On Thanksgiving, Ed, Leslie and I traveled to Lafayette to have dinner with my 98½-year-old mom, Virginia Gardner Swanberg.  It was a small festive gathering with delicious food.

During the party, mom reflected on growing up in the Bay Area, with stories of many outings to Marin County to visit relatives. Virginia traveled with her sister and Granny, as well as other family members on many adventures around California.

Dedication of Gardner Fire Lookout

One story revolved around an outing in 1937 when Virginia traveled to the top of Mt Tamalpais to witness the dedication of the Gardner Fire Lookout on the East Peak. The Gardner Fire Lookout is named in honor of Edwin Gardner, her father’s cousin. Edwin was the first Chief Warden of the Mill Valley Fire District. Virginia recalled:

“For the dedication in 1937, it was a very foggy day, and as my dad drove along the winding road to the top of the peak, my Granny was screaming — ‘Why did you bring me?  I’m scared!’  However, we made it to the top safely and were honored to be there at the dedication of the lookout named for my uncle.” 

Granny calmed down when she was back at sea level.

Hiking To the Gardner Lookout

With this same spirit of adventure on the day after Thanksgiving, Ed, Sydney, and I traveled to Marin to pay our respects to the Gardner Fire Lookout and to enjoy the views from the top of Mt. Tam. Friday was a glorious day, with bright sunshine, although there was a bit of haze. We drove up the Panoramic Highway to the top. We hiked around the mountain on the “Vera Dunshee” trail, an easy paved trail.  Hiker describes the trail in excellent detail. (Previously the site had misspelled “Gardner”, but when I noticed this I requested a change, and the moderator fixed it promptly.)

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The 360-degree vistas were stunning.

We hiked an additional half mile to the top where the Gardner Fire Lookout is perched on top of the world.  Built in the mid-1930s by the California Conservation Corps, volunteers still watch for fires from this lookout during fire season.

The Gardner Fire Lookout plaque is in the lower left hand corner. During our visit, we pointed it out to other hikers during or visit.

Building the Lookout was quite an accomplishment in its day, according to this excerpt from an article posted by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

After our hike, we had a picnic with Thanksgiving leftovers and made a “still life” of our modest feast, complete with cranberry sauce.

It was delicious, and the setting was spectacular.

History Abounds At The Top

Mt Tam holds even more history, as described by the Friends of Mt Tam.  From 1896 to 1929, it was the site of the “crookedest railroad in the world” boasting 281 turns. Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle came to Marin to take a ride. He wrote, “in all our wanderings we have never had a more glorious experience”.

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And, in 1902 another attraction was born. On the Gravity Railway, 30 souls would load into a car and gravity propelled them to the bottom. This was not for the faint at heart! Volunteers have rebuilt the car barn and it now houses a museum that is open on weekends.

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Alas, both the train and the Gravity Railway are now defunct, but the twisty road to the top is still there. The 360-degree views from 2,571 feet are spectacular. We enjoyed observing the entire Bay Area from the Gardner Fire Lookout and were happy to share the memories with relatives from our past.