Hiking Adventures in the San Francisco Peninsula and Beyond
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 … Continue reading 2023 (Hiking) Year in Review
It's that time of the year again, for New Year's resolutions. I called my 2023 resolution "50 for 50." I turned 50 this year and was determined to complete 50 hikes. I stopped counting after 30 and will probably end up with around 40. Not bad. This was one of my favorites, the "Tower Hike" in Cologne. My 2024 … Continue reading New Year’s Resolutions
Some data points and observations from yesterday's monthly Peninsula Hiking Club adventure: 9.5 miles 20,000 steps 4.5 hours (including lunch) Custom itinerary (sorry, you will not find this on All Trails) starting at Lands End and continuing to, on, and through Baker Beach, Batteries to Bluffs Trail, California Coastal Trail, Golden Bridge Visitor Center, Park … Continue reading Lands End & Presidio 2023
It seems that a trail always finds me (or perhaps that I always find a trail). This one was flat, flat, flat, unlike our last one, Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve (https://johnpavolotsky.com/2023/09/10/purisima-septiembre-2023/). Consider this Anchorage's version of the San Francisco Bay Trail (https://johnpavolotsky.com/2023/01/02/the-san-francisco-bay-trail/), but with Chugatch State Park to the east, Cook Inlet, and … Continue reading Hiking Anchorage
Some observations: It had been four years since my last trip across the pond. It seems that everyone else had the same idea. Turmbesteigung (Tower Ascent). 157 meters, 533 steps, a 360 degree view of Cologne, pure joy to any serious hiker. Looking back, I should have done this twice, with a weighted backpack! Cologne … Continue reading European Vacation (2023)
I suspect that a few 49ers do not know about this one. 16.5 miles, from Lands' End in the northwest corner of the City to Candlestick Point, in the southeast. Many have hiked some part of it, connecting many of the City's green spaces, most likely without knowing their hike was part of something bigger, … Continue reading San Francisco Cross-Town Trail (Section 2)
I had first visited the Mauna Lani area, about 30 minutes north of the Kona Airport, in 1998. Same beach club below. Gary would have been there. During a recent visit, I learned that Gary, super-friendly, knowledgeable, relaxed, perfectly tanned, has been at this location since 1980, renting and mending kayaks and paddle boards, bantering … Continue reading Kona
I was sitting on the back patio of the Hotel Naniloa two Friday nights ago. An eternity, to be sure. Clear night. Warm breeze. Fabulous entertainment - a local singer with a guitar and a dry sense of humor. I'm going to play a song that everyone knows - and it's not Happy Birthday! American … Continue reading Hilo
Despite the elevation (nearly 4,000 feet), it was warm, about 75 degrees. Light breeze. Mostly clear sky, initially. Bring plenty of water, snacks, and a picnic lunch. Good hiking shoes are recommended, although tennis shoes were not uncommon on the trail, and I did see a few pairs of Crocs. This is a moderate hike, … Continue reading Kilauea Iki Trail and Crater Rim Trail
Apologies readers, but not enough time again to write a proper post. Suffice it to say that the weekend in Truckee was memorable: soccer golf (my favorite and least favorite sports) at Old Greenwood, Sermon on the Mount (with a fabulous speech on proportionality and the toxicity of cancel culture from someone wise well beyond … Continue reading Truckee Gold
The Peninsula Hiking Club 