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# Big fun in a little coastal forest Pygmies of Jug Handle Reserve stand along path of a trek through the eons ## Michael Shapiro, Special to The Chronicle Sunday, November 13, 2005
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### Caspar (Mendocino County) -- I'd heard rumors about the pygmies for years, but had dismissed their existence as myth. After a trustworthy friend vouched for their existence, I decided to venture into the hills above Mendocino to see for myself. My wife and I arrived at Jug Handle State Reserve near Caspar, about 4 1/2 miles north of the postcard-picturesque town of Mendocino, in the late afternoon. Our trek into the forests above would have to wait a day, and we contented ourselves with a golden-hour hike around horseshoe-shaped Jughandle Bay. A brisk salt spray blew in from the ocean over the bluffs covered with velvet grass. Showing the effects of decades of coastal breezes, cypress trees leaned away from the coast. We'd planned to camp out, but the soupy fog nudged us indoors. Fortunately, Jughandle Creek Nature Center, a hostel-like lodge with a full kitchen and cozy wood stove, had a room. We made some soup and read an account by a University of California professor confirming our hopes: There indeed were pygmies in the hills above us. All we had to do was find them. We rose unfashionably late the next morning, hoping that if we lay in bed long enough the fog would lift. Realizing we could wait a month of Sundays, we got up and purchased a $1 brochure that promised to guide us up an "ecological staircase" to the reclusive pygmies above. To reach the pygmies, we'd have to travel back in time. The brochure describes a 40-stop, self-guided hike up the ecological staircase. Each step is about 100 feet higher and 100,000 geological years older than the one beneath it. Hans Jenny, a UC Berkeley soil scientist whose pioneering research led to its preservation, called the staircase an "easily readable storybook." Formed by glaciers, ocean currents and tectonic activity, the five-step staircase showcases different trees, shrubs and soils at each level. Starting just above sea level, the youngest step was carpeted with orange California poppies and white yarrow. Dozens of jellyfish floated with the currents in the cove below, while black cormorants and ravens flew overhead. Light turquoise sea water, in sharp contrast to the deeper, much darker water farther out to sea, revealed where a new terrace is being formed. This layer will rise imperceptibly to become another step in the staircase one day. Climbing to the second step, we entered a forest of Sitka spruce, pines and hemlocks, alongside much grander Douglas firs and coast redwoods. The cones of Bishop pines, our brochure told us, open only with the intense heat of a forest fire, so that the seeds drop into a welcoming bed of fertile ash. Huckleberry shrubs glistening with bright red berries shining like tiny Christmas lights illuminated the trail. Half-foot-long banana slugs slithered across the forest. As we traversed the second step of the staircase, the forest became denser. I reached out to touch the cool, smooth, reddish skin of a manzanita. All sorts of species that weren't visible on the first step, including thimbleberries, tan oaks, gigantic mushrooms, rhododendrons and ferns, grew from the rich soil. Surprisingly, on this weekend we saw only a couple of other hikers on the staircase trail. As we climbed higher, the soils became more sandy. Though only about 2 miles inland, we'd escaped the coastal fog. We rounded a bend, and the forest opened into a sun-splashed meadow of diminutive trees. We'd found our pygmies. On this third step of the staircase, I towered over 100-year-old cypress trees, which stood just a couple of feet above the ground. Bolander pine trees came up to my waist. Rhododendrons, which can reach 20 feet in richer soils, barely topped my shoulders. For someone of modest stature (I'm 5-foot-5), this was all quite a lift. Stunted by highly acidic soil holding almost no nutrients, it's miraculous that these trees survive at all. A boardwalk protects the fragile area, which was preserved in stages during the 1960s and '70s. Today Jug Handle State Reserve encompasses 769 acres, comprising much of the first three steps of the staircase. Intrepid hikers can continue up a fire road beyond the reserve to the fourth and fifth levels. For us, the 2 1/2-mile hike to the third step was enough. We'd found the pygmies and contemplated their unlikely existence on a boardwalk bench while enjoying a picnic lunch. We followed the staircase trail as it looped back to the cool, foggy coastline below. An hour later, after hiking past redwood trees that seemed to reach a mile into the sky, our encounter with that sunny patch of friendly pygmies seemed almost like a dream. If you go Getting there From San Francisco, follow Highway 101 north 85 miles to Cloverdale, take Highway 128 west to Highway 1 and continue north up Highway 1 to Caspar. Without traffic, it takes about three hours. Where to stay Jughandle Creek Farm and Nature Center, Highway 1, Caspar. (707) 964-4630, www.jughandle.creek.org. The nature center, has a library of natural history books and offers an escape from phones, television and the Internet. bare-bones farmhouse rooms, $27 per adult per night; standalone cabins (ideal for families or small groups), $70 a night; camping, $11 per person. Couples can reserve private rooms; dorm-style lodging is open for groups. Save $5 by working for one hour. MacCallum House Inn, 45020 Albion St., Mendocino. (800) 609-0492, www.maccallumhouse.com. Refurbished 1882 inn plus more modern digs nearby; restaurant and bar. From $135, including full breakfast for two. Mendocino Hotel, 45080 Main St., Mendocino. (800) 548-0513, www.mendocinohotel.com. Historic hotel and restaurant with pension-style rooms from $95; with bath from $120. Russian Gulch State Park Highway 1 (2 miles north of Mendocino. (707) 937-5804, www.parks.ca.gov (click "Find a Park" and scroll down to Russian Gulch). Camping 2 miles south of Jug Handle, $9-$25. Where to eat Mendocino, 4 1/2 miles south of Caspar, and Fort Bragg, less than 6 miles north, have a wide variety of restaurants, delis and markets. MacCallum House (see above). Gourmet pork chops, scallops and fresh ono, starting around $24. Mendocino Hotel (see above). Duck comfit crepes, French onion soup, ginger grilled ahi from $20. Corners of the Mouth, 45015 Ukiah St., Mendocino. Good place to stock up for a picnic. For more information Jug Handle State Reserve, (707) 937-5804, www.parks.ca.gov (click "Find a Park" and scroll down to Jug Handle). Michael Shapiro, whose Departures column in Travel last year is featured in "The Best Travel Writing 2005," is the author of "A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration" (Travelers' Tales, 2004). To comment, e-mail travel@sfchronicle.com. 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