San Bruno Mountain
Yesterday, I hiked on San Bruno mountain. It’s a 400m (1317 feet) high mountain at the northern tip of the Peninsula. It was a rather strange climb because the western half of the summit was enveloped in sea fog coming out of the Pacific, and the eastern half was all sunshine. It was an eerie sight to see the thick blanket of grey fluff roll over the hills and evaporate as it reached the warmer air over the Bay.
The rugged hill was covered in shrubs and eucalyptus trees. The slopes were relatively gentle and there were few visitors around. On the top of the hill was numerous radio transmitters - tall steel frames painted in white and red. It made this mountain a clear landmark for anyone travelling up the highways to San Francisco. The park was bounded on the east by Highway 101 and on the west by Highway 280, and is a virtual island of undeveloped territory in the urban landscape.
The peak afforded sweeping views of the Bay Area - all the way south to San Jose. It was quite breathtaking, with wisps of fog streaming over the hilltop and the clear skies to the east. The only letdown was that yesterday the city was shrouded in fog so there wasn’t much to see except the Bay Bridge and several skyscrapers rising out of the fog.