Elliott and I made a last minute trip to Big Sur this weekend. Friday night laying in bed I pitched the idea. It didn’t go over very well. Mostly because Elliott thought we would need to wait for REI to open to replenish our fuel supply for our cooking stove and I was too excited to get on the road to do that! So I got up early, made breakfast, reheated pancakes, defrosted and sugared strawberries, Elliott actually cooked the eggs and we discussed again. And we decided to go, sans fuel.
Our goal was to camp. There are several first come first serve spots that seemed promising although we had no idea if we would actually be able to get a spot or not. We packed lightly. We brought only our little 6 pack size cooler with yogurt, cheese, turkey, lettuce and dressing, and peaches. Be brought a few options for bread, an extra fiber english muffin, one bagel, two dutch crunch rolls, and several protein and similar bars. We filled two water bottles, two camel backs for a hike and a larger jug only previously used for Sangria in case water was limited. We brought bug spray and sunscreen. The camera, iPod, and phones, oh and I brought my gps style watch which we did use. We brought bathing suits and towels, although never used them. Lastly we packed the tent, sleeping bags, thermarests (little 1″ mattresses if you can call them that) and were off by about 9:30am which included a trip to the store for some of the food mentioned above.
It was to be about a 2.5 hour drive and it was. I had an email with the campsites prepared and we stopped at the northernmost one on the list that was near the water. It was about noon. The ranger said it was a 50/50 chance he would have a site available and he would know by 1pm, noon was check out. I was ok with waiting there although Elliott primed to see some sites suggested we go check out one of the things on our list to see, Pfeiffer Beach. So we drove about 6 miles south. The turn off is an unmarked road and is two miles of a one lane road with turn outs for when you meet a car coming the other way. We followed a truck with a surf board, so we felt confident we were on to something. Unfortunately when we reached the bottom the ranger let in the last car and then told a few cars in front of us that they were full. Given the chance to wait we declined, unsure when we might be let in. At that point we decided to go back and check with the 50/50 ranger. We were a little early from the 1pm suggested time, Elliott offered for us to wait in the parking lot when the ranger said, we’ve got it sorted out we have a spot for you, success! Our first spur of the moment, relatively poorly planned trip, looked like it may work out ok.
The site was a “walk in” site. About 1/3 a mile. Which we ended up doing about 12 times. Although walk in is quite nice once your in, car camping always feels a bit like cheating to me. We took one light load out the first round out. We found our site, #20 and set up our tent in one of the areas of ground not holy from the squirrels underground transportation system. I set a few things on the table, food in canvas bags and was quickly surprised by how brazen the squirrels are, one chewed a hole through the canvas bag and we believe bit through the english muffin bag and a Lara bar. I realized then there were “bear lockers” available that were actually squirrel lockers. We put up the tent and I almost caught a picture of Elliott on the bench with a squirrel coming up to take a nibble at him although he got spooked before I could get the picture off.
At this point it was lunch time, so we headed down the trail to see what we might find with the cooler in hand. We hoped the park had beach access although given the quick planning we didn’t know. We walked another maybe half mile, through the beautiful smell of eucalyptus trees, along a river, and eventually saw the ocean! There were quite a few people there laying in the sand taking it in. We plopped ourselves down and ate our butter lettuce salad with lemon dressing, and I dreamed of walking down the entire beach to a rock outcropping that seemed reachable, far at the other end. We enjoyed our lunch and then headed back to unpack before a hike.
We went back to the car for the next load and also to inquire about fire wood. Fortunately the rangers (the sweetest couple, older folks) had some, at first she started to say we would have to go 3 miles down the road until she remembered her stash had been refilled, $8 for a decent stack. Unfortunately we would have to walk it in with the rest of our stuff. We hadn’t brought matches or a lighter, the downside to not being smokers, so I asked if she had any extra and graciously she gave us a little box of matches which she asked that we return. I carried what felt like a mountain of stuff. My backpack with clothes and warm stuff, my camel back on the front full of water. One camping chair which Elliott suggested we leave behind although I lobbied otherwise, he carried the other. One bag with the sleeping bags, and one bag with the thermarests. Elliott carried the one chair and the wood and boy that wood must have been heavy! Elliott grunted damn near the whole way to the campsite. My shoulders hurt, my arms were tired, and at times I wanted to take a break, although I couldn’t stop laughing under my breath at Elliott’s exhaustion of carrying the wood, I almost offered to trade him loads, although part of me knew that the wood probably was pretty heavy. We laughed about this later and he said he would like to see me carry the wood from the fire ring to the tent, which I did with a smile on my face and prance in my step! No doubt it was heavy and annoying to have to lug in.
