Bagel Hike
Of all the things to know about me, the fact that bagels, pizza, and pasta are my favorite foods is one of the most important. I am a Jersey boy and that is how we are trained. Arkansas is not the best place to find any of those things, so when I’m planning to travel I will start searching for great places to get my fix a few weeks ahead of time. I always search for a blog, article, or review by a New York or New Jersey native, because I am a big snob when it comes to my carbs.
Anyways, we were in San Francisco with my family and the kids the week of Christmas 2015. I had found a list of bagel shops around the Bay Area that had some pretty decent NY Bagels. I gave the list to my dad because, like clockwork, he is up by 5:00am every morning. When adjusted for Pacific Time, I figured he would be awake for about 3 hours before anyone else got up. He took my list and went to get a couple dozen bagels one morning.
On this same day, one of my brother-in-law’s friends who lived in San Francisco planned activities for us: a hike in the Muir Woods followed by a fancy lunch, then back to the city to walk around the Presidio and get dumplings for dinner. The biggest piece of advice he gave us was “get to the Muir Woods early before the crowds.” However, with my family there is very little urgency and absolutely nothing is done quickly, so we got there mid-morning and the crowd had certainly beat us. We parked way down the road from the entrance, so the hike was lengthened by our trek just to get to the entrance.
There were 14 of us: me, Sarah, our 4 kids, my parents, Jenn, Cassie, Jeff, his friend, his friend’s girlfriend, and Addie in a stroller. Right away I was mesmerized staring up at the massive trees that went on seemingly forever and the cool damp ecosystem they created below. I immediately got that otherworldly feeling and understood why someone could imagine Yoda living around any of these tree trunks.
We continued to stroll around the trees and head off towards a trail. Besides the guarantee of never getting out of the house quickly, when you’re with my family you can also bet on them having done little research and being under-prepared for the activity at hand. Jenn and Addie had to ditch the hike almost immediately because she was in a stroller that wasn’t made to go up a mountain. My kids are not seasoned hikers and got a little tired heading up the steep hills. Some people were not dressed properly (i.e. wearing sweaters that weren’t made for sweating in).
I loved every second though, with the interesting scenery going up the hills and the terrain never becoming super difficult. Then when we made it to the top and discovered an incredible view of the Pacific Ocean, everyone pivoted from tired and frustrated (again, because of lack of preparation, not actual difficulty) to complete gratitude for the majestic beauty of the mountains and oceans that California is always gifting us. Everyone was at peace heading back down. There was lots of laughter and camaraderie that this ragtag combination of people enjoyed, which is something I’ve found to be true any time a group shares a challenging experience.
There was one issue that I was pretty aware of though. We started mid-morning, had to walk a ways just to the start of the woods, and then went on a longer-than-expected hike. Lunch had been planned: a fancy sit down meal 45 minutes away. It was becoming mid-afternoon and our appetites were building with every step. I am always very aware of how hungry my family is because “hanger” is a scary reality around them. Thankfully the picturesque payoff on this hike kept everyone’s anger at bay, but the hunger was there. When we hit the bottom, Jeff and his friend continued to discuss their planned lunch 45 minutes away, but I could tell even they wanted to eat sooner than that would allow.
Thankfully I had prepared for my family to be hungry by the end of this, and I put all the bagels and cream cheese in a cooler in the trunk of the car. As they discussed lunch plans, I casually mentioned as we approached the car “…or maybe everyone could just eat bagels?” No one reacted because they already had a plan. When I pulled out 2 dozen bagels and cream cheese, again no one said anything, but this time it was because they were all instantly busy spreading cream cheese on their favorite bagel choice. And in no time at all, the 14 of us – all different ages, from different parts of the country, with very different lives – were again completely together in that moment.
We were standing on the side of the road, passing bagels and cream cheese amongst us, stuffing our faces with some hard-earned carbs. Very few words were shared as everyone, both individually and collectively, enjoyed the moment. Everyone – whether from the South, East, or West, Millennials, Generation Z, or Baby Boomers – were all in unison for these precious minutes. No technology was needed. No fancy plans or elaborate activities. We had everything we needed: bagels, each other, and the sun warming our faces. I stopped, smiled, snapped some pictures, and tried to just capture the feeling of the moment in my mind. And then ate 3 bagels.
To me this was more than just a fun lunch on the side of the road; it was the moment my two families became one big family. Eating my favorite food, with so many people I love, in an absolutely unbelievable place. It will always be one of my favorite lifetime moments. #BagelHike
