May 7, 2011: Morning Run to Hopper’s Hands
It was cold and windy out this morning, a stark contrast to the warm and sunny earlier in the week. Not as many people showed up for the lululemon Cow Hollow run club, but it was still a good turn out. Only three of us chose to do the 6mi option out to Hopper’s Hands and the rest of the group went for the 4mi run.
The 6mi route was a good, mostly flat run with a slight hill in the beginning out to Lyon St. We went out along Mason, along Crissy Field, and to Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge where Hopper’s Hands awaited us! This was my first time out there in that area. I’ve seen pictures of Hopper’s Hands before, but never got to give it a double high-five until today! 
I was curious about the significance of it and found out that it was named after Ken Hopper, who was a Golden Gate Bridge iron worker. He helped many in suicide rescue efforts on the bridge during his time. The plate with two hand prints is a local landmark for runners in San Francisco. It is typically the turn around point for runners who run along the routes in the Marina and Presidio. As a sense of accomplishment for making it to the “summit” of their routes, runners slap the Hopper’s Hands plate before heading back.
At the base of chain linked fence where Hopper’s Hands is attached to is another smaller plate of dog paws bolted into the cement. I guess this is for dogs to give low fives. 
I think we missed a turn on the original directions, and ended up running a bit longer. This must be the longest run I’ve taken in a very long time. After mapping it, it looks like a 6.7mi run.
Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4488202
