Urban Hiking in San Francisco
Living in Place
Hills, Sidewalks & Stairs
San Francisco is famous for its hills, many of which have sidewalks that turn into staircases and then into paths where the sidewalks end.
Our first hike, up the Pemberton Stairs to Twin Peaks, took us past phenomenal blooms of flowers both familiar and foreign to me. We summited both peaks, but never saw more than the base of Sutro Tower, on account of the fog. Nevertheless, vibrant colors at ground level broke through the gray mist in a riot of pinks, purples, golds, yellows and blue. And not just color, but textures, from rubbery succulents to feathery puffs and all shapes of petals in between.
Another day, we hiked up Corona Heights, a smaller version of Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat The view across the city and Bay was paled by dense air, but the view to the east was clear, and I could see the Sutro Tower from top to bottom, unlike the day I was closer and it was obscured.
A Walk Beside the Pacific
No trip to this city of pastel buildings and vivid flowers is complete without a walk beside the Pacific. We pushed into the wind on the beach at Fort Funston, where myriad blue organisms looking like so much sea glass had washed up along the high-water line. I’m not alone in mistaking them for jellyfish. Known colloquially as “by-the-wind-sailors,” these Velella velella have a translucent “sail” protruding from a VapoRub-blue body.
There’s some concern that the increasing frequency of these mass strandings of Velella velella are the equivalent of the canary in the coal mine, in this case indicating increasing temperature of sea water, making it uninhabitable for these cousins of the Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish.
The Iconic Trees
Nor would a trip to Northern California be complete without a nod to the trees, particularly the iconic redwood and fragrant eucalyptus. I saw redwoods in suburban Oakland and inhaled the fragrant eucalyptus on the path up to Corona Heights.
I came to California to promote Into the Wilderness at four different events, visit my brother and sister-in-law, and help my daughter and her husband prepare for the birth of their child by filling their freezer with home-cooked, ready-to-eat meals. Spending part of every day outdoors is one of the ways I practiced self-care.
A Return to Living in Place
Tonight, I fly east; tomorrow, I drive north to Vermont, where it’s time, at last, to plant the heat-loving tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants and to return to my desk in the word shop. I’m looking forward to resuming the activities of Living in Place.
Check back for News From the Word Shop to find out where I’ll be speaking next about Into the Wilderness, “a fiercely intelligent love story.”
What a beautiful trip to SF!