Hyperbole Aside, Marin County Has a Huge Selection of Hiking Trails

According to a fairly impressive Web site, (www.marintrails.com) Marin County has the finest urban park systems in the world with over 600 miles of wonderful trails. While this statement might seem a bit overblown by about one hundred miles since a mere 500 miles of trails are claimed elsewhere in the site, it really doesnt matter. Clearly, Marin County is a paradise for hikers.

Hiking experts, Don and Kay Martin collected information about the specifics and routes of 141 separate hikes within Marin County for a book entitled, Hiking Marin, 141 Great Hikes in Marin County. The book provides detailed 3D maps for each hike and directions to each trailhead.

It is doubtless true that Marin County is a hikers paradise with 3 national parks, 6 state parks, 24 county open space lands and 7 other parks and open space areas. Kidding aside, an amazing 42% of these lands are open to the public, which leaves more hiking than most of us could possibly hike in a lifetime.

What is the most important consideration before choosing a specific hiking trail? Experts say that is weather is paramount. Bad weather with fog, drizzle and only 100 feet of visibility can all conspire together to change a great hike into a dismal one. Other important considerations include the distance to be hiked, the change in elevation during the hike, the level of difficulty of the trail and whether shade is provided along the way.

The winter months of December and January arent the best hiking weather, but between the raindrops one can hike along the ocean and see whales and elephant seals. While it is extremely wet, the late winter months of February and March are the best time to hike. For those not bothered by allergies, this is when various spring flowers begin to bloom.

The spring months of April and May, naturally, as the weather gets better and everything is green and flowery provide times for great hiking. As heat and dryness descend during the summer months of June and July, there are still cool and foggy areas begging to be hiked: Muir Woods, Steep Ravine and the Marin Headlands are three of them.

During the hotter and drier months of August and September, the best places to hike are on the coast and the beach areas, as well as north-facing trails. The best time to hike is the early morning when the sun hasnt started to burn through the fog. It is best to avoid Mt. Tamalpais and the hills and ridges of central and north Marin because of fire hazard.

The months of October and November can be gusty with occasional rain, yet many sunny days that are ideal for hiking along the coast, south-facing trails and woodlands in central Marin and around the lakes.

Essentials for a hike include good hiking boots, water, or other fluids, a first aid kit, a light jacket, extra food and a poncho in winter and sunscreen in the summer. Others include a knife, a hat, book or map, flashlight, binoculars, a compass and a whistle, (the writer adds) a cellphone, which may or may not work in the western reaches of Marin County. Any or all of these things may be extremely handy in case you get lost or have an accident.

Sausalito and Marin City Share Outstanding School System of Private and Public Schools

Three schools are operated by the Sausalito School District, which is located at 630 Nevada St., 415-331-3507. All of these are shared by students from the City of Sausalito and the unincorporated community of Marin City.

These include the Bayside Elementary School, which serves K through grade 6 and is located at 630 Nevada Street, Telephone: 415-332-1024; the Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, at 610 Drake Ave., Telephone 415-332-3573, which serves 7th and 8th graders; and Willow Creek Academy, a K through 8 Charter School at 630 Nevada St., Telephone 415-331-7530.

Willow Creek Academy recently received an award of $25,000 from State Farm Insurance to locate the original Willow Creek and initiate a creek restoration program. Located in the Willow Creek Watershed, Willow Creek Academy is engaged in this project to locate the creek somewhere above the Rodeo Creek freeway exit.

Initiated to ensure that Sausalito Marin City students would be able to attend a K through 8 school within the municipal boundaries, Willow Creek Academy students dont have to travel elsewhere to attend school. Building a strong public school identity is important to the culture of the community. During the first three years of its existence, the Academy increased its enrollment from 37 to 104 students. A second kindergarten class was added in 2009.

Located at 441 Drake Ave., Tel: 415-331-7601, the Oak Hill School is geared to children with autism and other developmental differences. This is accomplished by modeling innovative educational practices, harnessing the power of relationships to inspire social, emotional and intellectual growth.

The Oak Hill School, located within Marin City boundaries, provides an academic and therapeutic program for children from kindergarten through adolescence, K- 12. Actually, the school serves children from school-age through 22 years, with a variety of diagnoses including non-verbal learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, as well as sensory integration, regulatory and multi-system developmental disorders.

The dedicated staff at Oak Hill School includes special education teachers, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, creative arts therapists and psychotherapists.

Hyperbole Aside, Marin County Has Hiking Trails Galore

A fairly impressive Web site, (www.marintrails.com) states that Marin County has the finest urban park systems in the world with over 600 miles of wonderful trails. Perhaps an overblown statement by about one hundred miles since a mere 500 miles of trails are claimed elsewhere in the site, it really doesnt matter. Clearly, Marin County is an awesome place for hikers.

Hiking experts, Don and Kay Martin collected information about the specifics and routes of 141 separate hikes within Marin County for a book entitled, Hiking Marin, 141 Great Hikes in Marin County. The book provides detailed 3D maps for each hike and directions to each trailhead.

