Stairways are Heaven
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Canyon Coyote

7/18/2013

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The #52 Excelsior runs along Elk and Diamond Heights Blvd. a short distance with a nice view of Glen Canyon's treetops below. Such a uniquely beautiful forest down there (first two pics). 

Sometimes I walk over from the Glen Park BART station, winding up on the way, usually crossing the skyway over Bosworth (third pic). There's a stairway down into the Canyon from Elk St. just past all the construction still going on in the lower part (where I never go anyway). 

Sometimes I take the bus up to the Diamond Heights Shopping Center to descend from the west edge of Christopher Park next door (fourth pic), or come back up this way to get something at the Safeway after my hike, then wind down the narrow streets on the bus. 
Opalo Lane (fifth pic, 83 steps), is just behind the Safeway and conveniently leads up to Gold Mine. 

Really like the newer stairway on the north side of the rocks: pics 6, 7, 8, 9 (68 steps). The extended stairway on the south side (10th pic, 61 steps) still has that black fencing next to it. 

So down at the Canyon floor looking for berries. Not finding many, headed for "my" less-traveled northernmost trail. To reach it, I have to first climb to a slightly higher trail at the end of the main Canyon treelimb trail (pix 11, 12), then go back down again after a short distance (13th pic), stepping over Islais Creek (14th pic) and several tree limbs (pics 15, 16) to get to the trail that runs along a school's playing field and dead-ends in a tangle of bushes. 

No sooner had I scrambled over the first trailhead limbs than a young coyote came galloping round a curve towards me. He or she stopped short and stared for a few seconds, like "What're you doing on this trail?" Unfortunately, by the time I'd dug my camera out, distracted by that beautiful face, off it went back the way it came. Continued picking berries for a short time, assuming it was probably curiously observing me from some offtrail spot.  

After climbing back out from the trail to continue south along the higher trail that's just below Diamond Heights stilthouses on Turquoise, the coyote young'un had come up the same way a short distance behind me and was now out in the open. My impression is that it wanted to play. I tried for a couple of shots (pix 17, 18). Sorry it's not very close; it needs to be enlarged for a slightly clearer view. Again, we looked at each other, then it turned tail and loped away. Too bad I wasn't quicker the first time as it was considerably closer then. 

Back up the new stairway and onto a different trail (19th pic, 36 steps) instead of the longer stairway/trail, 86 or so steps down from Christopher Park, that I descended earlier (last pic, the viewbench at the top). The shorter one will take you to the through Canyontop trail that starts at the west edge of Christopher Park and continues out to Turquoise, Amber, and the Coralino stairway. 


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1. Canyon trees from Diamond Heights Blvd.
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2. Canyon's edge from Berkeley & Diamond Heights Blvd.
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3. Glen Park's Bosworth skyway
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4. Trail descending from Christopher Park, Diamond Heights
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5. Opalo steps. Behind the Safeway up to Gold Mine.
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6. Top of new stairway to one side of the rocks
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7. A side view of the new stairway
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8. California Poppies alongside the stairway
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9. Up to the rocks and upper trails
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10. Popular with rock climbers, a stairway on each side
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11. Main lower Canyon trail
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12. Main trail
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13. Down to access northernmost trail
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14. Stepping over Islais Creek
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15. Northernmost trail
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16. North trail
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17. Out in the open from the lower trail
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18. Young coyote
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19. To top Canyon trail just below Christopher Park
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20. Viewbench at top of longest stairway. San Bruno Mountain in distance.
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Mountain Lake to Batteries to Bluffs

7/14/2013

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Just off the Presidio's Mountain Lake Trail is a locked gate with an opening wide enough to squeeze through. First three pix: A short, unimproved narrow trail between the main trail and the golf course. Back to the main paved walk around the lake. The lake area is still being worked on, but all of the main trail is walkable as of this writing. The new Mountain Lake Park restrooms are nearly completed.

