Roaming Zen

4.9•541 ratings

San Francisco, CA, US

About us

There are many kinds of hikes available on Meetup, and as I like to say, this is not a group where you have to tell your life story every time; we encourage quiet presence and paying attention to what is around us. We do stop to smell the roses.

Each Roaming Zen event consists of mindful hiking (at a pretty moderate pace), with some time for meditation at auspicious locations. My love of the city means that we explore many different neighbourhoods on our roams; while we have some firm favourites, I am always looking for new angles to explore as well. I like to share what I know about history, geography and geology, as circumstances allow, and I love when people on the roam offer their knowledge of places, or flora and fauna.

We don't shy away from any of the hills, though I will always flag roams with a lot of climbing, as well as any longer than usual routes, or if a roam is one-way as opposed to a loop back to the starting point (if the description doesn't specify, then it's a loop).

I also maintain a separate mailing list of more than 200 people, and have other regulars who usually show up each time. I find that groups larger than a dozen are much more stressful to manage, so keeping it small helps me, and keeps the group intimate.

As featured in the SF Chronicle and the Bold Italic.

These roams are offered by donation; they are one way I try to be able to afford to continue living in San Francisco as a zen priest!

I know Meetup is notorious for no-shows and late changes of rsvp. I am not as strict as other organisers (and we do talk to each other!), but I do pay attention to those who regularly drop off or no-show; it is disrespectful for people who are on the wait list who would like to come.

I track people with flaky records, and remove them from future roams they sign up for. A message that you can't make it last minute gets you some credit.

Upcoming events

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4 seats left
A Loop of Potrero Hill
Fri, Apr 17 · 3:00 PM PDT
Jackson Playground, 17th & Arkansas St., San Francisco, CA, US
Potrero Hill, like its neighbour Bernal, is not just one hill, but a series of slopes. We have ventured around it a number of times over the years.

On Friday 17th, we will do a repeat of the quick loop we tried out last spring, that nonetheless packs in a few steep climbs which take us to the viewpoints, overlooking the bay, and westward across the city. There are a few blocks of dirt involved as well, so bring good shoes for this one.

Regardless of what the map may say, we will meet in front of the bathroom building at Jackson Playground, at Mariposa and Arkansas.

Please note that roams over the winter months are somewhat weather dependent, and this may get rescheduled depending on the forecast. Bring water, snacks, and layers for whatever the weather is doing.

These roams are offered by donation. They are one way I am able to pay my rent in San Francisco.

Punctuality is always appreciated. Please send a message on the app if you are running a little late. I can usually respond to messages before we get underway, but then I won't be checking my phone.

I know Meetup is notorious for no-shows and late changes of rsvp. I am not as strict as other organisers, but I do pay attention to those who regularly drop off or no-show, and there are consequences for recidivists, as it is discourteous for others who would like to attend.
16 attendees
Roaming Some Downtown Open Spaces
Sat, Apr 18 · 1:30 PM PDT
The Ferry Building, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA, US
April 18th is the 120th anniversary of the city's most famous earthquake, so it seemed like a good day to wander around the downtown of today.

We have done a number of POPOS roams now, but always on a Friday so as to be able to access the roof gardens and other spaces that are only open during office hours.

I have wanted to offer a weekend version enjoying the places we can still get to. On our way round from the Ferry Building across the Financial District and SOMA, we will visit a few favourite spots, reflect on the city's history, and enjoy the relative quietness of some parts at the weekend.

This roam is mostly flat, though we will venture a few blocks uphill from the old waterfront.

Bringing water, snacks, and layers for all the microclimates is the way to go. There's still a small chance of this being rained off - if the forecast if iffy, I will send an email to everyone who has signed up if we have to postpone or cancel.

These roams are offered by donation. They are one way I am able to pay my rent in San Francisco.

Punctuality is always appreciated. Please send a message on the app if you are running a little late. I can usually respond to messages before we get underway, but then I won't be checking my phone. Meetup has now added a "share location" feature, so you will be able to catch up.

I know Meetup is notorious for no-shows and late changes of rsvp. I am not as strict as other organisers (we do talk to each other!), but I do track those who regularly drop off or no-show, and have disinvited several people with dismal attendance records, as it is discourteous for others who would like to attend.
20 attendees
Roaming in McLaren Park
Sun, Apr 26 · 1:30 PM PDT
Palega Recreation Center, 500 Felton Street, San Francisco, CA, US
McLaren Park is one of the biggest, and perhaps the least appreciated, open spaces in the city. I had not been there myself until I decided to include it in our roam repertoire just before the pandemic. Now we have visited several times, from different angles.

This time, I wanted to approach from the Portola side, including the Goettingen staircase that we visited at the end of last year, and loop around the northern slopes of the park - which is part of the Yosemite Creek watershed. We will naturally stop at the water tower as well for the views.

There are several portions of steep climbing on this route, as the park is along a tall spine, and plenty of dirt.

Bringing water, snacks, and layers for all the microclimates is the way to go. There's still a small chance of this being rained off - if the forecast if iffy, I will send an email to everyone who has signed up if we have to postpone or cancel.

These roams are offered by donation. They are one way I am able to pay my rent in San Francisco.

Punctuality is always appreciated. Please send a message on the app if you are running a little late. I can usually respond to messages before we get underway, but then I won't be checking my phone. Meetup has now added a "share location" feature, so you will be able to catch up.

I know Meetup is notorious for no-shows and late changes of rsvp. I am not as strict as other organisers (we do talk to each other!), but I do track those who regularly drop off or no-show, and have disinvited several people with dismal attendance records, as it is discourteous for others who would like to attend.
20 attendees
A One-Way Roam With Labyrinths
Sat, May 2 · 1:30 PM PDT
harvey milk photography center, 670 Duboce Ave, San Francisco, CA, US
As I am sure you are all already aware, Saturday May 2nd is World Labryrinth Day. Does this not seem like the ideal day to visit a few of the public labyrinths in the city?

I have had an idea in mind for many years to take a day-long roam to do as many as possible, but that was in the days of the Land's End labyrinth. In this one-way roam, we will have a chance to do our walking meditation around three of the city's finest.

We will start at Duboce Park, where there will be a special event starting at 12:15: you can join the worldwide labyrinth walk at 1:00pm if you like, or wait for us to start at 1:30. We end at Grace Cathedral, home to the most famous city labyrinth. We will also visit the lesser-known one on Clay St on the way round, as well as visiting a couple of parks and perhaps the narrowest alley in the city.

Apart from walking in circles, we will be climbing uphill a couple of times.

Bringing water, snacks, and layers for all the microclimates is the way to go. There's still a small chance of rain - I will be tracking the forecasts and updating if necessary.

These roams are offered by donation. They are one way I am able to pay my rent in San Francisco.

Punctuality is always appreciated. Please send a message on the app if you are running a little late. I can usually respond to messages (direct messages are best - not a comment on the event) before we get underway, but then I won't be checking my phone.

I know Meetup is notorious for no-shows and late changes of rsvp. I am not as strict as other organisers (we do talk to each other!), but since generally up to half the people who sign up don't show up, my tolerance for repeated flakiness is limited.
20 attendees