Golden Gate Hike

Thursday, February 16, 2012

DIFFICULTY:  Moderately strenuous.   Since the hike is over 8 miles in length, it is rated as moderately strenuous per our guidelines.

ELEVATION GAIN:  The hike is relatively flat (approximately 200-300 feet).

HIKE DISTANCE:  8.5 miles. The total distance back to the Sausalito Ferry terminal is 9.8 miles but we shorten the hike 1.3 miles by dropping a car off at Fort Baker in the morning; thereby leaving people free to explore Fort Baker in the afternoon while the driver takes others back to the parking lot to retrieve their cars.

GENERAL LOCATION:  From Sausalito to San Francisco and back.

DESCRIPTION:  We will drive to Sausalito.  The hike includes a 30 minute ferry ride from Sausalito over to the San Francisco Ferry Building, walking along the Embarcadero and the Golden Gate Promenade which includes the Marina Green and Crissy Field, over the Golden Gate Bridge and down into Fort Baker.

Highlights of the hike include:

-Ferry Building , some possible eateries to grab a lunch include Il Cane Rosso, a quick serve rotisserie and sandwich shop, Cowgirl Creamery, a salad and cheese shop, Delica, a Japanese deli and sushi bar, and Mijita, a Mexican restaurant.

-Pier 39, home of the amazing sea lions.

-Fisherman’s Wharf, lined with outdoor crab stands, and boats of various shapes and sizes.

-San Francisco Maritime Museum and Aquatic Park, where we can walk out on the Municipal Pier.

-Fort Mason, a former US Army Post, from the 1920’s through WWII was a major wartime embarkation center shipping supplies and troops to the Pacific.

-Crissy Field, a former 1920’s army airfield.

-the old Coast Guard Station, with its piers and several buildings, one of which is the Visitor Center for the National Marine Sanctuary.

-Fort Point, a civil war era fort.

-Golden Gate Bridge, where you may spot a harbor porpoise among other things.  For the past 65 years the harbor porpoise were rarely seen inside the bay and in the past two years they have been returning and biologists want to know why.

-Fort Baker - a 1905 former Army post, which consists of over 25 historic army buildings, including a lodge with guest rooms, restaurant and a bar, clustered around a main parade ground, a sheltered harbor (Horseshoe Cove) protected by a jetty, a number of historic gun emplacements, and trails and forested areas climbing gently up from San Francisco Bay.   We will walk around Horseshoe Cove, explore the area and enjoy the views.  (See map below for the conclusion of our hike.)

LUNCH:   You can bring your lunch or you can buy lunch at the Ferry Building.  We will eat outside next to the Ferry Building.  We should arrive at the Ferry Building at 11:30am and plan on leaving by around 12:30pm to start our walk.

TRAVEL TIME / DISTANCE/ PARKING:   Travel time is approximately 2 and a quarter hours and 121 miles from Lincoln. Suggested contribution for riders is $18.   Parking is in Sausalito on Humboldt Street at the intersection of Johnson Street and is unattended.  Payment is required from 7am-6pm, 7 days a week.  The cost is $1.00 per hour.  Maximum of $5.00 per day.  Parking fees should be shared by all car members.

DINNER PLANS: We should arrive back to Sausalito around 4:30pm.  We will stop for dinner prior to returning home to Lincoln. A possible restaurant is Marin Brewing Company in Larkspur.

HIKE LEADER / SWEEP:  Jim Fisher / Denny Fisher

SPECIAL NOTES:

FACILITIES AVAILABLE:   There are bathroom facilities in the Ferry Building, numerous places along the route and entering Fort Baker.

PREPARATIONS FOR HIKE:

1) IF YOU HAVEANY HEALTH ISSUES, PLEASE CONSIDER YOUR CONDITION BEFORE HIKING.

2)  Bring a copy of your ID (driver's license), health card, and an emergency contact name and phone number with you on the hike.

3)  Always bring 2 pairs of shoes, along with a plastic bag to store your muddy/dusty hiking boots after the hike.  DO NOT get your driver's car dirty by wearing your dirty boots on the drive home.

4) Hiking boots or comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, hat, gloves and layers of clothing.

RISKS:   We could encounter cool, foggy, windy weather, particularly on the Golden Gate Bridge.  You may wish to bring ear plugs for the rumbling traffic on the bridge.  Also, binoculars for spotting harbor porpoise, ships, and other interesting sights along the way.

QUESTIONS:   Call Denny Fisher at 505-4948.

MEETING TIME:  7:00am at Orchard Creek parking lot   -- We will leave at 7:15am.

                                                    RAIN CANCELS HIKE