The homeless guy is shaking his head at us in pity. I think that’s a sign.
Clare, Day 7
Hiking from Bolinas to Olema on our Walking Holiday in Marin County was the longest day of our trip. If we had followed the Walkabout California route, it would have been 14.8 miles. However, we found a more direct route along the Olema Valley Trail which shortened it to 12.2 miles. Our day began with some homemade breakfast bars from The People’s Store. As we left the hippie enclave of Bolinas, we met up with a young homeless man and his dog (who we’d seen the previous day in Stinson Beach). He was resting in his hammock and shaking his head at us, in what I imagine was pity or disbelief. I’ll admit to thinking at that moment, “why exactly did we pay to do this?” But as we began walking north on Olema Bolinas Rd. then uphill on Horseshoe Hill Rd. my doubts were replaced by the beautiful scenery surrounding us.
From Horseshoe Hill Rd. we connected to Hwy. 1 and walked on the highway for less than a mile. The Olema Valley Trailhead was easy to find (left side of the road) and had a sign warning of rough trail conditions. We lucked out, however, as the trail had been recently adopted by a local bicycle group and was in good condition. The trail began in a meadow that quickly became forest.
The path remained mostly forest for miles and we never saw a soul until we passed two women on horseback — they told us they never see hikers on that trail. The reason for this became quickly apparent. Horse trails are great for hiking because they’re usually wide and relatively flat — except for the poop! Instead of watching out for rocks and roots, we were sidestepping manure most of the day. The smell was never bad, thank goodness, but there were some close calls.
Olema Valley Trail is part of the Pt. Reyes National Seashore Area, which is popular with horse riding. For more info, click HERE.
Just a little more than half way to Olema, we came across Mill Pond and Five Brooks Ranch, a fully equipped horse farm offering guided trail rides and boarding stables. We had a picnic lunch by the pond and received plenty of friendly waves from the equestrians. 
We lost the trail for a bit when we got to the stables but someone pointed us in the right direction and we hopped on the Rift Zone Trail, which was mostly forest and marsh. 
We remained on this trail until reaching the Vedanta Society land. The Vedanta Society of Northern California (which is Hindu) was a place of retreat for people of all faiths. Their website says “visitors are welcome” and should “check in at the monastery,” but we walked in from behind and so we never saw the monastery. Their property felt sacred, so I imagine a retreat there would be beneficial for anyone’s soul. We were feeling so at peace and one with nature that both of us were taken by complete surprise when a large coyote shot past us on the trail.
The last mile took us directly through a cow pasture and upon exiting the gate we turned right and met up with Hwy. 1 again. We had arrived in Olema, population 74.
We stayed two nights at Olema Cottages which were just a few feet from two excellent restaurants: Farmhouse and Sir and Star. We chose Farmhouse because it was more casual.
We took the bus to Pt. Reyes Station that following day and spent a fun Saturday morning at their farmer’s market. My favorite vendor at the market was a woman dressed like a suffragette giving massages and raising money for women’s rights. We walked around town, spent time reading at the library (in an old creamery building), and did some shopping. The town was small but definitely worth a visit, especially during market Saturdays. And thus ended our inn-to-inn walking trip in Marin County.
Community garden
Breakfast at market
Pt Reyes Station Library
Local band at market
Pt Reyes Station
Altar in Pt Reyes Station
great shopping here!
Pt. Reyes Station bakery