Under the highway overpass to the other side of Park Presidio Blvd. to climb the Marine Cemetery Vista steps (103 steps), pics 4 and 5, for a bite to eat and serene dunes-view at the overlook before heading up Rob Hill to Immigrant Point Overlook for the Connector Trail's 208 steps that descend to Lincoln, pix 6, 7, 8.

Directly across Lincoln is a short, sandy trail down to Battery Crosby (9th pic). The west trailhead for the Batteries to Bluffs Trail is atop the battery. 

Tenth pic: Starting down the west side, fog partially covering the bridge in the distance.

Pix 11, 12, 13, 14, 15: Continuing east along the Batteries to Bluffs (473 steps).

Pix 16, 17, 18: To secluded Marshall's Beach, with trail and steps down from the Batteries to Bluffs.

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1. Off the main Mountain Lake Trail
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2. Mountain Lake Trail in distance
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3. Below the golf course.
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4. Marine Cemetery Vista boardwalk
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5. Marine Cemetery Vista benches
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6. Through the forest on the Connector Trail
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7. Immigrant Point Overlook down to Lincoln
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8. Connector Trail footbridge
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9. This way to the Batteries to Bluffs west trailhead
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10. Starting down the Batteries to Bluffs Trail
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11. Batteries to Bluffs steep westside steps
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12. The footbridge and westside steps
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13. View from the trail. Lands End in distance.
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14. Looking back, midtrail
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15. Batteries to Bluffs east trailhead
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16. Offshoot trail down from Batteries to Bluffs to Marshall's Beach
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17. Steps down to Marshall's Beach
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18. Marshall's Beach below
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Stairway Replacement

7/12/2013

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Today's Presidio hike started off on Arguello, continuing past Inspiration Point on the bike lane, then a sidewalk (first pic), the Ecology Trail below, to the first of the Infantry Terrace 'hood residences. 

Down a few steps onto a short bricked walk that took me nearly to the east end of the Ecology Trail, its trailhead just behind Inn of the Presidio.

About to continue down the 37 or so familiar concrete steps (pics two and three: THENs) to the street below (Barnard), was surprised to see a replacement stairway. It's fully walkable, though the area was still being worked on (pics 4 through 7). It's got approximately the same number of steps, now wide and wooden with black railings. Main Post's Funston/Moraga/Hardie down to Barnard. 

Continued downhill to Quarry and Fernandez, then up again (8th pic: new stairway in distance) to the dead-end of residential Quarry Road where I once again hit the Ecology Trail, this time out in the open, below Inspiration Point Overlook and just a few yards from the top of El Polin Spring's newer, west, stairway (69 steps, pics 9, 10) down to the little valley's picnic area. 

Up again on the newer eastside accessible ramp, passing the covered-over older stairway (pic 11). This connector trail is nice and green now, a huge difference from when it first opened; "my" willow tree looks quite happy (pics 12, 13, 14). 15th pic: El Polin Spring from a trail above.

Up through the sand between Presidio Blvd. and Arguello, came out near Julius Kahn Park (16th pic: a view east) where there's an opening in the Presidio Wall at Pacific and Spruce (last pic). Once out of the park, Spruce between Jackson and Washington was good 'n steep. 

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1. Arguello to Infantry Terrace neighborhood
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2. THEN: Down to Barnard
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3. THEN: Old stairway up to Main Post
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4. NOW: Top of new stairway down from Main Post/Inn of the Presidio
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5. Replacement stairway
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6. Up to Main Post/Inn of the Presidio
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7. New stairway replacing the concrete steps
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8. Replacement steps in distance
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9. Top of steps down to El Polin Spring
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10. Down to El Polin Spring
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11. Old El Polin stairway covered up
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12. Accessible Mountain Lake Connector Trail
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13. El Polin Spring Connector Trail
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14. Continuing up
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15. El Polin Spring from a Trail Above
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16. Julius Kahn Park and Presidio to left; Presidio Wall to right
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17. Out of the park at Pacific & Spruce
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    I like meandering around on San Francisco's park trails and public stairways, sometimes taking photos, and enjoying nature and the outdoors.

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