Beautiful views close to home

A hidden Bay Area gem

Run #28 took me to Angel Island, which honestly feels like one of those Bay Area places that far more people should know better. It is right there in the middle of the bay, very close to San Francisco, and yet it still feels like a small escape. The whole island is part of Angel Island State Park, and getting there is part of the experience itself, since there are no roads or bridges connecting it to the mainland.​

That also means the only way in is by boat. Public ferries run both from San Francisco and Tiburon, and there is also access by private boat. Kayaking there is possible too, although that is clearly a plan better left to people who know how to deal with Bay currents and conditions.​

Views, trails, and company

This time I had Yves and David with me, which made the run even more enjoyable. Angel Island has narrow trails, constant changes in scenery, and amazing views in every direction. On a perfectly clear day like this Sunday, May 17, we could see sailboats racing on the bay and look out toward San Francisco, Sausalito, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Treasure Island. 🤩​

I recorded a few moments along the way with the Insta360 X5, but the footage still does not really capture how beautiful it all looked in person. Some places are just too big, too open, and too bright to fit properly into a small camera frame.

A run with two falls

There was also a very memorable detail from this run: both Yves and I hit the ground. Early on, Yves tripped on a rock while we were climbing and ended up scratching both knees. Thankfully it was nothing serious, and it definitely helped that it happened on the way up instead of on a descent.

Later, after we were already past halfway, it was my turn. On a flat narrow stretch of Sunset Trail, I was trying to put the camera away, did not see a tree stump, and went straight to the floor. I ended up with a few scratches and cuts, mostly on my left leg and especially on the two small fingers of my left hand. Nothing serious in the end: a bit of water, a quick improvised wrap around the finger that was bleeding more, and I was able to keep going. I have tripped many times on trail runs before, but this was the first time I fully finished on the ground. It could have been much worse if I had rolled down the hill, so overall I got away lightly — and, just as importantly, the X5 survived too. 😁

A little longer than last week

Physically, the good news is that legs and knees were fine throughout the run. By the end, though, I felt more tired than last week, even with less elevation. This run took 2:56 and finished at 21.8 miles and 440 meters of elevation gain, compared with 2:48 for the 21.12 miles and 590 meters of elevation on Run #27 at Alum Rock.​

No audiobook this time

Unlike several recent runs, this one came with no audiobook. I wanted to be fully inside the island experience, listening to the birds, the wind, and the horns from boats moving around the bay.

It was the right call for a place like this. Angel Island felt like somewhere to absorb rather than to multitask through.

New shoes on the trails

This run was also the first real test for my new trail shoes, the Altra Experience Wild 2, which cost me only $85 – great deal! They felt like a great balance between lightness and cushioning, with a 4 mm drop and a reasonably flexible feel underfoot, which lines up nicely with how this model is designed. By the end of almost three hours on Angel Island, my toe tips were still feeling fine, a big improvement over the last long outing in my older Hokas.

Coming back soon

One of the nice discoveries from the day was realizing that Angel Island is not only great for trail running and hiking. Bicycles are allowed on the island, and the park also notes seasonal bike rentals on site.​ So now that I know there is a paved option there too, I am already thinking I should come back with Paula! 😍