DATE: Thursday, November 19, 2020
DISTANCE: 6.6km / 4.1 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 207m/ 679’
TIME TAKEN: 1:16
SUMMIT: Sweeney Ridge: 378m / 1240’
GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Ancient Empire: The Ridge
PHOTO ALBUM
MAP
Sweeney Ridge protrudes over 1200’ feet above the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, a semi wild area south of San Francisco, between the towns of Pacifica and San Bruno.
It was November of 2020, and my two younger brothers and I had begun staging regular meetups at Axell's practice space in San Francisco's Tenderloin to write songs for a new Owl record. There was no clear path forward for our the last album we had recorded to be released, so we just decided to write a new one. The pandemic putting a halt on any gigging or touring possibilities gave us unlimited time to compose new music for the time being.
Today I was on my way from San Jose to the band writing session in San Francisco, but I had time, on purpose or accident, I don't remember, to squeeze in a short hike before the day's light was lost. I pulled off 280, up through the orderly suburban homes of San Bruno, and arrived at the Sneath Lane Trailhead just before 4:30PM, time for a clean, quick execution of the hike. There was no challenge presented, the route was a paved road, and I made quick work of it, gaining elevation and soon catching a glimpse of San Andreas Lake, coiled down in the depression of the San Andreas Fault like a snakeinthegrass. Dusk and the aromatic scents of coastal shrubs swirled around me as I went higher still on the utility road, now seeing the crown of Mount Diablo in the eastern distance. The next thing to come into view was the San Bruno Mountain ridge and the city of South San Francisco in a pile at it's feet. Making the crest of the ridge, I caught the sunset, what was left of it at 4:56pm, as the fiery glow dissolved into the pacific fog down by Montara. It was quite a magical sight I must admit. From here it was only a few minutes to the Sweeney Ridge high point, which was just slightly off the road, and seemed to be marked by a stick in the ground. After this, and one final glance around at the panorama, I quickly descended to the van and continued on to band practice in the unsavory depths of San Francisco.
FURTHER READING
• Bay Area Hiker: Discusses Sweeney Ridge
• Hiking Project: Useful information
• Sweeney Ridge on PEAKBAGGER
DATE: August 31, 2020
DISTANCE: 7.47km / 4.64 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 305m / 1001’
TIME TAKEN: 2:54
GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
MARIN COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Motorgoat: Satanic Slacker
SUMMITS
• Slacker Hill: 286m / 937’
• Slack Hill South Peak: 283m / 929'
...Continued
Still at Kirby Cove, Fern, Greg, Amber and I took a little hike out of camp, this time to the east, through disused battery cannon structures. Fern and Greg turned back, and this time, Amber stuck with me, for my goal of another famous Marin Headlands height, from which, just like yesterday, I would see no views whatsoever, due to the thick late August fog. At least it thinned the crowds. We walked around on the trails and such to the “official” Slacker Hill, and then i paid a quick visit to the actual summit that said “No Public Access.” Oh Well! Then it was back down to enjoy the campsite, it is the best after all, so we might as well enjoy it, and take some Deathgrave band photos in the weird old bunkers. Fern, Greg and Andre stayed another night there, whilst Amber and I took off. During the past few days, although most of California had been enveloped in horrible smoke, it seems like the ocean winds and the fog had thankfully kept it at bay at Kirby Cove.
FURTHER READING
• Bay Area Hiker: Short and sweet!
• Slacker Hill on PEAKBAGGER
Hawk Hill is one of the famous, classic viewing points of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, seen in a million postcards and amateur photographs alike. I would have no photographs of the Golden Gate, amateur or otherwise today, nor any view whatsoever, but I would go to the top just the same.
With hiking in the Bay Area, or even the rest of northern California, at a standstill, due to rampant wildfires and smoke filled air, I guess I was mostly staying indoors, after painfully cancelling a trip to Tower Peak and Yosemite. No job, no rock and roll stuff, and now, no hikes. Boo hoo. But Fern and Greg had campsites booked already, months in advance, and goddamn if they weren’t gonna use them. And this was no ordinary campsite, it was site number one at Kirby Cove, arguably the best campsite in the whole Bay Area. So Amber brought Andre from San Jose, grabbed me from Oakland, and we were off to the shores of Marin County. We had the whole Deathgrave Band assembled, plus one. After the crew was mustered, and some lunch was had up, we all decided to go for a walk, up the trails that led out of the west side of the campground. There was a crew of “influencers” walking on a tightrope that had been suspended across a deep ravine. Everyone besides me and Greg bailed on the hike almost immediately, because the trail was steep, and they weren’t wearing proper shoes, or something.
Greg and I followed an unofficial trail up along the bluffs, through the trees, and up a ridge toward the road, getting into the fog layer almost immediately, and never leaving it. We crossed the road, went through an old military tunnel, and then up trails on the other side to the top of Hawk Hill. That, sight of the most famous view, and I saw nothing but fog. We climbed upon some weird, old structure, and heard a strange hum in the air, probably from the wind vibrating the old missile bunker structure somehow. Greg was fascinated by the frequency, of course, being a master sound engineer. Having exhausted the possibilities of the fog-bound Hawk Hill rather quickly, we retraced our steps back down and rejoined the others at the camp, where we participated in the earthly delights of dinner, drink, and music, and the forlorn cries of the foghorns on the bay.
...Continued: The next day, Slacker Hill!
FURTHER READING
•Bay Area Hiker: Hiking and birdwatching
•Weekend Sherpa: A Sunset on Hawk
•Hawk Hill on SUMMITPOST and PEAKBAGGER
