Kirsten Mickelwait
Indian Rock Path: A Centuries-Old History

Indian Rock is one of many volcanic rhyolite rock outcroppings found across the Bay Area that are estimated to have occurred between nine and eleven million years ago. Anyone who has climbed the steep steps in its face has also seen the depressions of mortar holes still evident here, especially in the aptly named Mortar Rock, where the Ohlone people used the bedrock as a grinding surface for food and medicine.

Indian Rock Path: A Centuries-Old History
Kirsten Mickelwait
Introducing New BPWA Board Members

BPWA welcomes two new board members: Nancy Graham, treasurer, and Jen English, walks co-coordinator. Three days a week Nancy, her husband, and dog, Dinky, get their aerobic exercise by walking uphill and hitting as many paths as possible. Jen joined the board in 2008 for her first term. Jen’s also been learning the ropes of emergency response, taking community emergency management (CERT) courses and other preparedness training and is excited to be involved with BPWA again because Berkeley's public paths and stairways are a key component of the city's emergency response network.

Kirsten Mickelwait
2024 ANNUAL MEETING AND PATH-A-THON

Saturday, September 21, 2024 offered a beautiful “Second Summer” day as about 40 people gathered to attend the annual meeting of the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association at Live Oak Park. The event followed a well-attended morning Path-a-thon.

2024 ANNUAL MEETING AND PATH-A-THON
Kirsten Mickelwait
Ina Coolbrith: California’s First Poet Laureate

Just south of Latham Lane in North Berkeley you’ll find Ina Coolbrith Path, which connects Miller Avenue and Grizzly Peak Blvd. If you’ve ever wondered about its namesake, the path commemorates a remarkable woman who figured prominently in the state’s literary history.

Ina Coolbrith: California’s First Poet Laureate
Kirsten Mickelwait
Steve Price: Walking the Walk 

Steve Price is the El Cerrito-based author/artist of the digital book Imagining a Walkable America: Visualizing Low-Carbon Cities, Towns, and Neighborhoods, Step by Step. First published in 2020, it’s just been updated with a new introduction and fresh images to reflect the country’s changing transportation landscape.

Steve Price: Walking the Walk 

Meet BPWA's New Treasurer: Karen Ebadi

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm Karen Ebadi and live in North Berkeley. I grew up in Livermore. I work as an accountant and in my free time I enjoy reading, riding my bike, and traveling.

How did you become interested in Berkeley's paths?

I like to hike/walk and was looking for some walks close to home when I found BPWA. I like that the walks are usually about 3 hours, leaving time for errands later in the day. I enjoy the people I've met walking with BPWA and I'm always amazed at how many new places I see on the walks, which are right in our backyard.

What do you hope to achieve as a BPWA board member?

I'd like to facilitate the continuation of the work that BPWA does, maintaining the current paths, adding handrails and building new paths. I also think it would be great if we could find an artist to do a mosaic stairway on one of the paths (similar to the mosaic stairways that are in San Francisco).

Meet BPWA's New Emergency Preparation Liaison: Chris Cullander

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born 3 score and 11 years ago, and have been told that I learned to wander early on. I live in Berkeley and grew up just outside of Washington, DC. I’m enjoying retirement — reading, concerts, travel, volunteer work, and the occasional talk. 

How did you become interested in Berkeley's paths?

When we moved to Berkeley, I wondered where the fire trails at the top of Dwight Way and Derby Street led, and one path led to another.

What do you hope to achieve as a BPWA board member?

I’m the emergency preparation liaison, keeping BPWA connected with Berkeley’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Berkeley’s  Office of Emergency Services and Public Health’s Emergency Preparedness program. I hope to bring the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission into this mix and to establish links with the Berkeley Disaster Preparedness Neighborhood Network (BDPNN) and NALCO, an amateur radio group that performs fire patrols around the Berkeley parks and Hills area during fire alert days.

GoFundMe Campaign for Terrace View Paths

GoFundMe Campaign for Terrace View Paths

The Alliance’s fundraising target is $70,000, which will enable the addition of handrails to the most popular paths to make them safer for residents, especially those who might be mobility impaired or elderly. The funds will help to complete Columbia Path and potentially build Del Mar Path, and to make improvements in Glendale Path, Atlas Path, and Wilson Walk.