The Coastal Trail traversing the steep slopes of Mount Tamalpais and Bolinas Ridge is one of the best stretches of trail anywhere. The stupendous views looking down at Stinson Beach and Bolinas Lagoon nearly 2,000 ft below, combined with the shimmering azure of the Pacific Ocean filling the horizon, never cease to inspire and delight….
Author: pantilat
Saratoga Fatass 50k
Every year shortly after New Year’s (this year January 7th) there is a great low-key run along a fantastic 29-mile loop in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains known as the Saratoga Fatass. There is no official start time although most start between 7:30 and 8 am. There are no course markings and only…
Sonoma Coast and Kortum Trail
A magnificent stretch of rugged coastline is protected by Sonoma Coast State Beach. The northern portion of the coast features a spectacular hike along the Kortum Trail. Highway 1 is never far away and there are numerous access points and parking lots along the trail, but the hike is situated right above the bluffs providing close views of…
Long Ridge Sunsets
Long Ridge Open Space Preserve has some of the best vistas in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The combination of meadows and forest on a high ridge overlooking the Pescadero watershed to the Pacific Ocean produces some awesome photography opportunities. Here are some photos from a hike to the Stegner Bench at Long Ridge last summer…
2011 Adventure Run Recap
2011 was another great year for adventure running with lots of trips to the High Sierra and a couple in the North Cascades of Washington State. It was great to venture into some of the most remote regions in both ranges and see terrain I have never seen. I’m already looking forward to adventures in…
Brazen Racing Summit Rock Half
The Brazen Racing Summit Rock run was another great Brazen event at Sanborn County park in the hills above Saratoga. I ran at this gorgeous venue in June at the Trail Quake event and couldn’t resist running these lushly forested trails one more time this year. The course is different than the Trail Quake event as…
Brazen Rocky Ridge Championships Report
Last weekend I ran the Brazen Racing Summit Rock Half Marathon at Sanborn County Park outside of Saratoga, but before I get to that report, here is a report from another Brazen event I did a couple months agao, the Brazen Racing Rocky Ridge Half Marathon Championships at beautiful Las Trampas Regional Wilderness outside of…
Point Reyes Scenes
A few of my favorite photos from a recent run at Point Reyes National Seashore. It has been a couple years since I did this particular route and it was just as good as I remembered it. Highlights include Mount Wittenberg, Woodward Valley, Sculptured Beach, Kelham Beach, Arch Rock, Wildcat Beach and Alamere Falls; essentially…
Quad Dipsea 2011
The Quad Dipsea is held annually the Saturday after Thanksgiving and completes the legendary Dipsea Trail four times. The Quad entails over 9,276 ft of ascending including literally thousands of steps as the runners traverse the slopes of Mount Tamalpais from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach and back. While the trail is arduous, breathtaking views…
Mount McDuffie & Ladder Lake
With an impending change in the weather pattern to more winter-like conditions, I decided to take full advantage of the remaining nice days with an adventure run deep into Kings Canyon NP along the Black Divide. The objective was Mount McDuffie via Ladder Lake, a route that entails around 35 miles roundtrip and nearly 11,000…
Leor Pantilat's Adventures