It is doubtless true that Marin County is a hikers paradise with 3 national parks, 6 state parks, 24 county open space lands and 7 other parks and open space areas. Kidding aside, an amazing 42% of these lands are open to the public, which leaves more hiking than most of us could possibly hike in a lifetime.

The most important consideration before choosing a specific hiking trail, according to experts, is the weather. Bad weather with fog, drizzle and only 100 feet of visibility can all conspire to turn a great hike into a dismal one. Other important considerations include the distance of the hike, the elevations to be experienced during the hike, the trails level of difficulty, and the availability of shade along the way.

December and January, the early winter months, arent the best hiking weather, but between occasional rain showers, one can hike along the ocean and see whales and elephant seals. While it is the rainy season, the late winter months of February and March are the best times to hike. For those not bothered by allergies, various spring flowers begin to bloom in late winter.

The spring months of April and May, naturally, as the weather gets better and everything is green and flowery provide times for great hiking. As heat and dryness descend during the summer months of June and July, there are still cool and foggy areas begging to be hiked: Muir Woods, Steep Ravine and the Marin Headlands are three of them.

During the hotter and drier months of August and September, the best places to hike are on the coast and the beach areas, as well as north-facing trails. The best time to hike is the early morning when the sun hasnt started to burn through the fog. It is best to avoid Mt. Tamalpais and the hills and ridges of central and north Marin because of fire hazard.

The months of October and November can be gusty with occasional rain, yet many sunny days that are ideal for hiking along the coast, south-facing trails and woodlands in central Marin and around the lakes.

Good hiking boots, water, or other fluids, a first aid kit, a light jacket, extra food and a poncho in winter and sunscreen in the summer are just some of the items that it is essential to take along on a hike. Others include a knife, a hat, book or map, flashlight, binoculars, a compass and a whistle, (to which the writer adds a cellphone with the caveat that it may or may not work in many areas west of San Rafael). Any or all of these things may be extremely handy in case you get lost or turn your ankle.

Mill Valley, California Offers a Plethora of Prime Educational Opportunities

Many excellent educational choices ” both public and private ” are available in the Town of Mill Valley, California, which is one of the most sought-after towns in which to live within affluent Marin County.

Among Public Elementary Schools: The five public elementary schools in Mill Valley include: Old Mill School, 352 Throckmorton Ave., 415 -389-7727; Edna Maguire School, 80 Lomita Dr., 415-389-7733; Strawberry Point School, 117 E. Strawberry Dr., 415-389-7660; Park School, 360 East Blithedale Ave., 415-389- 7735; and Tam Valley School, 350 Bell Lane, 415-389-7731.

Attendance at the various public elementary and middle schools is determined by where the student lives. Four private schools serve pre-kindergarten or kindergarten to 5th grade students in Mill Valley. Each of them is discussed below.

While there is only one public middle school, there are four private schools that serve middle school students. This school and the five public elementary schools above are administered by the Mill Valley School District, 415-389-7700. Public Middle School: The only public middle school in Mill Valley is the Mill Valley Middle School, 425 Sycamore Ave., 415-389-7711.

Private Elementary/Middle Schools: The amazingly varied private elementary, combined with middle school offerings in Mill Valley include the Ring Mountain Day School, 70 Lomita Drive, Grades: K-8, 415-381-8183. Please note that the preschool campus of Ring Mountain Day is in Tiburon. Mount Tamalpais School, 100 Harvard Avenue, 415-383-9434; Grades: K-8; Greenwood School, 17 Buena Vista Avenue, 415-388-0495, Grades: K-8; and the Marin Horizon School, 305 Montford Avenue, 415-388-8408, Grades: PK-8, Montessori school.

Public High School: Located at 700 Miller Ave., Tamalpais High School is the only public high school in Mill Valley, telephone: 415-388-3292. There are no private high schools within the municipality of Mill Valley. The school has ranked in the top five percent of American high schools since 2005 by the Washington Post and received the California Distinguished School award in 1999, 2005 and 2009.

Among the numerous famous graduates of Tamalpais High are Mario Cipollina, class of 1972, musician (Copperhead, Soundhole, Huey Lewis and the News, Terry and the Pirates); Kathleen Quinlan, class of 1972, actress (American Graffiti, Apollo 13, Oliver Stone’s The Doors, Breach); and Courtney Thorne- Smith, class of 1985, actress (Melrose Place, Ally McBeal, According to Jim).

Some of the famous athletes who graduated from Tamalpais High include Art Schallock, class of 1943, MLB pitcher: Yankees (1953 World Series), Orioles; Sam Chapman, class of 1934, (high school & college all star, California Golden Bears; Philadelphia Athletics & Cleveland Indians); and Joe DeMaestri 1946 ” MLB shortstop: A’s, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, Yankees, 1957 All Star, 1960 World Series.

Other notable Tamalpais High graduates include Peter Shor, class of 1977, mathematician, MIT, MacArthur Fellow; Montgomery McFate, class of 1984, anthropologist, defense analyst; and Sarah Austin, class of 2004, Manhattan- based Internet personality, and founder of Pop17.

Among the honors received by Tamalpais High School in 2009, was the Mock Trial Team, which placed sixth in the nation at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Atlanta, Georgia. Over 2,000 mock trial teams competed and 40 states had championship teams.