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9. North Ridge & Sunset Trail (07/20/96)

Hikers (6): Ali, Parisa, Peter, Russ, Steve, Taylor
Distance: 6 miles
Rating: 3 difficulty, 10 beauty
Park info: Angel Island State Park in San Francisco Bay

Write-up by Peter

Ben the Weasel promised he'd go hiking with us if we went up to San Francisco, so ... we all dragged our butts up to Pier 34, only to find that he wasn't there. Surprise!

It was a beautiful day for a boat ride on the Bay. Unfortunately, hundreds of other people also had the same idea, so there was a long line for tickets. We snarfed down a big sourdough bread while waiting in the line. Nice and warm!

Finally, we got on the ferry to Angel Island. Ali and Parisa had brought their camera and almost fell overboard trying to get a good shot of Alcatraz. Dang tourists!

Once we got on the island, it was a short climb to get away from the milling crowds and then the trail leveled off. Ali and Parisa had fallen behind right from the start, so we stopped at a couple of lookout points for them to catch up. We knew it was going to be a short hike, so there was no point in rushing.

We made it up to the top in about an hour and then sat there and admired the view for a long time. It was a nice clear day, so San Francisco and the East Bay cities could easily be seen and you even catch a glimpse of Mt. Tamalpais off in the distance.

Unlike our usual hikes, we hadn't taken lunch with us so we decided to catch the next ferry back to the mainland and get some grub. As we were descending, we could hear the boat pulling into the dock, so the last mile was a quick dash to get on board. Mission accomplished!

Back in town, we headed for the nearest place on the wharf and got some clam chowder in a sourdough bowl. And after lunch, it was quick trip to Ghirardelli for some ice cream and the Buena Vista cafe for the best Irish coffee in the world. Yummmmm!

Ben the Weasel would later claim he had caught a later ferry and gone for a bike trip around the island with his friends, but do we believe him? You figure it out!

Milestones:
Ali's 1st leaf
Parisa's 1st leaf



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