Ocean Beach Cold Plunge
I'm someone who goes waist-deep max in cold water, but when a fellow yoga teacher invited me to plunge for our teacher's birthday, I roped in another yogi and off we went! I was terrified to be honest, which made me secretly wish it would get cancelled but at the same time, the fear fueled me to want to get in there and conquer my fear - plus, these days we can all use things to make us feel a little more alive! It hailed in San Francisco early Friday morning so I was even more nervous to jump in sans-wetsuit into chilly Ocean Beach, but (thank you warm sun) it was incredible. If you feel even remotely curious about what a cold plunge feels like, sucker in some friends and run full speed in there! I felt so alive, exhilarated and joyful. I hear it's good for the immune system too, so I count it overall as a win-win-win. Pro-tip, have hot coffee ready for you after, as well as some giant sweats to cozy up in after you get out.
A lovely 3.6 mile loop with beautiful redwoods, ocean views at the top and fun terrain featuring waterfalls and streams. It has stairs (some aggressive inclines) and a ladder you have to climb down if you start at Pantoll like we did. We saw some folks with young kids and small dogs - I might not recommend bringing them or grandma along, but overall it's a moderate hike and we truly enjoyed it.
Most people are aware of Hook Fish by Ocean Beach - pre-pandemic the line was insane. It was a destination for most to make their way out west by the beach where we live. While the location in the Outer Sunset is great and has some seating, the Mill Valley Location by Proof Lab has THE best beer garden. Perfect after the hike listed above! The blackened fish sandwich is hands down my favorite, they have a great beer selection and their fries are to die for. Hook Fish truly cares about where their fish comes from, who catches it and that what they serve is fresh and it shows.
