INCH Hike: City Hike

86. City Hike (09/19/98)

Hikers (11): Beth, Cindy, Eugene, Hoa, Jane M, Jinglan, Peter, Pistol Pete, Steve, Taylor, Wendell
Distance: 7 miles
Rating: 2 difficulty, 10 beauty

Write-up by Peter

It was time for another City Hike, so we all knew what that meant: the women would outnumber the men (it was the third time in a row that it had happened on a City Hike, and this is the only hike for which it ever happens). Must be something about walking over a bridge ...

After a nice "warm-up" at the BV, we hit the road. The walk along the marina was very pleasant. It was not as windy as in the past, and there seemed to be fewer bikers, joggers, and skateboarders to contend with.

We stopped for a brief rest after the climb up to the bridge. The conversation turned to ear lobes and we all took turns feeling each others' lobes. How kinky! Pistol Pete was proudly showing off his lobes, which were about the size of quarters. The Japanese tourists standing nearby must have thought this was part of the famous San Francisco sex scene they had heard so much about.

Over the bridge ..... I must be getting used to doing this, because I was not nearly as scared as in the past. I even stopped a few times to look over and admire the view of the city and the sailboats on the bay. I think I even looked straight down for a couple of instants! Eugene tried to get on my nerves, but I made it across without major incident.

Once on the other side, we tried to look for a different route to take down to Sausolito, but came up empty. We ended walking along the usual road, taking our chances with the bikes and cars whizzing by. There has to be a better way ....

In Sausolito, we stopped at our favorite deli by the wharf for lunch. Bring on the Italian Special! We sat under a big tree enjoying our lunch and watching all the people having a good time on a nice, sunny afternoon. Sorry to disappoint you, but there was no Giri incident this time.

After lunch, we debated between taking an earlier ferry back to Market Street and walking back to the wharf, or waiting for a later ferry which would take us straight to the wharf. The vote was for Market Street. That's the spirit! After all, we were here to hike, right?

We got a nice spot in front of the ferry, which gave us a great of Alcatraz and San Francisco. It also allowed us to get sprayed with water, which is always a thrill.

From Market Street, we walked back through the financial district and along Columbus Avenue to North Beach and over towards Fisherman's Wharf. It reminded me of my student days in New York when I used to walk all around Manhattan for hours. This felt more like a city hike!

By the time we got back to the Buena Vista, people were starting to branch off and head to their cars. I had to down a quick Irish coffee while the rest of the remaining group kept urging me to hurry up. At least I learned a valuable lesson on this hike: Next time I go to the BV, I'm bringing my own car!!!

Milestones:
Hoa's 1^st leaf
Taylor's 60^th leaf