Tony Holiday's Page

Just visited the new trail yesterday. The birds in this area, back and forth above me, just blew me away. This is a new blog (posting verbatim here) that I posted on my photoblog site (where the pix mentioned below are displayed):  

http://galomorro.weebly.com/stairways-are-heaven.html

"If You Love Birds and Their Songs

... then you gotta hike Mount Sutro’s newly uncovered Lower Historic Trail from 17th and Stanyan into the Interior Greenbelt.

The trail, which originates from the late 1880s, was blocked off to the public for years and has just reopened. Counted 16 new wood steps where the old stairway was -- see above for how this old trailhead used to look. Some guys were working in the area as I headed up the steps and onto the trail. 

Immediately noticed a great abundance of various birds and their songs. The trail didn’t feel like it was a half-mile long; I never wanted it to end. How lucky are we to have this midcity beautyspot and how much do I envy those who live on the upper part of Stanyan and on Edgewood Ave. with this little piece of heaven as their backyards.

The trail soon connected with the familiar Edgewood Trail (see above) and I continued across Medical Center Way, onto the North Ridge Trail and up to the summit native plant garden.

Encountered  a couple of bicyclists and several trail runners. Was all alone at the summit bench for a few moments before descending the East Ridge Trail to check out the progress of the future Aldea Community Center (end of Medical Center Way at Johnstone with the East Ridge trailhead just across from it).  What a gorgeous building; not yet open though. 

To find out more about Sutro Stewards and their work, check out their Website:

http://sutrostewards.org

and their Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=315910737009 

Highly recommended: 

Sutro: the Mountain in Our Backyard, T. Booth Haley, UCSF Synapse Staff Writer

One thing I’m especially enthusiastic about is that the ultimate goal of the Stewards is to connect Mount Sutro with Twin Peaks while “maintaining minimal road crossings and exposure to the urbanization that dominates San Francisco’s landscape” and hoping Glen Canyon can be included also.

Down from the summit and heading back on the Edgewood Trail slowly – no rushing! – out to the dead-end of redbricked Edgewood, could see the new trail clearly directly across the canyon."

Some photos of the new trail will be shared with Sutro Stewards and will be on my Facebook photo albums soon as well.