Bull Point Trail

Bull Point Trail
3.8 miles
3 hours
Start: Bull Point Trail Parking Lot
End: Bull Point Trail Parking Lot
Includes: Bull Point Trail

Hike 15
March 22, 2013
Ace of Cups
Love

Spring is officially here. The swords are over and our thoughts turn to love and the cups. The Ace-of-Cups symbolizes love in its pure form as a divine force. For practical purposes, we will be working with love as the human need to connect with others. Others can be any living creature with whom you have a reciprocal relationship, be it human, animal or plant.

Our first walk of the spring was on the Bull Point Trail. Twice in the past I looked for this trail; twice it eluded me. I was determined to find it this time.

Melinda and Carol were with me as was a new walker, my friend Piro. We piled in Carol's car and drove to the trailhead. In response to the cold wind, Melinda created a Plutoesque hat from a pair of wool socks.

We headed out on the trail and ran into a herd of healthy-looking cows lolling on the hillside above Creamery Bay. Walking through them, we headed right and shortly found ourselves squishing through mud.

We found passage over a creeklette and continued along the wet hillside. Finally we stopped to get our bearings and pulled-out the map. Putting our heads together, we ascertained the likely location of the actual trail.

We returned to the trailhead. Along the way, we stopped to pick up bits of trash and discovered some golden mushrooms growing in the cow patties. These must be magical mushrooms!

We spotted a gate in the fence beyond, and after squishing through more mud, finally found the trail.

If you are cow curious, the Bull Point Trail is the place to explore. There is an unusual variety of large, white cow which is apparently bred to hang with humans. We got very close. Not even the moms were skittish.

Since our walk was going on longer than we anticipated, Melinda and Piro decided to cut the hike short and climb to the top of the ridge to catch a glimpse of Drakes Bay Oyster company operating across Schooner Bay.

Carol and I pushed on toward the end. The occasional pink wildflower became a radiant carpet stretching before us. As Carol said "This is their time."

It was virtually the only flower we saw and its stint was bound to be short. I felt privileged and proud to have created this opportunity to share in their shining, ephemeral moment.

It struck me that we all have our moment. A human life is longer than that of a wildflower, but it, too, is fleeting. We each shine and pass in our perfect time. The gift comes when we are cherished, much as we cherished this flower in its moment.

At the end of the Bull Point Trail, the waters of Drakes Estero dazzled us in wide sparkle, their expanse dramatically marked by the land masses of the mouth, opening again, into the sea beyond.

Carol appropriately pointed out that the only thing missing was a schooner! Our high vantage point allowed us to see the contours of the surrounding bays, Schooner to the left, Creamery to the right.

In the 1800's schooner boats regularly entered these bays. They picked-up butter made here and brought it to boom-town San Francisco during the Gold Rush and beyond.

We turned back before reaching the beach to accommodate aching feet and pressing schedules. We encountered Piro barefoot and napping in the grass, having succumbed to the alchemical mixture of fresh air, sunshine and shelter from the wind.

Melinda was seen the distance in apparent conversation with a cow. By the time we caught-up with her, she was alone and happy to see we had not left her behind.

This was a wonderful start to spring and the suit of cups.