Below are eleven (11) of the forty (40) or so hikes completed this year. True, a few of those hikes were neighborhood walks with a dirt path or two, but the remainder, including the ones below, with the Peninsula Hiking Club (PHC), which I founded in 2021, were entirely legitimate. PHC members will recall the San Mateo suburban hike through Laurelwood Park, Mission Peak, El Corte de Madera, Dipsea Trail, Windy Hill, Montara Mountain (via Pacifica), the San Francisco Cross-town Trail, Purisima Creek, Edgewood Park, McNee Ranch to Planet of the Apes, and our December San Francisco classic hike, from Lands’ End to the Golden Gate Bridge, through the Presidio, and back to the starting point. A hike a month, except for April. Not bad. We resume in January, to take on Mission Peak. In addition to our regulars, I will likely be adding Mount Diablo (last hiked in 2022) and/or Murietta Falls (a first for PHC).
PHC adventures typically include post-hike beverages (Barebottles, of course) and lunch, whether at La Cumbre (translation: the peak (of course!) in San Mateo or Parkside Cafe in Stinson Beach. For some the lunch venue is the highlight, while for others it may be the scenery, change of pace, break from work or household responsibilities, fresh air, exercise, conversation, camaraderie, etc.
Some hikes are family and/or dog friendly (and some may argue, correctly, that a dog is typically an integral part of any family). Our shortest and longest hikes this past year were six (6) and sixteen (16) miles, respectively. The Dipsea Trail (Stinson Beach to Muir Woods and back) was probably my favorite, perhaps due to a fabulous lunch at the Parkside consisting of oysters and a Niman Ranch burger with Point Reyes blue cheese. The PHC now has its first piece of merch, a gorgeous coffee mug pictured below. It’s been quite the year.
Suffice it to say that there is much work to be done in 2024. Who’s ready?
The Peninsula Hiking Club 