There’s a version of this post that starts with a trail map. This isn’t that version.
It starts with you looking out the window—morning coffee in hand, or at the end of a long day—noticing the fog sitting on the ridge and feeling that specific itch. The one that doesn't quit until you've put some miles on shoes or tires.
We spend a lot of energy here focused on where to go next. Permits, packing lists, whether the fire ban's still in effect. Almost no time reflecting on where we're from, and what this beautiful, expensive city teaches us in between the trips. So. The walkabout.
What It Is
Not just getting steps in. Not a podcast with a more interesting backdrop. You leave with no destination and see what turns up. Take the unfamiliar street, follow the alley, stop when something catches your eye. It's deceptively simple. It is also, in practice, deeply uncomfortable for anyone who color codes their calendar. That discomfort. That uncertainty in your destination. That’s the whole point.
Why This City
Hill grades that rival Yosemite's. Water on three sides. Microclimates so localized that one block can feel like a different world from the one two blocks over. SF rewards the same skill set the backcountry does: attention, patience, a willingness to explore what you think you already know.
On a recent walkabout through North Beach, no earbuds, no agenda, we found a staircase climbing through overgrown nasturtium to a viewpoint where the whole Bay just appears. We'd ridden past the bottom of that staircase probably two hundred times. A painted door the exact color of lichen on granite. A community garden with hand-lettered signs in three languages.
You find these the same way you find the stellar campsite: by slowing down, veering off the intended path, riding up a berm to take a closer look.
How to Do It
Leave from your front door. Pick a direction that isn't your usual one. If you need something to walk toward, pick an elevated waypoint — a hill, a ridge, a water tower. Let the route invent itself from there. Check out Bernal, Ocean Beach, the buffalo in GG park, The Ferry Building, or that one street you always mean to walk up. Take a photo just to remember that one detail that stopped you in your tracks. Eat or drink from a place you never knew existed. Sit for ten minutes. Watch the block. Feel the rhythm of the world moving around you. Notice the people and their different paces. What the day sounds like when you finally stop moving.
Why It Matters
The best adventurers we know are the ones who notice more, not just when the gear's on. They pick up the wrapper on the trail and the one on the sidewalk. That's a muscle. The walkabout is how you keep it sharp.
Next time the trail feels too far, skip the maps app. Lace up what's by the door, pick a direction, and go. You'll be better at the backcountry for it — and you'll love your city that much more. We promise.
