Distance = 19.7 miles; Elevation Change > 4670 feet
Lo Elevation = 3; Hi Elevation = 1525
Still Alive and Well
“Still alive and well, still alive and well, every now and then it’s a little hard to tell but still alive and well.”
That snippet of song still rings in my ears years after I heard it first during the 1975 Appalachian Trail hike, sung by none other than Marty Marcus, our host for when we first arrived on the west coast. Returning to their home after our first day of hiking I started to sing that ditty and Marty joined right in, just like old times. The ditty came to mind again on this third day.
We were treated to rain again this morning as we left the campground. The rains were not “White Mountain” driving rains that we experienced on the first day. These were more like the “Puget Sound” heavy drizzles. As we passed through Muir Woods we could not see how tall the trees were, though we could admire the size of some really large trunks.
Hiking and life are both a matter of perspective. We could have bemoaned the fact that two out of our first three days in “sunny” California were rainy. That is the attitude of would be long distance hikers. Instead, the rain on the third day made us really appreciate the reprieve we got on the second day. That is the attitude of successful long distance hikers.
As on the first day, the rains and fog cleared in the afternoon, providing us an open approach for miles to the Golden Gate Bridge. On the other side of the bridge we did our first big city hike, passing through the Marina and Fisherman’s Wharf on the way to the Ferry Terminal. Tomorrow we will take the ferry across East Bay to Oakland. Tonight we stay at the Hayes Valley Inn, European style hotel accommodations provided to us by Dennis Hale and the Castro Lions Club of San Francisco.
