8/9/2019 Ridge Lines Newsletter, Spring-Summer 2010 ~ Bay Area Ridge Trail Council

1/4

scenic Coastal View Trail, becomingthe new Ridge Trail corridor betweenthe Miwok Trail and Pantoll.

Erosion from the former trailasteep, heavily eroded ranch roadhaddeposited sediment into RedwoodCreek, home to the endangered cohosalmon and threatened steelhead trout,and the gullies also created a safetyhazard. Protecting the creek habitatwas a priority, so the long restorationplanning process combined perspec-tives from trail and natural resourceadvocates, and the trail was ulti-mately designed to minimize naturalresource impacts.

Built by California State Parks,the National Park Service, and theGolden Gate National Parks Con-servancy, the trail traverses Mt.

Tamalpais State Park (1.6 miles) andthe Golden Gate National Recre-ation Area (1.5 miles). The agenciesprotected sensitive habitat by decom-missioning 2.1 miles of the former trailand restoring it to coastal scrub. Overthis past winter, youth from the NorthBay Conservation Corps planted25,000 native plants on the old road,grown by volunteers at the MarinHeadlands Native Plant Nursery.

The Ridge Trail Council provided$385,000 to help fund the trail proj-ect, utilizing Proposition 84 CoastalConservancy funds; the project also

received funding from the FederalLands Recreation Enhancement Actand the American Recovery and Rein-

vestment Act.Ridge Trail Council Executive

Director Janet McBride says, Weare thrilled to close this longstandingmultiuse Ridge Trail gap after so manyyears of planning. Hikers, bikers, andequestrians are fortunate to have a newtrail in such a magnificent setting.

Three former Bay Area RidgeTrail Council board members pro-vided leadership on this long-termproject, for which we are grateful: thelate GGNRA Superintendent BrianONeill, and Mill Valley residents DonHerzog and Barbara Weitz.

Trail enthusiasts have been anx-iously awaiting the opening oftwo new exciting Ridge Trail

segments: on Dias Ridge in MarinCounty and at Fernandez Ranch inContra Costa County. Be among thefirst to use these trailsjoin us at thededications on May 8 and June 5!

Dias RidgeTwenty years in the works, the

rerouted Dias Ridge Trail, linking theMiwok Trail and Highway 1 at MuirBeach, is set to open on May 8. The3.1-mile multiuse trail offers the sameunparalleled views of the Pacific Oceanand Marin Headlands as the previ-

ous trail, but now provides a safer andmore enjoyable hiking, biking, andhorseback-riding experience. This newroute will eventually connect to the

S P R I N G - S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

O F T H E B A Y A R E A R I D G E T R A I L C O U N C I L

Fernandez Ranch

The Ridge Trail Council startedplanning the 1.4-mile multiuseRidge Trail through Fernandez Ranchfive years ago, when the Muir Heri-tage Land Trust (MHLT) purchasedthe 702-acre property near Hercules.Ridge Trail Council Trail StewardJohn Aranson led the trail designwork, a key piece of MHLTs largereffort to restore the ranch prop-erty and open it to the public. OnNational Trails Day, the land

trust will welcome the public toFernandez Ranch.

The ranchs steep, rolling hills,historically used for grazing, containmixed woodlands, seasonal wetlands,and a stretch of Rodeo Creek, hometo the endangered red-legged frog.Because the creek had severely erodedover time due to road and railroadconstruction upstream, MHLT focusedits efforts on restoring the creek cor-ridor, as well as building trails andcreating a staging area. The restora-tion was a tremendous undertaking,with heavy machinery used to recon-tour the creek corridor.

Although many specialty contrac-tors worked on the project, volunteersplayed a big role. For example, lastJune, on National Trails Day, Volun-teers for Outdoor California organized150 volunteers to rough-cut one mileof the Ridge Trail (in two days) onsome of the ranchs steepest terrain.

Aranson also helped MHLT designand build an additional two milesof new multiuse trail that links tothe Ridge Trail, creating a loop trail.Construction ended with the excitinginstallation of a 156-foot-long bridgeacross Rodeo Creek, which was low-

ered into position by a

giant crane.To complete the

restoration, MHLT isinstalling more than10,000 plants andtrees, mostly cultivatedfrom seeds collected

The previous Dias Ridge Trail, an old ranch road, has been decommissioned (left); the new multiuse trail (right) offers the same breathtaking views. Photocourtesy of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Map by Ben Pease.