At this point we decided to go for a hike. We had checked out the trail map at the ranger station and we saw that there was a bluff trail that went right down the direction of ocean toward that outcropping that beckoned me. I put on my trail runners, although there would be no running, sans socks for any water crossings. Elliott put on his five fingers. We brought a bar each in our camel backs filled with water. I put sunscreen on only my face, we packed the camera and off we went. I think we figured it would be an out and back, when we felt we had gone far enough, and hopefully had found access to the beach further down the trail then we would turn back. I started my gps about 1/2 mile into it, we crossed the Big Sur river which widened and slowed to an easy 1′-1.5′ deep crossing. We headed down the beach toward the trail head which we had watched people traverse during lunch. Eventually the Ridge Trail and the Bluff Trail split and we took the Bluff. The views of the ocean were wonderful and we took pictures every so often as we climbed higher and the beach we started on got smaller. Our destination, the out cropping, seemed to stay the same distance away. After about 1.5 hours and 3 miles we saw a map at a trail intersection and we realized that we could do a loop instead of an out and back by tying into the Ridge Trail and taking it back to our camp. That was exciting. We decided that we would hike for one more hour and if we reached the turnaround point than we would go to the Ridge Trail, although if we didn’t we would head back. We didn’t want to spend the sunset or dinner on the trail especially without flash lights.
The trail intersection showed a Spring Trail down to the ocean, we hadn’t yet found ocean access, so we took a quick detour, and it was well worth it. I loved the site at the bottom, this mountain of, I don’t know what, rocks or tree stumps, whatever they were they were quite fun to travel over toward the beach. We were the only ones on the beach and it was perfect. We watched the waves for a few minutes, looked out at the boats that we had watched from the trail, I continued to look for whales, even though I don’t think they are expected this time of year, and then we headed back on our journey.
It was a tough trail. Some of it after this point a bit over grown and narrow, and dang it seemed like we were just going up and up and up, and indeed we were. I thought I might not make it although I hoped that we would make it to the Ridge Trail and then just coast home on the top of the world. We finally made it to the top and thank goodness there was a bench, the first and only bench on our trek, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Interestingly there was also a house out there. Funny, we felt like we had, and well we had, hiked for miles, in what seemed like the “wilderness” and it was only to stumble on a dirt road, Private signs, and a multimillion dollar house with a sculpture in the back yard, we were a little annoyed. I considered sticking my big toe under the barbed wire barrier to feel the glamor of Private Property although I was too tired to bother.
We shared our bars half and half which was good, one was very fruity-tangy and the other pretty chocolately, together they were more bearable. We drank water and we admired our achievement, we were definitely above the clouds! From here out, our hopes came true, the ridge trail was not only flat it was down hill all the way back. It was a nice wide, sandy trail and we blazed back to camp. The camp soon grew closer and the out cropping, which ended being home the house, was in our dust. Just as we started turn down into the beach we came upon a deer, a mother with two younger ones. We went the other way down a different trail and let them pass. We made it back to the beach and we sat down, back where we started almost 8 miles later. We had earned our dinner! We rested for a bit as the sun went down behind the headlands, we cleaned our feet and shoes walking through the river and we old lady walked it back to camp. Elliott had started to talk about his dogs hurting about 1/2 way through the trip and at this point he was in pretty good pain. My feet were uncomfortable although didn’t hurt like his did. When we got back to camp he took off his shoes and found a blister with sand in it! Is that gross or what, I don’t even know how that happens. I was in the tent putting my jeans on as it was getting cold and he called me out to see it. I generally like things like this, although even that was a bit much for me. He found several others in similar condition and he proceeded to free the dirt from his body.
