The tunnels of the Marin Headlands can be used for other purposes, as my friends and I have found out. Some connect from one side of the highest portion of cliff to the other, and can be used for creating some very interesting echoes with your shouts and yells. I must recall the time we used one of these military chambers and turned it into an all-out monk trance chant. Our first friend was getting married and there were fourteen of us on a bachelor party mission. We rented one of those mini-buses, well equipped for a night of debauchery, and before the madness, rolled up to watch sunset from the Marin Headlands. Everyone but the groom to be lead into the tunnel at first just laughing and making funny sounds courtesy the amazing echo power of the concrete tube. As we ventured further into the darkest part of the tunnel, the very middle, we reached a low harmony, fourteen men expressing their fondness for this special moment that they were sharing with this friend. As he walked from out of the sunlit side of the tunnel into the darkness our chants grew louder and louder. He was now just a silhouette, a shadowy outline of himself. We were only darkness and complete rhythmic hum. We exited the other side of the tunnel just as the sun began to seep lower on the horizon in an orange and red puddle of melded colors.




Wow! The times you can spend in this extremely accessible landscape with both human and geologic history. There are rolling hills, cypress-topped peaks, wild-exposed beaches, crystal clean estuaries and trails galore. For outdoor enthusiasts there are infinite possibilities that include: mountain biking, surfing, hiking, tide pooling, kayaking, paragliding, windsurfing, beach combing, cycling . . . shall I go on? And for those who are war mongers and love seeing some of the precursors to this current corporate/military machine we call the United States, there are museums, tours and bunkers a plenty! Some other ideas for a day trip would be walking out to Point Bonita lighthouse for a picturesque view. Or visiting the Marine Mammal Recovery Center where the big-hearted volunteers take care of the stray seals and other woebegone critters. There are two outdoor education programs that exist out in Fort Cronkite as well, I was lucky enough to chaperone the Chinese American International School during my days as a physical education teacher there. Some of these city kids saw a non-urban environment for the first time in their lives, and the expressions and emotions that they displayed are etched in my memory forever.




There is a lot to share out in this preserve, just minutes from downtown San Francisco. You can transplant yourself from an office chair in a towering skyscraper to a multi-colored rocky beach looking out on the Pacific in less time that it takes to drive down Market Street to get a coffee. To find out more about the GGNR and the Marin Headlands please visit these websites.

http://www.sfgate.com/getoutside/1996/sep/headlands.html

ER Harris