WEEKLY

WALKER

By Tom Davids

The Ultimate Rainy Day Walk

Sawyer Camp Trail

"Avoid slippery footing as you would the plague, and don't sit on damp ground. Keep walking." John Kieran

Directions: Freeway 280 to Highway 92. West to Canada Road. North to Crystal Springs Road. Park at roadside.

Grade: Level.

Distance: Seven miles round trip to the Jepson Laurel Tree. Another 5 miles to the trailhead at Hillcrest Road.

Special Conditions: Asphalt trail. No dogs allowed. Lakes are off limits. No swimming allowed. Restrooms are available at trailhead and Jepson laurel. Benches along the way.

As we look forward to winter rains, the thought of muddy trails may diminish your resolve to keep to your walking routine at all costs. Walking in the rain can be fun. A good umbrella and rain gear makes it a rather pleasant experience. But the thought of slipping and sliding on a water-soaked, muddy trail is often excuse enough to stay home and walk another day.

So what you need is a nice, well-maintained, well-drained, asphalt surface like the Sawyer Camp Trail. No mud to slip on or small lakes to wade through--just a nice, wide, smooth, level surface.

The trail is a bit crowded on weekends and holidays. But the trail is wide, and a center line keeps you apart from oncoming bicycle traffic. For a less crowded walking experience, try the trail shortly after sunrise or a couple hours before sundown.

A walk along the Sawyer Camp Trail is an historical and environmental experience. In the mid-1850s, Leander Sawyer established a camp along the trail from which he sold food and lodging to passing picnickers and horseback riders. He also served stagecoaches connecting Millbrae to Half Moon Bay. In later years, this road became the main highway between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay. The new Crystal Springs Reservoir flooded much of the old track in 1888, and the relocated trail became a county road. In 1978, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors designated the road a non-vehicular recreation trail that is used by 340,000 visitors from miles around in search of a bit of exercise in a beautiful lakeside setting.

As you walk the Sawyer Camp Trail, you are parallel to the San Andreas Fault, which runs below Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir. Land on both sides of the lake is owned by the City of San Francisco as watershed. The three reservoirs (San Andreas Lake, Upper Crystal Springs, and Lower Crystal Springs) are fed by the Hetch Hetchy Water System via pipe from reservoirs in the Sierras.

There are many good reasons to choose this hike, but a visit the oldest and largest laurel tree in California is good enough for the first time. Named in honor of Willis Linn Jepson, one of California's most noted botanists, this venerable tree is more than 600 years old and is the oldest and largest of its kind in the state. This is the California laurel, also know as the bay tree, pepperwood, or Oregon myrtle. Rest rooms are available along the way.

A couple years ago, the County of San Mateo announced plans to extend the trail six miles--three miles on each end. From the south, the trail will cross the dam, then parallel Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir as it continues past Highway 92 to the junction of 92 and Canada Road. This trail extension is scheduled to be completed during the summer of 1999. The first short section connecting the parking area adjacent to the dam to the trail head is now in place.

Set aside a few hours, put on your hiking shoes, rain gear, and carry an umbrella. It's the best cure known for "cabin fever' during a series of rainy days.