San Francisco Bay Area Day Hikes

Some people jump right in and hike the PCT without training, but we plan to start the trail in good walking shape. So far most of our training has consisted of traipsing around San Francisco. Chris has begun carrying heavy photography books in his backpack on his daily walking commute. But our most enjoyable form of training is going on local hikes with friends and family. Here are some of our favorites from the past few months.

In November, we walked through beautiful maple and redwood groves in Muir Woods National Monument. This hike was especially enjoyable because we shared it with Anna’s dad.

The Matt Davis and Steep Ravine loop with Becky and Mattthew was also a great day hike. The hike offers exceptional variety, passing through a lush canyon with redwoods, as well as dry rolling hills, with expansive views of the Pacific. We’re going to miss hanging out with Chris’ sister Becky when we leave SF.

Last summer we followed a number of 2011 PCT hiker blogs and greatly enjoyed reading Chinchilla and Pyrite’s blog, The Hungry Honeymoon. After completing their thru-hike, Chinchilla and Pyrite moved to Mountain View, CA, about an hour south of SF. We hopped on CalTrain and met them for a day hike in Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. It was great fun to hear their trail stories. Their enthusiasm is contagious!

This past Sunday we went on a two part hike on Mt. Tamalpais with our friend David, owner of California Nature Tours. Hikes with David are always great because he has a wealth of ecological and historic knowledge. He’s taught us a great deal about California native plants, and about how the local landscape has changed over time.

Good times shared with great people in beautiful places. This is the greatest wealth.