Up From the Ashes letterbox

This letterbox was originally to be planted at Phoenix Lake, but then I discovered that there was already a series of boxes there -- and this was after I had carved the stamp... So, we now have the "original" "View of Phoenix Lake from Bald Hill" letterbox.

:)

Bald Hill -- or as I and my friends called it when we were younger, "Mount Baldy" -- is in Ross, Ca. It's on the edge of the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed area.

There are various trail-heads that can get you to the top of Bald Hill. I usually go up in the following fashion:

• From HWY 101, going through Marin County, take the Sir Francis Drake Blvd exit and head west, going through Ross, and just as you enter San Anselmo, make a left turn onto Bolinas Ave. You'll pass Saint Anselm's church on your left, and then the Seminary (a castle-like building) and a park, both on your right...
• Take a left onto Glenwood Ave.
• Take a right onto Upper Rd.
• Take a left onto Upper Rd. West, and follow that all the way up until the trail-head, which will have a sign warning about mountain lions.

Parking here is a treasure hunt in and of itself. You'll have to back-track a bit.

For the hike -- pretty simple -- follow the dirt road all the way up. About 3/4 of a mile (?) up, almost at the top, you'll come to a T intersection with another dirt road. Hang a left, and keep going up. Shortly, you'll come up to a short dirt road on your left, which takes you to the summit of Bald Hill. Not much to the hill itself -- after all, it is bald. But -- enjoy the view!

After taking in the sights, turn around and go back down to the main road, and hang a left. As it starts to go down, you'll come upon a large sign on the right of the road stating "Mt. Tamalpais Watershed" along with a second, smaller sign.

On the other side of the road, as you look out towards the San Rafael/Richmond bridge, you'll see a lonely old fence post... The letterbox awaits at the base of this post, under a pile of rocks topped with another old fence post laid across it.SE of the post you'll see Phoenix Lake nestled in the hills down below.

Here is a link to a map of the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed area:http://www.marinwater.org/controller?action=menuclick&id=245