In the summer of 2026 I unexpectedly found myself out of a job due to an organizational restructure. With too much time on my hands, but still needing to remain in the Bay Area, I started searching for a project. First on the project list was to read all the un-read books on my bookshelf before donating them to local Little Free Libraries. While doing this, I came across my copy of the Bay Area Ridge Trail guide which I had purchased when I first moved to the area 11 years ago. And while I had hiked many of the trails contained in the book, much of it was unexplored. An idea was starting to form.
The Bay Area Ridge Trail is a network of more than 800km/500mile multi-use trails encircling the San Francisco Bay. The route is not contiguous, with significant breaks in the trail. Some of the trail is urban, but most of it is through public lands. The trail continues to grow with new sections being added regularly under the advocacy of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council.
Already a keen hiker and environmentalist, my heart lit up - here was a project I could take on which would serve multiple purposes: keep me fit, fill some of my time, force me to explore new local hiking trails, and enable me to continue to meet my other commitments such as volunteering, family, and job seeking. Plus if I picked up litter along the way I could contribute to cleaning up my local greenspaces, and by documenting the process I could help other outdoorspeople access this incredible resource.
The project launched in September 2026 as the weather started to cool. While I am sometimes able to hike with friends, I primarily hike alone meaning that by the time I’m done my hiking miles will be close to double the length of the trail. Hikes are documented here and on TikTok.
Goals:
Section-hike the entire Bay Area Ridge Trail
Pick up trash along the way
Document my experience
Get fitter & have fun
Stats to date:
Ridge Trail mileage completed: 22.04km/13.7miles
Elevation gained: 859m/2,818ft
Litter collected: 32 pieces