recuperation, a break can remind you how much you enjoy something and contribute to a feeling of gratefulness once you resume.

I took that feeling of gratefulness with me this morning on another hike that was a break from routine.

Instead of my usual walk or run to the Marin Headlands I decided to get in the truck and hike someplace new.

I settled on Bear Valley Trail on Point Reyes in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The hike is a little more than eight miles out and back from the Bear Valley Visitors Center in Olema.

The trail itself is the backbone in a network of mixed use trails shared by hikers, runners, backpackers, bikers and horse riders.

When I arrived the parking lot was only about 25 percent full and it didn’t take long to find the trailhead and get started.

Unlike my typical steep, daily Headlands hike, the Bear Valley Trail is wide, smooth and undulating.

It’s well signed and has lots of supporting infrastructure, including bathrooms and trash cans at the visitors center and a place called Divide Meadow, about halfway between the parking lot and the connection to the Coast Trail.

The trail dips in and out of the shade of the forest while running along Bear Valley Creek much of the way.

Even though California is enduring a severe drought there was still water in the creek providing a pleasant soundtrack as it ran over the rocks.

After about four miles the trail intersects with the Coast Trail. After some internal debate I took the left-leading fork.

It was narrower and steeper than the Bear Valley Trail but I wasn’t on it very long before I reached the coast.

The Pacific Ocean was magnificent as always, dominating the soundscape and pounding the seaside cliffs and beaches.

I found a quiet spot with a view for a lunch break and photos then turned around and headed back.

Along the way I saw, in no particular order, an osprey, some quail, a vulture, a deer, several squirrels and caught a glimpse of a small snake.

It was a great trail and I’d recommend it to anyone. The width of the trail makes it possible for people to walk side by side and talk. And the fact it’s graded and smooth means it’s friendly for hikers with mobility issues or potentially even hikers using wheelchairs.

If you want a more in-depth look watch the embedded video above. Below is a gallery of my photos from the day.