A Pair of Helping Hands Under the Golden Gate Bridge

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.runnersworld.com/where-to-run/a-pair-of-helping-hands-under-the-golden-gate-bridge?page=single

Ironworker's idea becomes sign of encouragement for runners, and others.

By Blane Bachelor
Published November 18, 2013



Ken Hopper with the sign he created. (Photo by Adrian Mendoza)


At an old military post called Fort Point tucked under the foot of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, a small sign hangs from a chain-link fence where the sidewalk ends. It reads “Hoppers Hands,” with a life-size pair of bronze-colored hands on it; below the sign, a few feet off the ground, a smaller one, with a pair of dog paw prints, is affixed.

Throughout the day, a steady stream of runners flows through the parking lot to touch, high-five, or fist-bump the hands before turning around, while those with canine companions do the same with their pets’ paws on the lower sign. Tourists, meanwhile, pause from snapping photos and watch curiously.



As odd as it may appear to unknowing onlookers, this ritual is a beloved tradition among Bay Area runners. But while the beautiful “Hopper’s Hands” route itself – winding northwest along the waterfront with spectacular views of Alcatraz, the bridge, and the Marin Headlands – is one of the most popular in San Francisco, the true story behind the sign remains a mystery to many.

After all, there’s no plaque or official record explaining what it’s all about. Instead, word-of-mouth accounts and online searches reveal various layers of accuracy. One theory is that the sign is a tribute to the Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo, filmed on the Golden Gate Bridge. A Yelp entry spins the tale of an eccentric man named Gatticus Hopper, who lived nude on Alcatraz with his wife and children. An online media report refers to the man behind the sign, Ken Hopper, in the past tense.

FULL story at link.