Completed: October 9, 2023 | Elevation: Slacker Hill – 915′, Hawk Hill – 920′ | Trail: Slacker Hill – Slacker Ridge Trail | Distance: 1 mile
And…we’re back on the trail! Between vacations and bouts of illness, we didn’t bag a single Nifty Ninety peak in September, which means we have a bit of catching up to do in order to complete all of them by the end of the year.
To ease back into our quest, we completed two easy ones near each other just across the Golden Gate Bridge in the Marin Headlands—Slacker Hill and Hawk Hill. Finding parking along Conzelman Road is normally an impossible feat, but we got lucky: first, it was midday on Monday and second, it was overcast with a chance of rain.
There was plenty of parking in the lot just up the road from the trailhead to Slacker Hill. The ominous sign warning of car break-ins made us nervous because we still had some high value camping gear in the back so we decided to make it a quick hike. This ended up being a bit easier said than done, especially for me, considering I hadn’t done any meaningful exercise in three weeks.
From the trailhead on the other side of McCullough it was a steady climb, and I could feel my heart pounding, having grown unaccustomed to such exertion. I had a chance to catch my breath while marveling at a Coast Garter Snake.
About a fifth of a mile in, we turned right to follow the trail to the top and soon were greeted with magnificent views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco and the bay beyond. We were the only ones up here and while I lingered a bit to take photos, Chris turned around to check on the car.
As I made my way down, I felt so grateful to be back outside, hiking in 60° weather. After a week in Arizona where it was over 100° every day and doing anything after 9:00 A.M. that didn’t involve air-conditioning was a death wish, and so it meant staying indoors most of the time, I had never been happier and relieved to be back in the Bay Area.
To reach Hawk Hill, we turned right onto Conzelman Road and drove less than a mile. There was ample parking in front of the tunnel leading to Battery 129. We walked through it and followed the path that wound its way up the hill. At the top, we walked along the cement remnants of the former Nike missile site, admiring the 360° views.
An infographic on the ground reminded us that it was raptor migration season and I scanned the cloudy skies hoping to spot them but only saw a few crows. The first drops of rain began to fall and we hurried back via the view point, cutting through the underground portion of the battery.
Soon we were heading back across the bay towards San Francisco. It had been a short jaunt but an amazing one that allowed us to discover two new places and appreciate that rain or shine, this is still one of the most beautiful places to live.
Follow our progress bagging the Bay Area’s Nifty Ninety here.