I’ve gone to Mount Tamalpais a couple times already, be it all the way from the ocean in Stinson Beach or from somewhere in Mill Valley with my friend. What I’ve never done before was bringing a doggo with me and attempting to run the thing (recording).

Bringing Nala (the dog) with me meant that I had to start halfway up the mountain at Pantoll Campground – dogs aren’t allowed on the trails below that. So, technically, I didn’t run the whole thing. In the end, it was some eight miles round trip.

It also meant that I had to share my water with her, and Nala didn’t go to great lengths to try to not waste it.

I could see the city and the Bay soon, and it was as beautiful as always. The view of the Bay from the slopes of Mt Tamalpais is probably one of my favourite views in and around the Bay. Nala, being the couch potato that she is, didn’t seem to appreciate the views as much as the fact that in order to enjoy them, I stopped running once or twice.

We soon made it near the top and the sun started to get close to the horizon. The world turned golden. We started up the last stretch to reach the peak for sunset.

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Layers of hills became more apparent in the north-east. And Nala’s fur seemed to be glowing in the setting sun, as did the city, clad in pink.

Soon, the miracle of the ending day was over and we headed back down. The gentle pink and orange post-sunset light made the air look alive, while Nala started to pretend that she was dead. I started thinking I might have to carry her back, but then she saw a deer and it was apparent that she still had much more energy than she let on.

The dark caught up with us halfway down the mountain. The last bits of light departed as the sky got pitch black in the east and kept a faint glow in the west. The deep blues and purples in between were as calming as the strong orange near the horizon was riveting. We said goodbye to those last pieces of light and let the dark resting among the trees swallow us up.

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A video from my first hike up Mt Tamalpais as a part of the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge is HERE.

What about some internal dialogue from my runs? They’re HERE and HERE.

Curious to see some photos? You can find them HERE.