Bay Area Woman Completes 1,000-Mile Walk Along Bay Trail

It took her two years, but Corinne DeBra finally completed the entire Bay Trail — all 1,000 miles of it.

Still under construction, the Bay Trail is a 500-mile shoreline trail that connects various bicycling and hiking paths throughout all nine Bay Area counties. The trail, which includes some public roads, such as Union City Boulevard in Union City, runs through 47 cities and across major bridges, according to the San Francisco Bay Trail Project website.

“If I can do it, then anyone can do it,” DeBra said.

The 55-year-old technology consultant started walking the trail in segments during her free time in late 2009. She started in Mountain View at Shoreline Park, worked her way up to San Francisco and eventually made it to the East Bay. In each outing, she’d park her car and walk a few miles along the trail before working her way back, doubling the length of her journey.

Though she walked the majority of the trail this fall, DeBra returned last weekend to complete a segment along the Alameda Creek Regional Trail in Union City that was previously closed for repairs. She finished the last 2.5 miles on Friday, Dec. 9, walking the trail from Union City Boulevard and into Coyote Hills Park.

“Walking around the Bay was a great opportunity to see more of the Bay Area,” DeBra, a Palo Alto resident, said. “I enjoyed walking through Union City, and along the Alameda Creek Trail.

DeBra said she spends a lot of time sitting down due to her work and was looking for something active. A close friend had also recently passed and she wanted to do something in his honor.

“I decided I really needed to get outside, but I really needed to set a large goal that I was excited about pursuing so that I would be motivated to go out and get some exercise on a regular basis,” she said. “When I got out, I just loved it.”

“For me, the real magic was having lived in the Bay Area for so long and being able to explore so many new things in my backyard,” she added. “There wasn’t one day that I didn’t go out and see something that was completely new to me before.”

While on her walk, DeBra discovered new views and vistas, restaurants and wildlife.

She documented her travels on her blog, www.walking-the-bay.com. She may also compile her journeys into a guidebook of the Bay Trail, she said.

Now that she’s completed her 1,000-mile journey, what’s DeBra going to do next? Start all over again.

On Saturday at 10 a.m. at Shoreline Park in Mountain View, DeBra will start her next trek. She plans on walking north along the Bay Trail into Palo Alto and back. She plans to continue to walk small segments and reach San Francisco sometime in the new year.

She hopes her journey will inspire others and raise more awareness for the Bay Trail.

“I'd recommend walking the Bay Trail to anyone in Union City, or elsewhere — whether you walk one mile or 1,000 miles,” DeBra added. “It's a great, free resource and way to get some fresh air time away from computers and work.”

See highlights from DeBra’s trek along the Alameda Creek and Bay trails on her blog at www.walking-the-bay.com