25 May Trails Through SF Part 2

The Lands End

This day started by me deciding to give my new bike a spin. Being new and naïve to San Francisco, the route from Sunset to Richmond looked very achievable on Google Maps, 2.3km with a slight incline can’t be that hard right? Wrong… so so wrong! Little did I know that this bike had a shocking set gears, rusty and jerked violently whenever shifting gears that almost through me to the side walk. As I pushed on and frequently checking maps I decided it was far too cumbersome and I was just going to explore, not worrying about what was the ‘right’ direction. My spontaneous riding lead me to ocean beach along Point Lobos Avenue. While the view was stunning, so was the hill I was about to embark. What had I done. Upon reaching the top of the hill panting like a fish out of water I noticed a sign that lead to The Legion of Honour. I had no clue what it was and decided not to Google it and just check it out because why not. Hills just don’t seem to end here in San Francisco and there was still a lengthy climb to the Legion of Honour. As I parked my bike and realising that I was not in the mood for appreaciting art and standing slightly while sweating buckets and noticed a trail that continued down the hill towards the mouth of the bay. Sure enough the further I walked, the more I felt I was trespassing a golf course (people were teeing off left right and centre). To my amazement at the bottom of the hill was a spectacular view of the bay and I was given a choice of left or right. I chose the right path and the right path (get it?).

This led me to the Lands Trail where the view was truly breathtaking on such a clear day. A picturesque scenery of the Golden Gate Bridge and the surrounding mountains while walking high above a cliff adjacent to the sea. I would highly recommend this trail to anyone who appreciates different perspectives of the bay. There’s something special about seeing the bridge from many different angles and vantage points and never really becomes dull to look at. After continuing to walk along the trail this led me to Sea Cliff. Wow, is what I kept saying to myself. The houses in Sea Cliff were outright insane and some even had their living room visible that you could peek and see what stunning views these residents had. I wonder what startup these people created to let them live here.

Continuing to wander around in amazement I found myself at Baker Beach, the name sounded familiar. Then it clicked, it was the name of the route the bus auto info announcer says every 5 seconds! Easy peasy to get home then! Then I had realised, there was still my bike parked about 3km up hill. Maybe Google Maps would have been a blessing, but it didn’t matter because spontaneous adventures are always the most thrilling. In closing any student living around the Sunset area I recommend you catch the bus to either Legion of Honour or Baker Beach and walk Lands End Trail. Scenery 10/10, Accessibility 8/10, Trail Difficulty 5/10.