Two Trails Open This Spring: Dias Ridge and Fernandez Ranch

Upper left: Volunteers participate in the Dias Ridgerestoration effort by planting seedlings. Photo byTom Boss. Lower right: Trail workers at Fernan-dez Ranch. Photo by Steve Hutchcraft.

Continued on page 3

8/9/2019 Ridge Lines Newsletter, Spring-Summer 2010 ~ Bay Area Ridge Trail Council

2/4

Do you tweet? Keep up with Ridge Trail news by subscribing to our Twitterfeed (twitter.com/ridgetrail).

Planning a Ridge Trail hike but want to use public transit to get to the trail-head? Getting there is simple when you use Transit & Trails (transitandtrails.org),a Bay Area Open Space Council interactive site. Plug in your location and thenchoose your hikeit will tell you how to get there on public transit and even pro-

vide the schedule!If you would like to explore the Ridge Trail with other hiking enthusiasts, one of

our fans, Hugo Garcia, started a hiking group on Meetup.com (see previous articleon circumnavigators). Just visit hiking.meetup.com/594/and join more than 1,200members. The list of members grows every day, and Ridge Trail hikes are schedulednearly every weekend. Hike participants also post their photos from the hikes.

Ridge Trail Moves Forward in Sonoma County

Years in the works, construction of the Ridge Trail on Sonoma Mountains northslope is about to begin! This 4.3-mile multiuse trail will connect Jack London His-toric State Park to Sonoma Mountain Road, and combined with the existing RidgeTrail on state lands, will extend the Sonoma Mountain Ridge Trail to nine miles.

The new trail will traverse the 1,400-acre state park, four properties protected by theSonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (454 acres), andSonoma County Regional Parks 84-acre Sonoma Mountain Woodlands property.

Sonoma County RegionalParks will manage con-struction, with Ridge TrailCouncil Trail Steward JohnAranson leading the traildesign and constructionwork, assisted by the Conser-vation Corps North Bay. The$1.4 million projectfundedby the Sonoma County Agri-cultural Preservation andOpen Space District, CoastalConservancy, and Bay Area

Ridge Trail Councilalsoconsists of access road andtrailhead improvements,including a parking area.

Ridge Trail Council Exec-utive Director Janet McBride says this project is the happy result of many yearsof passionate, persistent efforts among many partners. Other partners on themountain include the Sonoma Land Trust, LandPaths, Sonoma Mountain Pres-ervation Group, and Sonoma Mountain landowners. The Ridge Trail Council hascontributed $535,000 in Coastal Conservancy funds to the project for acquisition,planning, and construction. Over the years, the district has provided $22 millionin acquisition funding to protect land on Sonoma Mountain.

To date, the Ridge Trail Council has helped to open 26.5 miles of Ridge Trailin Sonoma County, and when the North Slope Sonoma Mountain Ridge Trailsegment is complete, we will be halfway to our ultimate county goal of 60 RidgeTrail miles!

Circumnavigators Hike the Ridge Trail Loop

The trend is growing: every year we meet more people who have challengedthemselves to hike every dedicated Ridge Trail segment. Not only are these hikersout on the trail, but many of them are also enthusiastically sharing their adven-tures on the internet!

Meet Jim Keener, aka JJ, short for Joyful Jim. His website, ridgetrailhiker.com,chronicles his trail tales and tells how he came to hike the Ridge Trail: Some

years ago I began to walk to lose weightabout three blocks a day. That went upto a half-hour a day. And then I read Colin Fletchers The Complete Walker andtook up backpacking. In 2003 I summited Mount Shasta, and in 2004 I hikedfrom the Mexican Border to Lake Tahoe on the Pacific Crest Trail. Its not sur-prising that when walking the Ridge Trail near his home in Oakland he decidedto take on the challenge of hiking the entire route, and to date has logged 75miles. Reflecting on the trail, Jim says, I think the idea of the Bay Area RidgeTrail is inspired. My neighbors and I value the trail and are aware of our good for-tune of having it near us.

The Ridge Hikers are a group of thirteen people and two dogs who describethemselves as a group of friends and family who are hiking together for fun, fit-ness, and learning more about the trails and geography of our beautiful Bay Area.They completed their first circumnavigation between October 2004 and May2006. Two of them, Dena Van Derveer and Robin Moller, hiked every dedicatedRidge Trail segment. Dena says, We talked, we walked, and we discovered partsof the Bay Area thatwed only seen fromafar. Each hike isdescribed on their web-site, ridgehikers.com,accompanied by a pageof photos. Beginningin December 2008, thegroup started over and isnow hiking the route inthe opposite direction!

