“They can kick us out, but I’m stealing the chocolate!” ~ Clare, Day 2
The first hiking day of our Marin Walking Holiday was a mere 7 mile walk from Marin Headlands Hostel to Muir Beach. We were prepared with maps in hand, plenty of water, and food…or so I thought. I didn’t spend enough time considering the elevation changes, and these sea level Louisianians found themselves huffing and puffing up and down coastal cliffs all day. We arrived at our destination inn starving and broken. Which is why, when faced with eviction, I stole the chocolate without hesitation…
Elevation on a map means nothing to me. I have to see the mountains with my own eyes before it sinks in, which is a mistake I made when we went to Sifnos. Apparently I didn’t learn my lesson. Our walk began on the Miwok Trail, which was popular with trail runners and cyclists. The path itself was wide and flat and it steadily climbed up the mountain.
Miwok Trail
Miwok Trail
Miwok Trail
When we reached Wolf Ridge Trail, that’s when things got interesting. The trail narrowed and we left the crowds behind (at least for a little while). At one point, the decline was so steep with nothing to grab onto, so I had to crab walk down on my hands. Then we connected with a wide road again with steep inclines and spent the rest of the day going up and down, up and down along the Coastal Trail. The last part of our hike that day is called “Heart Attack Hill” by the locals. Hiking poles would have definitely come in handy!
When we arrived at Muir Beach an hour too early for check-in, we were only too happy to stop at a cliff looking down at the beach and lay there for awhile. 
Muir Beach was very popular, yet it only had one lodging and dining option: The Pelican Inn. I’ll admit I did not have high expectations for this place despite the high price tag. I knew it was designed after a medieval public house, so I thought it might be kind of cheesy. From the minute we walked up to the yard, however, and saw crowds of people lounging on the lawn and hanging out in the pub, we knew this place had a cool vibe. 
I had a hard time believing it was built in 1978. Everything about the place seemed authentic, down to the last detail. It was the dream child of Charles Felix, whose family of innkeepers went back four generations in the UK. Felix named the inn after Sir Frances Drake’s ship “The Pelican,” later re-christened “The Golden Hind.” The doors were purposefully short, as they would have been in the 16th century. The floors creaked, the windows were old leaded glass, the sounds from the pub below could easily be heard from our room — it was perfect! As I was luxuriating in this perfection, wrapped in my robe after a quick shower, a knock on the door disrupted my daydream.
“Excuse me, I am so sorry, but this is not your room.”
That’s right, they put us in the wrong room. We had booked a standard room but they mistakenly put us in the king suite. So as I’m scrambling to get dressed and Eric is grabbing the dirty clothes and open luggage, I spotted the complimentary chocolates by the window. In a pique, I snagged the chocolate and with wet hair and unlaced boots I walked down the hall to our publican room with head held high.
Our assigned room actually turned out to be equally nice, just smaller and without a balcony. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the inn, complete with a taciturn waiter and exuberant manager who walked through waving a British flag in honor of Trafalgar Day. The manager was a blonde, vivacious woman who said she’d been working at the inn for 16 years. She invited us into “the Snug” and served us a platter of fruit, cheese and crackers. The “Snug” was designed just like a traditional private inn parlor, where wealthier guests could lounge and enjoy private access to the bar. I didn’t even have to close my eyes to imagine I was in a Regency romance novel! So despite our rough introduction to the Pelican Inn, we lay in our four poster canopied bed that night vowing to return. After all, who doesn’t love some Medieval hospitality now and then.
The “Snug”
The “Snug”
The “Snug”
