In October 2025, I helped lead a Stanford Alpine Club intro to backpacking trip to Point Reyes. We drove two hours from Stanford to the Bear Valley visitor center on a Saturday morning and hiked six miles to Wildcat campsite. It had rained that morning and was misty during the hike, which felt super refreshing coming from Palo Alto where the grass and everything is dry during that time of the year.
After reaching the campsite, we ate lunch and then attempted to walk along the beach to Alamere Falls. Despite it being low tide, the waves were huge, with a few even reaching up to the edge of the cliff. After getting soaked up to the knees by a wave while walking through a cove, we aborted the mission and walked back to hang out in a safer area of the beach. The sun shone through the clouds for a little, and it was lovely.
After dinner, we had a campfire with smores on the beach. So many bugs were jumping onto my feet and ankles from the sand; it was insane. But it was worth it to get to hang out with everyone around the fire. I slept super well that night - I felt so warm and comfortable. My sleeping pad had gotten a huge rip that I covered with a patch on Saturday afternoon, so I had sort of expected the pad to lose air during the night and to not sleep at all, making my excellent night of sleep all the better.
The next morning, I got up around 45 minutes before sunrise and made my way to the beach. The waves were huge again! It was cool watching the beach and the mountains begin to lighten. I felt very grateful to be there.
We then ate breakfast, packed up camp, and hiked back to the cars. It was fun meeting and talking to different people during the hike and throughout the weekend. I think that outdoor activities and trips in general are so great for getting to know people.