~by Charles Akers
Waterfalls, breathtaking views, beautiful roses, charming Arts & Crafts houses and a long concrete slide were some of the highlights of an NSC hike in Berkeley led by Hoyt Nelson. For me, it was a nostalgic return to the lovely old neighborhood where I lived in the 1970’s.
We met at the Berkeley Rose Garden on a perfect day for a hike—sunny but cool. Some of us spent our pre-hike time admiring the roses, many of which were in full bloom, while Morgan and Greg enjoyed the concrete slide at Codornices Park across the street.
We headed up Rose Walk, a heritage site designed and built by the noted architect Bernard Maybeck in 1913. The small cottages bordering the wide stairway were just the first of many charming Arts & Crafts houses built in the early 1900’s that we encountered during our walk. We wandered past a variety of interesting architectural styles and soon found ourselves at Keith Falls. Our route took us through several of the Berkeley stairways which connect many of the streets in the hilly area.
When we arrived at Cragmont Park a rock-climbing class was taking advantage of the sheer rock face in the park to practice their techniques. The instructor observed that the modern rock climbing tradition got its start at Cragmont Park. It was a relief after so much uphill climbing to be able to rest for a while and admire the panoramic views.
We continued on to Remillard Park and began descending back toward our starting point, often walking along wooded paths or down stairways. Along the way we stopped to admire a colorful mural depicting ancient Mexican mythological scenes. After arriving at the Rose Garden we chose a favorite of mine for lunch, Jayakarta Restaurant. Resting our tired muscles while enjoying authentic Indonesian cuisine was an ideal way to end a very pleasant outing. Thanks to Hoyt for a great job of organizing our adventure!
