Upcoming dates:
The last two December roams have been postponed due to the impending rains. See details below.
January 23rd, 25th.
February 6th, 7th, 13th, 15th, 21st.
Roams over the winter months are somewhat weather dependent, and these may get rescheduled depending on the forecast. The Meetup page and the Instagram page will have the latest news if there are any changes to the plan.
All weekend roams start at 1:30, lasting around three hours, and Friday ones at 3:00, generally taking two hours. All roams are loops unless otherwise stated; I also flag any longer or especially hilly routes – see below for examples of both.
This Friday roam was postponed from the rainy week before Christmas to January 23rd.
I always enjoy spending time on China Beach, which is mid-renovation at the moment (as is Robin Williams’ house adjacent to the beach street entrance). Apart from the beach we will roam around the fine houses and hidden alleys of Seacliff, but mostly this will be to take the sea air. We will meet at the Lincoln Park playground, by the rocks at the corner of Clement and 33rd.
Also postponed from December, we will visit Crissy Field, which has been a draw for me over the years that I have lived here, on Sunday 25th. Again, being by the water with the big skies is a great antidote to the short days, and we will spend much of our time along the waterfront. We will start from the Presidio Visitors Center (look for us on the side away from the bridge and closer to the bathrooms). This is almost entirely flat, with lots of sand.
Making a re-appearance one year on from our first go around, a February Friday at Fort Mason on the 6th.
There is plenty of history in this little corner of the city, as well as amazing views, a community garden, and quiet corners. This is a roam I will bring some historical photos along to, so that we can get a sense of what used to be here. We will include a stretch of Marina Green on the way round.
We will also take time to meditate and sit quietly in some of the choicest locations around Black Point – as it used to be known. There are a couple of sets of stairs to do, but this is mostly quite flat.
Sunnyside is an aptly named neighbourhood, and we hope that we will get good weather for our exploration of it on the 7th. Tucked into the southern side of Mount Davidson, we will find parks, little alleys and staircases on the way round. This roam will climb up to the highest roads adjacent to the mountain, so be prepared for that, and some off-roading. We will start and end at the plaza in front of Glen Park Station.
On Friday 13th, if you are not too superstitious about it, we will tackle the north face of Bernal Heights. Everywhere you go in this neighbourhood, there are hidden treasures: old cottages, gardens, viewpoints. We will climb from the course of Precita Creek to the top of the hill, which will involve some steep slopes and off-roading. Meet at Garfield Square, by the bathrooms at the west side of the pool building.
I have thought about some roams I want to bring back during the year, and some other new routes. In March, we will have a tenth anniversary roam, treading the same paths as we did on the very first roam in 2016. I am always open to requests, if you have any favourites that you would like to do again.
Bring water, snacks, and layers for whatever the weather is doing. Punctuality is always appreciated.
These roams are offered by donation. They are one way I am able to afford to live in San Francisco.
‘Shundo David Haye has probably walked through more parts of San Francisco than you have.’ I’ll take that endorsement – it came from this nice article in the SF Chronicle at the beginning of the pandemic
Camille, who I have known through Zen Center for more than twenty years, had a lovely piece on Roaming Zen published in the Bold Italic.
Corona Heights – the first picture I used to promote Roaming Zen.
Views to the Farallones from this little-known park.
If you need some prompts as to the benefits of roaming, here are a trio of articles from the Guardian:
Two-hour ‘dose’ of nature significantly boosts health – study
Woodland sounds help relaxation more than meditation apps – study
Blue spaces: why time spent near water is the secret of happiness
All of which is achievable without leaving the city limits!
And this from the New Yorker:
A small but growing collection of studies suggests that spending time in green spaces—gardens, parks, forests—can rejuvenate the mental resources that man-made environments deplete. Psychologists have learned that attention is a limited resource that continually drains throughout the day. A crowded intersection—rife with pedestrians, cars, and billboards—bats our attention around. In contrast, walking past a pond in a park allows our mind to drift casually from one sensory experience to another, from wrinkling water to rustling reeds.
Or, to put a name to it, Attention Restoration Theory.
The genesis for Roaming Zen was perhaps my shuso practice period at Tassajara in 2012, where I noticed that I derived as much energy from being on the trails or up the road, among the trees and by the creek, as I did from the hours in the zendo. It was also crystalised by a visit to Tassajara with a group from Young Urban Zen a year or two later: after the days of work, a group of us set off for a hike along the Horse Pasture trail, and at one stage, hearing all the talk of people’s pre-occupations and mundane affairs, someone in the group asked if we could all hike in silence for a while and properly take in the surroundings. Afterwards, the agreed verdict was that the silence had transformed the hike.
And so, having tried versions of it at City Center, Green Gulch and Tassajara, one of my favourite things to do these days is to gather a small group of people, and lead them around a chosen route, cultivating mindful presence through walking and sitting quietly in the midst of city life.
There are so many little corners of San Francisco that lend themselves to the activity, surrounded by beauty, views, and sometimes quiet. We have visited forests, hills and canyons, creeks and beaches, staircases and alleys, lakes and hidden parks; we have listened to birds and waves, watched butterflies, bees and coyotes, smelled flowers and ocean spray. We have looked over all sides of San Francisco and to the mountains beyond.
I like to give credit to OpenStreetMap, for featuring much more detail in paths and trails than I ever get from Apple Maps or Google Maps – I would not have found some of these routes without it – and FoundSF/OpenSF History for filling me in on what used to be in the places we visit.
Shundo David Haye - Zen Priest 