Three friends, ages65 to 74, didnt lettheir age stop them from hiking every segment of the Ridge Trail! Tom Sturges,Denny Weigand, and Milt Gaines celebrated their accomplishment after finishingthe final leg, the Golden Gate Bridge, on November 29, 2009. All three are vet-eran mountain climbers and have completed other similar challenges: for exampleTom and Milt have climbed to every high point in every county in California.

Denny, a professional photographer, loved the opportunity to photograph on theRidge Trail and reflects: I did not realize there were so many beautiful places inthe Bay Area I had not seen.

Hugo Garcia has taken the Ridge Trail challenge even further. ThroughMeetup.com he posts open invitations to the public to join him in his quest toexplore the Ridge Trail. From when he started in October 2008 through March ofthis year, he has organized 57 hikes on the Ridge Trail, usually on Saturdays. Thesite has nearly 1,200 members, with a big surge of new members this year; Hugonow gets an average of 35 people per hike. He says, It appears it will take 63hikes in total to complete the Ridge Trail, at least the way Im doing it! He plansto start over again later this year. Visit hiking.meetup.com/594.

These ambitious and adventurous Ridge Trail supporters follow a number ofindividuals who have all completed their goal of hiking or running the RidgeTrail. We honored members of the 300-Mile Club at out annual lunch in 2007,where the first circumnavigator from 1999, Dinesh Desai, gave the keynotespeech. We are delighted to have more and more people joining the club!

Connect to the Ridge Trail Online

Its easier than ever to catch up on Ridge Trail news or plan your next RidgeTrail outingjust go online!

For starters, visit the Bay Area Ridge Trail website ( RidgeTrail.org). Learn aboutupcoming events and recent news, read current or past issues ofRidge Lines, sign upto receive timely e-news updates, renew your membership, or make a donation.

Our new and improved website is due to go online in early summer! Thanks toa Taproot Foundation service grant, we completely redesigned our site; youll findmaps of every dedicated Ridge Trail segment, allowing you to plan all your futureRidge Trail outings. To be notified when the new website goes live, sign up for oure-news at RidgeTrail.org (subscribe by clicking contact). With this subscription,the news will conveniently arrive in your inbox.

Are you a Facebook fan? Join us on Facebook (facebook.com/ridgetrail) andcatch up with the latest happenings through ongoing postings or view and/orshare photos! As of press time, our Facebook page had 234 fans. You can alsoview and download recent Ridge Trail photos on our Picasa webpage (picasaweb.google.com/BayAreaRidgeTrail ).

2

THE VIEW FROM HERE

Dear Friends,

This spring and summer we are excited to present an expandedline-up of trail events, dedications, stewardship opportunities, andfun hikes, rides, and outings. We hope to see you at one or all, andencourage you to invite friends who might not yet know about theRidge Trail!

Two upcoming events merit special note. First, the dedication ofthe Dias Ridge Trail on May 8 promises to be awe-inspiring. Onthe Saturday before Mothers Day, well celebrate the heroes whohelped bring this stunning trail to life. Together with our hoststheNational Park Service, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and

California State Parkswere planning trail and nature outings and activities, local heri-tage celebrations, refreshments, and more.

A few weeks later, well celebrate National Trails Day with the Muir Heritage Land Trustin the best way possibleby opening the Fernandez Ranch Ridge Trail. Come out and seethe extensive restoration, explore the trails, or ride a carriage with John Muirs great-grandson. This is a fitting date because volunteers built the Ridge Trail section a year agoon National Trails Day. Thanks again to Volunteers for Outdoor California!

The mood at the Ridge Trail council lately reminds me of Dickens line about best oftimesworst of times. On the one hand, were busier than ever with both trail progressand outreachcelebrating much-anticipated dedications, trail construction, and groundbreakings; making progress on foundation-sponsored projects, including the CarquinezLoop Trail and outreach to youth and families; and hosting a robust calendar of events.

On the other hand, were struggling with a severe funding challenge due to a suspensionof new funding contracts with the Coastal Conservancy, owing to the states economicwoes. This state funding typically represents about a third of our average annual revenue.The impact on such a small organization is profound, and it remains uncertain whenfunding might resume.

