We live at the foot of Mt. Tamalpais. You can see this mountain from my bathroom window - it stands between our house and the sea - it is a stunning part of our every day landscape. We quickly cruise it's curvy roads to reach the beach. Or park part way over and hike it's trails. Or have picnics with bottles of wine and lazy day blanket naps in special meadows overlooking that beautiful Pacific. But I had not yet been to the top or, better yet, spent a night up in that generous silence.

Speaking of generous...my friend is one of seven inn keepers at the West Point Inn (built in 1904) which lies almost at the very top of Mt. Tam. She guessed that I needed an escape. We met at the base of the trail and we hiked the 45 minutes to this magnificent place. We mingled with the other hikers that stopped by for a rest and a lemonade until we were the only two left up there (the Inn is closed on Sunday nights).

Since the place was empty I got to choose where I would sleep and this was it...

my cabin door...

and my porch, complete with outdoor sink and shower...


and this was my view upon arrival...

6:10 pm Sunday.

and when I went to sleep with the double doors open all night to the sky...

10:21 pm Sunday.

and when I awoke for the first time, civilization blanketed with fog...

5:59 am Monday.

and awoke for the second time and took a cool shower out on this porch, open to the world still out there somewhere...

6:28 am Monday.
___

Although my house is a pinpoint in the middle of those second two photos (San Francisco just to the right of the frame, the wine country further to the left, the ocean behind me) I was lifted above it all and a million miles away in the most healing and restorative way.

And she was right...just what I needed.