Curled up with a dog, a cat and a good book.

Not to mention unending boxes of tissues.

In an effort to kick my butt back into shape, at the advice of a wise man on TGR, I am attempting to hike or run at least one peak or park every single week. The additional benefit of this exercise is that it has me learning about and discovering a plethora of cool places here in the San Francisco bay area (and eventually, beyond!), and of course getting my dog out for some fun and exercise in the woods. Yes. *ahem* Because… as you know, the dog allowed himself to get really fat and out of shape over the past year. The dog was a little more concerned with his career change than working out and the dog didn’t use his period of unemployment as well as he could have to exercise during his free time and stay healthy. Well, good for the dog (now), because now that the dog has a stable job that not only pays the bills but that he really loves, the dog is finally motivated to get back at it, utilize his time outside of work wisely, and to get healthy again. Yay, dog.

In a “getting out of a rut” workout advice thread someone posted over on TGR, one of our members suggested to hike a new peak every single week. This struck me as a BRILLIANT idea, and I have adopted as a goal moving forward. I plan to either hike or run these peaks and report about them here with photos and write up once I return. As often as possible, I will try to bring a friend along for company and conversation, and of course bring ze woof!

Here is my first “Peak a Week” Report, which was the towering Mount Sutro in San Francisco, a staggering 908 feet. Linus and I hiked Mt. Sutro with our friend Andrea, who is here from Germany. Andrea’s husband, Matthias, is Earl’s former coworker. Andrea is sorting through some visa/work study/internship issues right now from her German university, and until that comes through she is generally free in the days, which works out wonderfully with my oddball EMT schedule. It makes her the perfect hiking partner for a Tuesday morning hike!

Linus and I walked over to the UCSF area where Andrea and Matthias live. Mt. Sutro is located right behind UCSF. Despite having lived there for a few months and having been avid hikers in Germany (this couple has hiked all over the alps!) neither Andrea or Mattius have explored Mt. Sutro yet. Perfect!

We walked up Willard Ave and followed this beautiful staircase to the trailhead. San Francisco is filled with gorgeous staircases, which I am discovering and attempting to document here. This one off of Willard was covered in green moss and particularly enchanting.

The view from the staircase was sweeping. You can see downtown all the way to SOMA.

Once on the trail, it went up and up. Not at too steep a pace- this would be the perfect place to come for a woodland jog.

Looping through Eucalyptus groves. I’ve heard that Mount Sutro is so infrequently used because most citizens of San Francisco think it belongs to UCSF and is off limits. That’s unfortunate, because it’s such a peaceful, serene escape. Then again, the less people who use these trails the better condition they’re in and the more isolated they feel. We didn’t pass a single person on our hike through this little forest.

At the top, there was a little meadow. The meadow was underwhelming- you could say our summit was anticlimactic.

The meadow was mostly filled with dead plants- must be a lot nicer in the spring when everything is in bloom. Plus, there really was no view to be had because it was all blocked by trees. Linus had a good time, though!

Andrea smiling on the way down. I asked her if San Francisco’s “Mount Sutro” compared to anything she’d hiked in the Alps. She laughed.

We came across this little glen with a shrine inside.

It was pretty faded, so you couldn’t really read it, but appears to be an old Native American of some sort.

Look at all the green! These green vines completely filled this valley. Looking at this photo, can you believe you are in the middle of a city?

And back down! If you look to Linus’ left, you can see the wine barrel signpost. Wine barrel furniture adaptations are HUGE trend in this city. I’ve seen about a dozen just in our neighborhood. Sort of bourgeois chic.

Final view from the staircase. It turned into a very grey day! Our skyscape is so dull due to the overcast. Still, not a bad little urban hike and nice catching up with a friend. We capped of our day with some coffees and salads at Boulange de Cole. It was chilly and almost rainy by the afternoon so we had an enjoyable time parking ourselves in a cozy booth to warm up.

Coming up: Amy and I tackle Mount Tam, Linus and I at Skyline Ridge, Edgewood Park and then beyond. I found a few Bay Area hiking websites (this one and this one in particular are great resources; I’m sure there is some overlap, however between the two of them there are almost 500 hikes!). If I do a peak a week, I should be done exploring all the hiking around here in about 9 years. Shesh.

Our gander down the California seacoast over New Years was so special and so dear to my heart that I almost feel it would be crass to share too much. Sometimes with blogging I have to remind myself to keep certain things earmarked as just for me- instead of braying them all over the internet. On that note, I am simply going to post up a few photos from our adventure and leave it at that. Earl, Linus and I had an amazing time exploring the shoreline and rang in 2010 in an unforgettable manner.

I hope you all had a stupendous New Years.

One of the many beaches where we stuck our toes in the sand on a foggy grey morning.
The way the waves were crashing into these rocks and sending ocean spray flying- not only was the air perfumed with salty goodness, but the visuals were absolutely stunning.

We sat for a while watching the tide flow in and out from in between this rock gully.

Interesting looking erosion on this seaside rock. Apparently it has an interesting smell, as well!

5’ in front of the picnic bench where we sat sipping our coffee, this was going on:

Oh, joyful way to wake up on a lazy morning!

One of the state parks we visited had this placard about how it used to be a butter and cheese mecca. Sounds like my kinda family empire

We took a tour to see Elephant Seals!

An Alpha asserts his dominance.

They looked like big sea slugs just lying around! We were about 25ft from them at all times. Moving around at a surprisingly fast clip, we saw them undulating like big eels.

Slapping sand over themselves to stay warm and ward off bugs

A little further away, we saw a mother seal give birth, and a swarm of gulls descended to eat the placenta. There was also a very brave coyote skirting around hoping to get some placenta and dead seal pups.

Nerd vs Elephant Seal

This is Ano Nuevo Island. It used to be a Peninsula, but has since eroded into an island. Also, this house was built in the 1920s from redwood planks. It has been abandoned since 1950, but still stands true despite being zero maintenance and constant beatings from ocean waves and winds. A testament to the strong redwood boards and old-style craftsmanship. It is also entirely inhabited by seals, sea lions and gulls! Humans do not set foot on the island.

An Alpha and his “harem.” Bow chica wow wow….


This guy found a spot all to himself! Must be an exiled beta.

We whiled away an afternoon noshing cheeses (and cheeses, and cheeses) at a goat farm

Hadley Farms hosts ornate gourmet, locally grown dinners in the goat farm in this charming old barn. We’d love to come back for one, although at $150 per ticket (for a 5-hour “experience”) they are a tad beyond our current budget.

Hullo, ladies

Hadley Goat Farm

Our stowaway! We did not drink champagne on the balcony at midnight (we were erm… in bed!) nor did we utilize the outdoor hottub, but E and I have avowed to return and take full advantage soon.

We cozied up with a bottle of this

Oh hey! You’re eating brie on a rosemary olive oil rustic loaf? I’d like some if you’re feeling kind.

CJ + couch + corg

Oh, hello there! Our co-habitant, Ivy in all her glory.

Canine and swine bond over their love of carrots! Linus was *very* scared of Ivy. He was curious, and went up to smell her, but then was skittish and backed away whenever she would stick her nose through the fence. Ivy was SUPER friendly- very personable!! She was such a sweet girl and completely charmed us for the days we stayed with her. The pig makes a hard case against eating bacon.

Sniff, sniff. You guys got anymore carrots out there?

We happened upon this pumpkin field of sheep. I wish I had a polarizer, because this photo does not do the colors we saw justice! Think very bright greens with striking oranges.

Wouldn’t be a complete trip without a burger and a beer!