I was reading an article about Terry Tempest Williams and struck by the quote “Wilderness is not my leisure or my recreation… It is my sanity.” I’m not sure if San Francisco Bay qualifies at what Williams considers wilderness, but I do know that after a paddle I feel I regain my sanity.
Yesterday, I managed to put aside client work and go paddling with several fellow BASK members for the weekly “Thursday Lunch Paddle.” There were four of us, Danny, Susan, Chris and myself. We launched from the beach at the Encinal Boat Ramp, and being that there was a minus tide we had to drag our boats across the mudflat to the water. We paddled out and around the aircraft carrier Hornet, and then on to a little beach at the west end of the former naval base. With the rising tide we ate a quick lunch and got back on the water just as the beach was disappearing. I’ve posted some additional photos from our trip here on a Photoshelter galleryy. You can also view a track or our paddle on my GaiaGPS page.