Drove down this past weekend to Los Padres National Forest with every intention to bag Junipero Serra Peak. (For the record, the drive down at night is gorgeous with millions of stars as far as the eye can see, so that was worth it in itself.) Did I bag it? Not even close. I underestimated the scorching sun, unforgiving heat, lack of shade, and desolate dryness of this side of the Santa Lucia Range.
I am super happy and excited to announce that I’m joining this year’s Hell Hike and Raft crew! I’ll be heading off to Idaho and Hell’s Canyon early September for three days of backpacking and three days of rafting with some stellar folks.
It just so happens that two of my teammates, Russ Beebe the Winehiker and Annie Yearout the OutdoorsyMama, are located in the Bay Area! We decided to have a little tweetup to get to know each other and do some mild training for the trip.
Tomales Point in Point Reyes National Seashore is a moderate 9.4 miler out in the tippity tip of Point Reyes. The drive from the Bay Area is kind of a pain, and the weather can be unpredictable, but when you’re out there, the annoyances disappear.
Had a rare day off several weeks ago with no real plans, so I called up my friend, Karl of Alpha Roaming, to see what kind of mischief he was stirring up for the day. We decided to go chase some plane crashes near El Corte Madera Open Space Preserve.
Sometimes you plan on a really long day out. And sometimes those plans get cut short because you’re captivated by the beauty around you. That’s what happened to me this weekend. I set out to climb up Horsetail Falls into Desolation Wilderness backcountry and out to Lake Aloha, but I was cut short by Ropi Lake.