Photo by Ethan Rendon
The Point Reyes choir is comprised of a broad set of talents, every animal playing a key role in the production of the rich soundscape. The musicians range from the Pacific wrens’ staccato notes to the raucous woodpecker, the whistling of the Northern spotted owl to the coyote’s sharp howls, the stridulating of crickets and the bugling of tule elk. Even the waves crashing on the rocks and strong winds rustling the trees partake in this collage of sound.
Photo by Ethan Rendon
Point Reyes is a peninsula of 111 square miles located 38 miles north of San Francisco. Various microcosms — Tomales Bay, Marshall, Drakes Estero, the Limantour Wilderness and Inverness Ridge — offer vast biodiversity of flora and fauna. There is something for everyone: bluffs, beaches, forests, meadows, a mountain, estuaries, two bays and even a waterfall! to be explored by hiking the National Seashore’s captivating trails.
Point Reyes’ natural history and human occupation paint a tapestry that chronicles stories dating back to 8400 B.C.E. when the Coast Miwoks first seemed to have inhabited the land. Throughout the mammoth stretch of time Point Reyes has been inhabited by humans, it has been used for a multitude of purposes, from hunting to agriculture to maritime communications.
Photo by Ethan Rendon
My personal history with Point Reyes dates back to my parents carrying me on their backs as they made their way across the land that I have come to love. My first hikes were on a parent’s back in a child carrier or a stroller. As I grew up and learned more about Point Reyes, I was always ready for the next adventure.
Quarantine in the time of Covid led me to reminisce on the role that Point Reyes and nature have played in developing my love for adventure. I’ve reflected on my experiences hiking the vast trails, and the joy of short and simple walks on the Elephant Seal Overlook. I’ve thought of the early morning hikes with my family, following the Sky Trail up Mount Wittenberg. I’d feel the embrace of Karl the Fog (the unofficial name for the Bay Area’s fog), my hands warmed by holding a bottle of piping hot cocoa.
But my favorite adventures are unexpected ones, like hiking 10-plus miles in rainy weather to Wildcat campground, camping overnight and hiking to Alamere Falls through the beachside to see a rainbow.
Photo by Ethan Rendon
Whenever I plant my feet on the heavy soil, sandy beaches and coastland grasslands in Point Reyes I feel like an astronaut on a moonwalk; everything in my life feels so small and the world expands. There is no pressure of grades, no gloomy politics, just true tranquility.
Sometimes, I cannot visit Point Reyes amidst the pressures and chaos of being a junior in high school. When procrastinating on my work, I often find myself looking up different trails. A playlist composed of the different harmonies of the Pacific wrens, woodpeckers and spotted owls plays in the background of my thoughts.
Photo by Ethan Rendon
As I have gotten older, I have better realized the nuances of the world and how even a place so beautiful and a great respite from chaos is not exempt from strife. Notably, two complex issues face Point Reyes. The first is a war being waged between different cattle ranch groups and the naturalists who want to preserve the elk population who are still endangered yet thriving in the Point Reyes environment.
Photo by Ethan Rendon
The second issue is climate change, which is causing habitat stress, erosion and wildfires. Late this summer, Point Reyes was hit by the Woodward Fire. This conflagration started on August 18 from a lightning strike and blazed violently through the arena burning almost 5,000 acres over 48 days, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Woodward Fire’s pollution contributed to the eerie orange skies the Bay Area experienced on September 9. Though climate change and wildfires in California are bleak topics, the Woodward Fire provides a glimmer of hope, because it cleared brush which will allow new, healthy habitats for fauna and flora alike. Dense brush piled-up overtime contributes to fires.
When I was much younger, learning all these things about Point Reyes shaped my naive worldview. The fact that such a seemingly heavenly place is still plagued with problems of the modern age speaks to the cost of the times we live in and our dangerous impact on the world.
Photo by Ethan Rendon
The Scottish-American naturalist — and great preservationist of the American wilderness — John Muir once said, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” Muir’s comment describes perfectly the diversity of wildlife, geography and history encompassed in Point Reyes, as well as the connections you will make while visiting.
Photo by Ethan Rendon
