At an extended family luncheon, with family visiting from Hong Kong, I was asked, do you still write? No. Do you still write about your hikes? Not really. Do you still teach? No. Do you still lead hikes? Yes.
Two weeks ago, on June 20, we hiked Montara Mountain (Pacifica), again, with our first hike there five years ago. In the big scheme of things, 5 years is a blip. Still, recall June 2021. We were still in the throes of Covid, with the vaccine only having been available in our area a few months before that. Most forms of exercise still required masks. Yes, there were masked hikers, but this was not a technical necessity. Your odds of coming into contact with poison oak were considerably higher than getting Covid on the mountain. Be it as it may, 5 years, and 6o or so hikes, later, and here we are.
Our first hike had two hikers, including me. This one had 19. Cataract Falls – Mount Tam (2025) had about 25, as did Fitzgerald Preserve (2024). Our first visit to the Ohlone Wilderness had 3; probably more than a few paid close attention to the Black Box warning for that hike.
By now, there is almost a set schedule for the hikes: East Bay in the winter; Peninsula, Marin, San Francisco and perhaps a South Bay hike during the remainder of the year. Certain hikes have become staples: Mission Peak Double (January), Dipsea (May-June), San Francisco Crosstown Trail (June-August), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve (whenever). Once in a while, I’ll add a new one. The “rules” remain the same: no more than a one hour drive from my house; good company and conversation; moderate workout (although some may quibble with my definition of moderate); lunch (in-hike or post), and post-hike beverages. For California attorneys, I have added Wellness Continuing Education. True, one hour of wellness credit for a 7 hour hike may not sound like a great deal, but you will thank me afterwards.
I have a mailing list. Members (although this should probably be with a lower-case “m”) join hikes as they can. So, yes, there is somewhat of a core group, but if you joined a hike 2 years ago, and then another one a few weeks ago, you will be just as welcomed. Remember, this is an opportunity to reconnect, and to meet someone new (and likely interesting). One of the members, aptly, called this a walking salon.
As intimated, Montara Mountain is one of our go-to hikes. A few years ago, I had planned a Montara Mountain hike over the Thanksgiving Break. There are at least three starting points: San Pedro Valley Park, Gray Whale Cove Beach Parking Lot, and McNee Ranch State Park. This one started at McNee Ranch. It was a perfect late November day, clear, crisp, light wind, always a luxury on the coast. This was a family and dog-friendly hike. I had posted about the hike, as I typically do, on LinkedIn. Meanwhile, an attorney from Hong Kong had met an attorney friend from San Diego, at a conference in Houston, Texas. Through that conversation, the Hong Kong attorney connected with me on LinkedIn, saw my post, and asked if she could join the hike. She was passing through the San Francisco Bay Area and would be flying back home that night. I said, sure. She met me at my house, we carpooled, hiked, and learned about our common interests. I mentioned that I had family in Hong Kong, one of whom also hikes. I proceeded to connect the two of them. Two weeks later, I received a text, a photo of them hiking together, in Hong Kong.
Our next hike is the San Francisco Crosstown Trail, a relatively flat 15-mile journey through most of the green spaces of the City. We will start at Candlestick Point and end, appropriately, at Lands End. This will be our fourth Crosstown Trail.
As for the 10-year anniversary, one year, nay, hike, at a time, please. Perhaps, we’ll celebrate at Montara Mountain. Or, maybe, we’ll pick something a little more ambitious, maybe the West Weg, or a shorter, hutte-to-hutte hike through the Bavarian or Tyrolean Alps. Again, one hike at a time.
Comments welcomed.
The Peninsula Hiking Club 