Moreover, funding shortfalls today affect the pace of trail dedications tomorrow becauseeach opening represents years, if not decades, of advocacy, effort, and planning. For boththe Ridge Trail Council and our partners, we can only reap the future bounty of the seedswe sow today. Now, more than ever, we appreciate the generous support of our membersand community partners. Please see the back page for simple ways you can help. Thanksfor standing with us.

Happy Trails,

Janet McBrideExecutive Director

COUNCIL NEWS

Left to right: Tom Sturges, Denny Weigand, and Milt Gaines cel-ebrate after finishing the Ridge Trail circuit in November.

Meetup.com hikers walk the Ridge Trail in Mission Peak Regional Preserve. Photo by Hugo Garcia.

Hikers on Sonoma Mountains north slope. Photo by www.LandPaths.org.

8/9/2019 Ridge Lines Newsletter, Spring-Summer 2010 ~ Bay Area Ridge Trail Council

3/4

3

Visit RidgeTrail.org to learn more about these events

or to register.1. RIDGE-TO-BRIDGEMarin CountySaturday, April 10Dont miss this popular annual event! Hike, run, or r idealong the ridgeline in Marin County. Hikers have a choiceof distances: 30, 21, 13, or 8 miles, or a short family-friendly hike. Bicycle options are 35, 28, or 12 miles, andthe equestrian ride is 9 miles. We provide transportationto your starting point, a detailed map, lunch, and waterand snacks along the route. Registration is required. Askyour friends to sponsor you in the Athon! If you wouldlike to help with the event, please contact us.

2. ROB HILL CAMPGROUND DEDICATIONSan FranciscoSaturday, May 1Help christen this newly revitalized campground in thePresidio, San Franciscos only campsite, and its on theRidge Trail!

3. DIAS RIDGE TRAIL DEDICATIONMarin CountySaturday, May 8

Time: 10: 00 AM 1:00 PMCelebrate the opening of the new multiuse 3.1-mileDias Ridge Trail. Enjoy a hike or ride, festivities andceremony at noon. Check RidgeTrail.org for details.

4. FERNANDEZ RANCH RIDGE TRAILDEDICATIONContra Costa CountySaturday, June 5Time: 10:00 AM 2:00 PMCome join the festivities on National Trails Day as wededicate 1.4 miles of Ridge Trail when Fernandez Ranchopens to the public! After the welcoming ceremony andrefreshments, explore the trails or ride in a carriage with

John Muirs great-grandson.

5. NATIONAL TRAILS DAYSaturday, June 5

Join a work party near you to participate in thisnational volunteer day.

6. BIKE THE BRIDGESSolano and Contra Costa countiesSunday, June 6

Join this family-friendly bicycle challenge to benefit the

Special Olympics. It will follow the inner CarquinezStrait Scenic Loop Trail and cross the Al Zampa andBenicia-Martinez bridges. Registration is required.

S P R I N G - S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

7. EAST BAY HILLS RIDE & HIKE

East Bay HillsSeptember 1 - 6During Labor Day week, ride or hike with membersof the Tilden-Wildcat Horsemens Association andthe Metropolitan Horsemens Association in theEast Bay Hills. The multi-day ride will parallel orfollow the Bay Area Ridge Trail, and will be held inconjunction with the third annual five-day 45-mileRidge Trail hike from Martinez to Castro Valley(10 to 15 miles a day). Riders can cover up to 100miles, or 14 to 18 miles each day in small groups,and both riders and hikers are welcome for oneday or all days. This ride/hike will help raise fundsfor the Bay Area Ridge Trail and for equestrianimprovements on East Bay trails. Visit www.twha.org(click events) or contact Morris Older at 925-254-8943or ebhillsride@comcast.net.

8. RIDGE TRAIL CRUZSanta Clara and San Mateo countiesSaturday, September 11

Join us for our 5th annual Cruz, where hikers, run-ners, and riders on wheels or hooves all celebrate andenjoy great trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The

event offers a variety of hikes and rides, includingfamily-friendly options. All routes provide wonderfulscenery and spectacular vistas. Rest stops, lunch, andshuttles are provided. If you would like to volunteer,contact Joel Gartland at 415-561-2595 or volunteer@ridgetrail.org.

