“It’s only two miles, we can walk fast.” – Eric upon reading Wasp Warning sign, Day 3
Day three of our Walking Holiday in Marin County began quite auspiciously. Our breakfast at the Pelican Inn was a traditional English breakfast, complete with a waitress who dressed like Professor Trelawney from Harry Potter. 
She was completely scatterbrained, forgetting to bring us sugar or someone else’s butter, but she was absolutely delightful. Her conversation starter was that she had tripped on a melted ice cube that morning and so was moving a little slower than normal. She chatted with everyone and made us feel at home, bringing all guests into the conversation. One of the guests was an architect who stays there every time he has work in San Francisco. One of his projects had been to redesign Alcatraz. There was a couple who looked to be in their late 40s. The man was wearing an ensemble that I can only describe as “rock star chic.” He had on a cutoff shirt so you could see his flat abs and boots that were either genuinely old, well worn leather boots or he paid a ridiculous amount of money for that look. He had long hair and a Crocodile Dundee hat to complete the picture. The woman was sporting high-end athleisure wear.
Is it just my overactive imagination, or does everyone in California look like they’re movie stars or musicians?
To my surprise, the rock star couple were inn to inn hikers just like us! As the man announced after breakfast, “I can walk all day and sleep on the ground, but my girl has to have a bed.”
Our walk that day was only supposed to be 5 miles — the shortest day of the entire trip. Our walk began by turning left on Shoreline Hwy. 1, directly in front of the inn. The Redwood Creek Trailhead was just a few feet from the inn and there was a sign at the trailhead saying a bridge was out. So we had to pull out our map and find a detour. Lucky for us, we were able to follow most of our intended route, which followed the creek parallel to Frank Valley Road — we just hopped off the trail a little earlier and walked on the road. The creek trail was a nice, easy stroll through the woods. Nothing to attract a horde of Instagram junkies, but certainly attractive to naturalists. A family of quail crossed our path, as did a group of scientists with clipboards and rubber hip boots.
abandoned building with grafitti
spur path from Redwood Creek Trail to Frank Valley Rd
Taking a spur path across the creek, we walked about a mile on Frank Valley Road to the Muir Woods Visitor Center. I had planned on hiking the Muir Woods Monument the next day, but since we were there and the walking so far had been easy, we decided to explore. Our first impression was “wow, there are a lot of people here!” Our second thought was “wow, I’m glad we walked here instead of driving!” [I would regret those words later in the day]. There were long lines of cars waiting to park, only to find out that the lots were full. As soon as we entered the forest, however, the noise and mania were absorbed by those magnificent redwoods.
Not satisfied with an easy stroll through the grove, we wanted a trail to take us up into the trees so we chose the Canopy View Trail to Lost Trail to Fern Creek Trail loop.
We found the Canopy View Trailhead and stopped dead in our tracks… 
Here’s where I thought we would turn around and start heading to Mill Valley for a nice early dinner. Eric is HIGHLY allergic to wasps (and has a scary 911 call and hospital visit to prove it). So despite the fact that he had his EPI pack, I was shocked when he said “It’s only two miles, we can walk fast.”
This is the man who wears a bee suit to work in our yard. The man who holds his breath and covers his face when we hike through a meadow of bees.
I don’t remember my exact thoughts at that moment, but they were something along the lines of “Did they sneak some magic mushrooms in his breakfast this morning? Has an alien taken over my husband’s mind?” But you see, something amazing happens when we step outdoors to explore. The endorphins kick in, nature beckons, and we shed our fears as adventure takes us over. And so, we headed up into the treeline, leaving the crowds behind us.
The loop trail was more exhausting than we anticipated but our lodging was only two miles away. We were staying at an AirBnB in Mill Valley, which was connected to Muir Woods by the Dipsea Trail. We found the trailhead in a staff parking lot across from the main parking lot, and that’s when I realized our colossal mistake. The Dipsea Trail is a BEAST! Two miles on that trail was the cardio equivalent of at least four miles on a “normal” trail, especially at the end of the day when we were already tired. But when your feet are the only way to get from Point A to Point B, you push on. The trail was beautiful though, and the views once we got to Mill Valley were amazing!
Once in town, we had to use our map to make sure we stayed on the trail because it was unmarked at one of the turnoffs. Our AirBnB was a studio apartment directly below the homeowner, and when we walked through the gate we began to understand why Mill Valley is compared to the Ewok Village in Star Wars. 
The apartment was exactly what these tired hikers needed. It was cozy, comfortable, and had cell phone service so we could order take out! Looking out our picture window and munching on Pizza Antica delivery, I could look back on the day with no regrets.
