48 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {due west} words by ANDREA GEMMET Lazy days spent wandering through the forest, looking for the perfect stick for roasting marshmallows. Hiding in a hollow tree trunk, climbing on logs and tossing rocks into the creek. Singing campfire songs beneath the stars before zipping into a cozy sleeping bag. For anyone who hasn’t been camping since childhood, or who wants to introduce a new generation to the delights of an overnight in the woods, San Mateo County’s Memorial, Sam MacDonald and Pescadero Creek beauty of the area, along with some persistent lobbying by a school superintendent and a Loma Mar teacher, convinced San Mateo County Supervisors to purchase the land from a logging company. In 1924, they dedicated it to the memory of the 51 San Mateo County residents who lost their lives in World War I. Since then, Memorial Park has seen generations of families come for hiking, picnicking and camping. Ranger Katherine Wright is one of them. “My grandparents camped there with my dad and his brother,” she recalls. “I grew up in San Mateo, and my parents would take us camping at Memorial Park every summer. It’s a great place. You’d make instant friends with families in neighboring campsites.” On a sunny day just a few weeks before Memorial Day weekend, Katherine and her fellow county parks staffers are preparing for the summer season. Restrooms and showers have been renovated, picnic tables replaced. Walking along a sun-dappled trail lined with pale blue forget-me-nots blooming beneath towering redwoods, she recalls younger days splashing in Pescadero Creek and imagining fairies hiding in trees. “Having a place within an hour’s drive was awesome—It made it easier, more available for us to go camping, even on a whim,” she smiles. As a teen, Katherine spent her summers working as a park aide. “I never really considered it as a CAMPING roughing it PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF SAN MATEO COUNTY PARKS parks are waiting for you to pitch your tent. These picturesque spots don’t require you to get up before dawn and spend half the day driving to a campground, yet they still feel a world apart from the busy Peninsula. Located about an hour away in Loma Mar and La Honda, you’ll find miles of trails, picnicking facilities and an abundance of weekend activities throughout the summer. As the county’s oldest park, Memorial will celebrate its 100th anniversary in July. The natural
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