9. TOUR DE FATSan FranciscoSaturday, September 25Time: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PMThe eighth annual Tour de Fat Ballyhoo of Bikesand Beer takes place again at Speedway Meadow inGolden Gate Park. Sponsored by New Belgium Brew-ing, this entertaining fundraiser benefits the Bay AreaRidge Trail Council and the San Francisco BicycleCoalition.

10. REI-RIDGE TRAIL SERVICE DAYSaturday, November 6Each of the Bay Area REI stores will host a volunteerwork party on a local section of the Ridge Trail. Lastyear, more than 300 people volunteered at 11 loca-tions. Come pitch in, get dirty, build trail, and make

friends! If you would like to volunteer, contact JoelGartland at 415-561-2595 or volunteer@ridgetrail.org.

D E D I C A T I O N S , H I K E S , B I K E & E Q U E S T R I A N R I D E S , W O R K P A R T I E S

EventsRidge Trail

at the ranch. The new staging areaaccommodates parking for elevencars and two horse trailers, and fromhere visitors can head in two differ-ent directions on the loop trail. Thetrail user is rewarded with sweepingviews across the Carquinez Strait andto Mount Diablo, and a boardwalkcrosses seasonal wetlands.

Aranson is excited about the ranch

opening to the public: This propertyis not only exceptionally scenic, but ithas something for everyone: easy andchallenging trails for hikers, bicyclists,

trails and beautiful views willprovide an important refugefor millions of people fromthroughout our region.

Thanks to the Muir HeritageLand Trust for leading the effortto permanently protect thisspecial place and transform itinto an exquisite park for thepublics enjoyment.

Elizabeth Byers

Continued from page 1

A giant crane installs the bridgeacross Rodeo Creek. Photo by SteveHutchcraft.

Volunteers work on the trail at Fernandez Ranch. Photo byEllen Visser.

and equestrians; two wheelchair-accessible trails; and picnic tables forrelaxing.

This Ridge Trail section is a criti-cal link in the Carquinez Strait ScenicLoop Trail: it connects to the PinoleWatershed Ridge Trail (dedicated in2007 and owned by East Bay Munici-pal Utilty District) on its southwesternend, and will eventually connect to

a trail that will cross Highway 4 toCrockett Hills Regional Park.

The Bay Area Ridge Trail Councilcontributed $700,000 in Coastal Con-

8

92

1

3

6

4

7

Map by Ben Pease.

servancy funds to help purchase theranch, undertake trail planning,and build the Ridge Trail. In total,MHLT raised $3.04 million (othergrants came from the ResourcesAgency, the U.S Fish and WildlifeService, the Contra Costa Fish andWildlife Committee, the OakmeadFoundation, and many privatedonors).

Muir Heritage Land Trust Exec-utive Director Linus Eukel eagerlyanticipates the dedication: Withthe public opening of FernandezRanch, the propertys spectacular

8/9/2019 Ridge Lines Newsletter, Spring-Summer 2010 ~ Bay Area Ridge Trail Council

4/4

R I D G E L I N E S S P R I N G - S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

P A I D

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

PERMIT NO. 3001

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER.

BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL COUNCIL(415) 561-2595 (phone)

(415) 561-2599 (fax)

www.ridgetrail.org

Board of DirectorsBill LongChair

Michael KelleyVice Chair

Ray SullivanSecretary

Phil ArnoldTreasurer

Barry Christian

Karen Collins

Gary Cook

Jed Cyr

Harry Englebright

Mark Evanoff

Mike Flaugher

Jim Foran

Steve Kinsey

Melina Linder

Jane Mark

Austin McInerny

StaffJanet McBrideExecutive Director

John AransonTrail Steward

Martha BenioffOffice Manager

Joel GartlandVolunteer Coordinator

Dena JusticeDevelopment & OutreachAssociate

Bern SmithSouth & East Bay TrailDirector

Dee SwanhuyserNorth Bay Trail Director

Ridge LinesElizabeth ByersEditor

Lisa Krieshok

Designer

New California Trail Planning Guidebook

Solano Press just published an invaluable, comprehensive trail planningreference book by local trail advocates Julie Bondurant and Laura Thompson.Trail Planning for California Communities covers all stages of the trail develop-ment process in California, including planning, design, construction, funding,and maintenance. It also elaborates on thepurpose and value of trails, federal and statepolicies, building community support, legalissues, and environmental review.

