I've had the the very good fortune of discovering hiking in the countryside and woodlands. Both right next door in Sutro Forest as well as in the Marin Headlands, the Crystal Springs Watershed and further north in Jack London's beloved Glen Ellen. I have long been a devotee of walks around San Francisco, t hat thanks to the topography of the tip of the peninsula, is part aerobic, part pilates and if done while carrying bags, briefcases packages or a child can be strength conditioning too. Like all good workouts hiking should be done when hydrated and rested. I find I need nothing more than comfortable shoes, thick socks. a sweatshirt hoodie and 5 minutes to warm-up by stretching. Choice of shorts or jeans is dependent solely upon the wind chill factor which is reliably variable in the coastal counties during the early to mid-summer months.
The adventure is greatest for me when I am first on a new trail. The path can at times seemingly go on for endless miles and the novice hiker may need to be reassured that they are not lost nor are they there yet. It is also best to leave at home, for the sake of friendship, any whiners that may be in your circle. A periodic gentle reminder to yourself and any companion that hiking, like all grand voyages, is that the journey has its own justification and is its own reward.
My own rewards have been as varied as being surrounded by wildflowers as tall as a tall man, waiting for a family of wild turkey's to cross a path, mama turkey leading her playful chicks into high wild grass, a gloriously colored snake sliding across a path as quickly and grandly as the Mad Hatter on his way to Tea at the Ritz. A bobcat so fixated on his next meal as to completely ignore my passing presence, a gorgeous baby deer bounding out of the shrubs, followed by a Doe and a rather timid second baby deer. This hikers spellbound into waiting, waiting, watching them fill up on the abundant shrubs and bushes which grow under Redwood trees. Silence broken only by the sweet sound of a stream., bee's and the occasional screeching cries of a Raven or Eagle. There is no end goal other than to immerse yourself, if but for a few hours in a series of moments where the role of modern western man is brought low or at least in line with the natural order.
Given the complete development of the bay area these adventures are more like a fin-de-siele walk in the Vienna Woods rather than the California of my great-great -great grandfathers. I can't but recall the lines of Steinbeck's pioneer grandfather regretting the apparent domestic timidity of his mouse hunting grandchild. A situation he viewed as the start of the end of the triumph of western man. That if that be progress it was in fact our decline. In truth what seems high outdoor adventure to me would appear to my pioneer ancestors or my younger friends from the north of California to be a pre-dinner walk in an estates parkland than hiking in the country. Truth be told for me the fun and adventure of discovery is as real in the near wilds of the headlands and the watershed as in Yosemite. The chief difference being the wildlife is less varied and more used to humans and access to the outback is quicker in the bay area but all hiking has the same risks. A sprained ankle, getting lost or bitten are very real hazards whether one is hiking 10 or 300 miles from the urban core.
The amazing feel of accomplishment one feels after completing an arduous hike is like besting your time in a race. Being in nature,feeling right sided as to your individual place in it simply puts everything else into perspective. I feel a good hike in the country of say two hours duration has a way, in its way, of connecting us however briefly, to our hunter gatherer nomadic ancestors. It is an arch-type brought to motion which does remedy so many ills of our urban life. Joyfully celebrate your ability to walk by observing the glory and power of our mother nature remembering your primal citizenship in meadow,hill, mountain or woods holds no greater weight than that held by the other animals in the wild but sustains us all.
Get out and take a HIKE
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