Party at the top of the world

We weren’t invited to the party at the top of the world.  But we saw it.

It was just another Sunday adventure for Dave and me, as we headed out to hike Mount Tamalpais (also called “Mount Tam”) in Mill Valley, California, just over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

Armed with a backpack of picnic supplies, we drove the winding mountain roads up to one of the last parking areas available, got out and began a hike.

This hike took place on a very windy mountainside, where we followed red-sand paths that went up and around the side of the mountain.  It wasn’t treacherous, but at times it was strange to follow a path that was so narrow.

After a short hike, we were in search of the perfect picnic spot in the sun, away from the wind.  Yet, when we reached the top, we found an even more amazing view than we had expected.

A party taking place at the top of the mountain.

I had never seen anything like it.  At first there were about 30 people, standing up in groups around tables, sipping from wine glasses, and clearly enjoying a classy “Sunday Funday” in a beautiful setting.

Being new to an exciting city like San Francisco has afforded us plenty of opportunities to see things that we’ve never seen before, but this sight was straight out of a movie.

I wanted to approach the group and find out just who they were and why they were there.  Special occasion?   Regular occurrence?  Could we hang out too?  They had clearly gone to quite a bit of trouble to bring party supplies and create a fancy setting, at one of the highest vantage points in the Bay.

Upon further exploration, we discovered there was a small parking area even closer to the top of the mountain than we had parked ourselves, which provided access to the party attendees.  The cars in the lot were a sign that these party guests were of the wealthy variety for sure.  And, they just kept arriving.

Though it was hard to pull myself away from gawking at this scene, we were able to find a lovely place to picnic on a man-made stone bench area away from the wind.  In the midst of relaxing and enjoying our own party-for-two, I kept checking back around the corner to watch this mountain group.  Looked like they were having a good time.

Once the clouds started rolling in (from this view you can really see why they call it rolling), the temperatures dropped, so we packed up and hiked back down to our car.

Maybe next hike we should dress a little nicer in hopes of finding a party where we just might blend in.