Author Julie Bondurant served on theBay Area Ridge Trail Council board ofdirectors from 1990 to 1999 and has been

on the San Francisco Bay Trail Projectboard since 1990. A licensed landscapearchitect and certified planner, she is asenior park planner with the East BayRegional Park District. Laura Thompsonmanages the San Francisco Bay TrailProject, a nonprofit that coordinatesthe effort to complete a 500-mile con-tinuous shoreline trail around San Francisco Bay.

Two of the books contributing authors, Bill Long and Jim Townsend,are Bay Area Ridge Trail Council board members. Bill is the chair of our boardof directors, a member of the Marin County Park and Open Space Commis-sion, a board member of the San Francisco Bay Trail Project, and chair of theMarin Open Space Trust. Jim Townsend is the trails development programmanager for the East Bay Regional Park District.

To order the book, visit www.solano.com.

program in Pt. Reyes, and the BeachWatch program of the Gulf of the Far-allones National Marine Sanctuary.

We thank two departing boardmembers for their years of service:Mary Burns and Thomas Beck.

Mary Burns became a board mem-ber in 2000 and brought a wealth ofunique experience due to her tenuresas general manager of park and recre-ation agencies in San Francisco, SanMateo, and Sonoma counties. Sheserved as our board vice chair for manyyears, and brought her keen interest inorganizational development to her roleas chair of the Governance Commit-tee. Prior to joining the board, she alsofilled in as interim Ridge Trail Councilexecutive director in 1997. Despite herhigh-level professional responsibilities,one of Marys hallmarks is her personalapproach. The council is indebted toMary for her many years of strong sup-port and outstanding service.

A guided hike in the San Fran-cisco watershed sparked ThomasBecks interest in the Ridge Trail. Hebecame active with the San Mateo

County Committee andjoined the board in 2003.Thomas served on theExecutive Committee,and because of his profes-sional background, hasbeen particularly helpfulwith his advice on devel-opment issues. A frequenthike leader, he has pro-vided steady, stalwartsupport to our full rosterof activities, from hikes

and outings to benefitsand dedications. Luckily,he will remain an activeand dedicated volunteer.

Look for our 2009 Annual Report

on RidgeTrail.org in mid-May!

Visit our website to download the Bay Area Ridge Trail Councilsannual report! The report features the years trail dedications,events, financial statement, and donor lists. Dont miss photos ofour events!

Bob Siegel

Simple Ways to Help the Ridge Trail CouncilBe a loyal member.1. Renew your membership when you receive the

first renewal notice.2. Renew at a higher membership level.3. Renew online at RidgeTrail.org.4. Join our monthly membership program.5. Give a gift membership to a friend or family member.6. Encourage friends and family to become members.

Make an extra donation.1. Make an additional donation when you register foran event.

2. Pledge and donate $1 for each mile you hike/pedal/trotthis year.

3. Offer your professional skills or services.4. Volunteer to help in the office.5. Make donations of office equipment or other wish list items

such as digital cameras. See RidgeTrail.org.6. Include the Ridge Trail Council in your estate plans.

Advertise the Ridge Trail. Put a Ridge Trailstatic sticker on your car window!

Thank you!

Hikers participate in the East Bay Hills Ride and Hike.

Photo by Gary Cook.

Board Member Changes

We are pleased to have welcomedBob Siegel to the board in September2009. A dedicated Ridge Trail volun-teer and hike leader for many years,he serves on the Trail Committee, andas chair of the San Francisco CountyCommittee, he is spearheading effortsto improve the citys Ridge Trail align-ment near Twin Peaks. Bob createdour Trail Tracker tool, availableonline, to encourage people to takeon the challenge of completing theentire dedicated route, and he recently

completed hikingevery single mileof dedicated RidgeTrail himself.

Bob served withthe Peace Corpsin Africa for sevenyears and thentaught ESL at theChinatown/North

Beach Campus of City College of SanFrancisco, retiring in 2003. He is alsoan active volunteer with the Mt. SutroStewards, the Harbor Seal Survey

Ralph Mihan

Josh Moore

Frank Morris

Mohammed Nuru

Morris Older

Bob Siegel

Brian Smith

Sandy Sommer

Jim Townsend

Bay Area Ridge Trail Council1007 General Kennedy Ave.,Suite 3San Francisco, CA 94129-1405

Hikers on the Pinole Watershed Ridge Trail. Photo byElizabeth Byers.