W6/NC-407 A Foggy Activation

Richardson East Benchmark is located west of Sausalito, CA with the summit at 1,111 feet. The first challenge in activating this summit is finding a place to park at the trailhead.

To get to the trailhead you take highway 101 and exit at the Monte Mar Drive Exit.  Southbound this exit leads directly to a commuter park-and-ride lot.  Coming north you take the exit to another park-and-rid lot.  It took me about 45 minutes of driving between these two lots to find a place to park – two hikers came off the trail and when they left I got my space!

Just across the street from the park-and-ride lot is where the trail begins with 24 steps up the hill.

There are 205 wooden steps along the first part of the trail as it zig zags up the hill.  I have been to this summit on blue sky days and these steps are always wet and look slippery.  I take my time going up and especially going down!

 

Many of the step portions of the trail are the switchbacks.

This is the final section of steps which take you to the Alta Trail.  Follow the Alta Trail to Wolfback Ridge Road.

You will know you are at Wolfback Ridge Road when you see the paved road. Adjacent to this intersection there is an condo complex served by a private road.  Going west up Wolfback Ridge Road takes you away from the condos.

There is a radio installation at the actual summit and I have walked around the fence that surrounds the site, but there are a nice spots along the road to the summit that are in the activation zone.

Here is the happy activator getting ready to go down the stairs.  Happy because of a successful activation.  I have heard that on a clear day the summit offers a great view; but during my 3 trips to this summit I have never seen a great view.  Mostly I have had fog.  Today was the foggiest yet.

For a quick hike to a summit this is great.  Another activator has pointed out that you can get to the trailhead by bus; which might be easier than finding a parking place.

Many thanks to the chasers today – I would have stayed longer but the fog got thick enough for me to decide to spare the radios from the damp.