Near the Golden Gate, Seeking Broader Access to Parks


Dan Hill and his wife, Ann Sieck. She has joined a class-action lawsuit over access at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

By CAROLYN MARSHALL - Published: March 18, 2008 - New York Times

SAUSALITO, Calif. — While other visitors hiking the majestic bluffs known as the Marin Headlands stare out toward mesmerizing views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean, Ann Sieck gazes at the ground, puzzling over a rock jutting up from the path.

For Ms. Sieck, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, the rock is the kind of obstacle that forces her to stay mindful of potential hazards overlooked by most visitors.

“When I meet with a barrier — especially a man-made barrier like a wooden bridge with steps at the end — it gets me in the stomach,” said Ms. Sieck, 58, an avid hiker before the disease sapped her ability to walk 12 years ago. “It makes me angry, but it’s a feeling of impotent anger.”

In the hope of lessening that feeling, Ms. Sieck has joined a federal class-action lawsuit against the National Park Service and its Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a series of parks and open spaces that traverse 75,000 acres of public land and 59 miles of Pacific shoreline and include landmarks like Alcatraz and Muir Woods.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/us...th&oref=slogin

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