A Steep Hike and a Long Toast

This is prime waterfall season for hikers in Northern California, and the cascades are particularly dramatic -- turning trickles into rushing rivers -- after a season of record-breaking rainfall. In Marin County just over the Golden Gate Bridge north of San Francisco, hiking is a year-round sport, and our weekly girlfriends hiking group has several favorite routes among the hundreds of options through the steep hills and deep redwood forests surrounding 2,500 foot Mount Tamalpais. One challenging two-hour excursion took us up high for a broad sweep of the bay, then back down to our staging area for champagne and cake to toast one of our birthdays -- and the camaraderie and exhilaration that will bring us back for the next weekly outing. If you're visiting the area, many organizations offer day and extended hiking activities, including the Sierra Club.