WEEKLY WALKER

By Tom Davids

Accessible Trails - Part I

"In the endeavor to overcome obstacles of the way, the soul trains itself to conquer difficulties, and the spectacle of the vast horizon, which from the highest crest offers itself on all sides to the eyes, raises his spirit to the Divine Author and Sovereign of Nature." --Pope Pius XI

We mostly take mobility for granted. When you have it, you know no limits. The longer the walk, the rougher the trail, the better the challenge. But when you don't have mobility, the world of the walker takes a different turn.

During the past two weeks I've been grounded, my foot raised (at heart level or higher), crutches at the ready. I am recovering from foot surgery to repair a ruptured tendon suffered during a backpack trip with my son a few years ago. During the intervening time I was sure that nature would take its course and healing would eventually come.

Not so. My recent surgery set things right, and I'm assured by the good surgeon that recovery "should be" 100 percent. It's the "should be" part that gives me pause, but "should" makes near-term limited mobility easier to accept, and after two more weeks on crutches and four weeks in a "boot," I expect to be as good as new.

With my recently acquired appreciation of mobility, this column and the next will contain a brief description of accessible or whole access trails and walks in San Francisco and the Peninsula. All of these walks were previously published in your edition of the Independent Newspaper Group and are completely described on our Web site: www.weeklywalker.com. Check the Web site for directions.

Many of these walks are in preserves operated by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The MROSD defines a whole access trail as one with at least a 4-foot width, a grade not exceeding 5 percent, and a firm, uniform surface made of crushed, compacted granite. You can also review these trails on the District's Web site: www.openspace.org/access.html.

This week's column will cover the northern Peninsula, including San Francisco. The next will include the central and southern Peninsula. If any reader has another favorite trail especially suited for visitors with wheelchairs (or crutches), strollers, walkers, children, or for anyone looking for a less strenuous outdoor experience that you would like to share with other readers, please e-mail me at trekertom@aol.com or phone me at 650-592-4736 or fax to 650-591-1519.

Your comments and hiking suggestions are always welcome.

E-mail to: trekertom@aol.com.

Footnote: Check out the Weekly Walker Web site at www.weeklywalker.com.