Hilltop Gingerbread Monolith Delights San Francisco Residents

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/AP) -- While a mystery still surrounds steel monoliths found in Utah's Lockhart Basin, in Romania and near the summit of a trail in Atascadero, San Franciscans got their own surprise on hilltop high above the city Christmas morning, but this one had a decidedly holiday flavor it.

Early morning hikers discovered that someone had constructed a towering monolith in Corona Heights Park. But it wasn't made of shiny steel like the others -- it was constructed with gingerbread, glued together with swirls of frosting.

San Francisco officials said they had no idea how built the towering treat.

"In a way I felt like the gingerbread monolith totally captured the quirkiness of this city and I thought that it perfectly represented many of the reasons why I love San Francisco," local resident Josh Ackerman told the BBC.

During his morning run, Ananda Sharma told KQED-FM he climbed to Corona Heights Park to see the sunrise when he spotted what he thought was a big post. He said he smelled the scent of gingerbread before realizing what it was.

"It made me smile. I wonder who did it, and when they put it there," he said.

People trekked to the park throughout the day, even as light rain fell on the ephemeral, edible art object. In one video posted online, someone took a bite of the gingerbread.

By Saturday afternoon, the tower had crumbled.

It immediately triggered an avalanche of photos and comments on social media.