If you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. Or…shall I say…hike the hike. Since we first launched our children and nature guide to encourage travelers to get outside with their kids, I have been inspired to take advantage of the great outdoors a bit more myself.

I started small, exploring various natural areas of San Francisco. I’ve strolled through The Presidio, an ecological treasure in this bustling city. I’ve walked along the sandy city beaches as the freezing cold waves crashed around my ankles. I’ve even tortured myself in boot camp, taking my mind off my burning buns by soaking up the views of Golden Gate Park as the early morning fog crept through the trees. What an amazing treat to reward my hard work!

This weekend, I decided to step my pursuit for nature up a few notches. My friends and I hiked through Mount Tamalpais State Park. The real motivation: pancakes. I found out about this foodie adventure on Weekend Sherpa, an outdoor enthusiasts guide to Northern California, and have wanted to do it ever since. The adventure starts on one of several trail options and ends at West Point Inn, where they serve a pancake breakfast that Weekend Sherpa describes as “more mom-and-pop than IHOP.”

After planning our start from Stinson Beach, my group decided that we didn’t want to work that hard for our pancakes. The hike to West Point Inn along Matt Davis Trail from Stinson presented itself as long, steep and challenging. At about 5.3 miles, the uphill hike would have taken us a good two hours or so, but our stomachs were too eager to get to the top. Instead, we decided to start up Old Stage Road from the Pan Toll Ranger Station, a two mile leisurely hike that put us at the breakfast table in less than an hour.

Even through the low-lying clouds, the panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and the tops of the evergreens that cover the park were so stunning that I almost forgot the motivation behind the journey. At the end of Old Stage Road, we stumbled upon that reason: a rustic inn crawling with hikers, bikers and the mouth watering aroma of maple syrup. We staked out a picnic table in the shade and dug into our $10 flapjacks smothered with butter and syrup.

Mission accomplished.

Photo of Erin Peck, Jenelle Blanchard, Ryan Murray and Me courtesy of super-hiker Erin.