I started to get ready to get the fire going. Neither Elliott nor I have ever started a fire, this was to be our first, for ourselves and together! Fortunately I had watched someone start a fire at our Labor Day camping trip so I was confident I could do it. The only thing we were lacking was paper. I set the kindling and larger wood up in a tee-pee, as I had witnessed before. I tried to light some of the kindling to get the fire going although it was not near as easy as lighting paper. I tried, Elliott tried, the matches blew out in the wind, or the kindling just wouldn’t catch. Eventually Elliott found two pieces of paper in his backpack. We stuffed it into the tee-pee and lit it, although it wasn’t enough, it burned, caught a few pieces, we blew on it, tried to get it catch other pieces although eventually it died.
Meanwhile the fires in the pits around us were all going strong, we were starting to feel the pressure of the sun going down and the cold sneaking in. I remembered I had tissue paper in the glove box for any of those last minute gift wrapping emergencies and thought, hoped it might do the trick. We took off to the car, one more time, feet just screaming at us. Elliott thought we might as well just go to the store at this point to get matches as well as we had already burned through about 2/3 of the box with our failed attempts. At that point I remembered I had a note book in the car, with paper that was certain to burn better than tissue paper. With that we decided we could do it with the matches we had. We hobbled back to camp, by now it was getting dark enough to warrant a light, which Elliott had also retrieved from the car. We walked back into camp, ripped strips and crumpled others, determined to get our own fire going. We put more paper in there than necessary so that we wouldn’t have to go through watching it fade out again. We lit it, and if it ever started to die down even a bit we shoved more paper in there, until finally the kindling had caught, and then a big piece of wood caught. We watched it for a quite a while just to make sure it wouldn’t die on us, and it didn’t. We had started our first fire! And we started the day without matches! It was such a rewarding feeling. Starting and enjoying our own fire. We added wood to it as the night went on. We watched the fire. And then we watched the stars. I can’t remember the last time I really looked at the stars on such a clear night, the moon wasn’t to be found so the stars were brighter than I could imagine.
Eventually Elliott started to lobby for sleep. I work hard to time my water consumption and restroom visits so that I will not have to go in the middle of the night. So I made my last trip to the restroom. I stood by the fire and rotated slowly to warm all sides and then we put it out with water and retreated. I slept pretty well. If anything I was hot. I woke up only a couple times, and I was bummed I hadn’t worn a watch because I like to know what time it is. Finally I woke up when it was light outside, really light, so I knew it wasn’t early, like 6am early. Elliott wrestled awake as well. I had to go the bathroom and he said he was right behind me, which he was, unlike the “5 minutes” he gave me during Labor Day camping.
Kids were already up and playing at a nearby camp although otherwise not many other people were stirring. Our rain fly was wet from the humidity, which amazes me every time. In our desperate hunger after our hike we had eaten not only our dinner although also our breakfast, so we had decided to go out for breakfast, a version of what Monica, who we used to work with, calls fancy lady camping. She goes “camping” although they eat dinner out at a nice restaurant. So we walked to the car, on the way we saw the buck, which we assumed belonged to the family we saw the day before. I couldn’t really make him out although Elliott said he was quite impressive. We got in the car and we went the 3 miles down the road to have breakfast at the River Inn. It was 7:57 and it was to open at 8am, at least that’s with the biker couple told us who were waiting outside. We walked over to the associated and open market to buy matches to replace the ones we had squandered making our first fire and we waited with the biker couple. They were quite friendly, enjoying an anniversary weekend, and they were headed back to Ventura, all along Highway 1. Eventually they got around to opening the restaurant. Elliott and I cleaned our plates like it was our last meal, I even asked for another piece of toast. I was sad to undo all of our work, although we are planning a 7 day detox starting tomorrow so I also felt like it might be my last good meal for awhile so I enjoyed it.
By then the sun had come up and dried out the rain fly on our tent. We did the walk one last time, packed up the rest of the stuff, and headed home. All in all, our limited planned trip was a success, filled with firsts, an epic hike, and time away from the grind and the couch. We plan to go back, hike more of Big Sur, this time with a lighter and paper in our camping box.
