Join the Bay Area Climbers Coalition to take on some work in beautiful Glen Canyon, nestled in the heart of San Francisco’s world-famous hills! Activities will include cleaning up glass and trash, clearing paths and walkways, trail repair, and graffiti removal.
Location: Glen Canyon Park is located in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco, a pleasant 10 minutes walk on flat ground from the Glen Park BART station. TheCrag.com provides a great overview and directions. The park is a popular spot on weekends, so parking can be challenging; carpooling or public transit is recommended if at all possible. We’ll be meeting in the middle of the park, at the northern end of the dirt road that runs alongside Islais Creek, just across from the Silvertree camp / Glen Ridge pre-school building.
Date: May 13, 2017
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
How to Join: Sign up on Eventbrite!
Logistics
Safety – We are HUGE on safety! There will be a safety talk at 10am on the day of the event. Please note that we require all participants to be present for the safety talk and wear closed toe shoes. Unfortunately, we cannot allow anyone to participate that does not wear closed toe shoes and/or attend the safety talk.
Food – Lunch will be provided for all volunteers.
Water – Drinking fountains are available a 5 minute walk down at the bottom end of the canyon (near the Rec Centre), but to save time, please bring a water bottle.
Tools – Tools and gloves will be provided by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Dept, but feel free to bring your own work gloves if you prefer.
Bathrooms – A porta-potty will be provided by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Dept near the project areas. There are also bathrooms down at the Rec Centre; however, since it is currently under renovation, the bathrooms may not be open.
Clothing – Sturdy, closed toe shoes are mandatory. The canyon can be foggy and windy in the summer months; a windproof jacket is recommended.
We greatly appreciate the support from Access Fund for this Adopt-A-Crag!
Did You Know…
The first dynamite factory in the United States (est. 1868) was based in Glen Canyon (then sparsely populated) right around the current location of the Rec Center. It exploded in 1869, killing 2 workmen and leveling the facility. It was rebuilt out in what is now the Sunset District (that facility also exploded).
Some older folks remember rafting on Islais Creek (the creek in the bottom of the canyon) during winter and spring. Apparently, changes in the size and drainage on O’Shaughnessy Blvd and Portola Avenue, as well as the build-out of Miraloma Park (1930s-1950s) and Diamond Heights (1960s) substantially reduced the amount of surface runoff reaching the creek, reducing it to the small (though pleasant!) trickle it is today.
The rock is radiolarian chert – a sedimentary rock composed from the compressed silica-rich casings of dead single-celled marine organisms. While not rare worldwide, it rarely outcrops in a way that is good for climbing. Apart from a few outcrops further up the Marin and Sonoma coasts, there is very little other chert climbing in the world.
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