The Cry of the Hawk Traditional Cache
Bric: I guess this one is gone. It had a good run.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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A great hilltop view in a remote location.
We discovered this island May 28 when we nabbed Nicasio Island (GCD744). My wife Da Bear and I came back the next day to explore some more and found this great hilltop. It's the high point of the whole island, so it should be easy to get to, right? Not! This is not for the casual hiker. There are no trails on the whole island, and the grass and thistles are shoulder high in places. You will get into poison oak. You will get ticks (I got 10 the first day; 18 - and counting - today). That said, it's one of the prettiest places I've found in West Marin, and that's saying something. When we came last time, a golden eagle was being mobbed mercilessly by a huge flock of crows. Red-tailed hawks kept up their weird cries - so haunting it's in every movie and car commercial that tries to look like it's out in the wild. It's even on the Colbert Report. Da Bear was so inspired she had to sit right down and write two haiku (and got two more ticks - but artists are supposed to suffer):
Hawk's cry pierces the soft air
Lacy clouds stream by
Raucous ravens carry on
A breeze brings the softest touch
Whispers your secrets
Lulls you into quiet space
To get to the cache, park at 38 05.533' 122 44.681' and take the trail toward the island. At .5 miles, cross the land bridge to the island. It's getting pretty thick with thistles (the prickly kind), blackberries (the vegetable kind), and broom (the invasive kind).
Once across the bridge, the trail quickly peters out. Go grab Nicasio Island if you haven't. Be sure to climb the great rock nearby - there's an easy route to the west of the cave. There are pins in the top, so bring a rope and do some bouldering if you're into that.
For the new cache, follow my old college mantra: get high and stay high as long as you can. It's by far the easiest way here. Get on top of the ridge and follow it toward the forested knob on the high point. This forest is very thick and can be difficult to get through.
At .85 miles you'll see a prominent outcropping with an orangish top. Just behind it is an outlying oak with light gray bark and a small burn scar. The best route I've found is directly uphill from this tree. Once you've fought your way in, bear right and follow a slight ridge up to the top. Here's where the poison oak is very thick. Walk softly and carry a big stick, like Teddy and me. There's a blackberry thicket to the right - keep out of that and keep going up through some huge oaks and bays, some of them horizontal.
At 1.0 mile you'll come out in a gorgeous meadow with some views across the lake at some monster homes. The cache is about 50' to the east of the highest point of the hill. The tree cover is pretty thick here, but I think the coords are good. It's a 3x5x2" locktop food container with just a log and a pen. Sorry, I didn't have any goodies for FTF.
Sit in the meadow, admire the view, and write a haiku.
On your way back, if you have the energy, head over to a beautiful rocky hilltop at 38 05.058', 122 44.743'. It has great views of Black Mountain (also known as Elephant Mountain to the Youngbloods). There were lots of deer beds in the grass nearby, and it occurred to me that the rocky kopje would be a great lair for a lion, but I didn't see one. No telling if one saw me, but I'm still here.
At this season (June), the hills are full of purple vetch, Ithuriel's Spear, buttercups, and dozens of others I don't know. Spring is good for high water in the lake, wildflowers, and a bumper crop of ticks. Take a friend and enjoy that sociable primate grooming afterwards.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Va n ubyybj bnx.