Okay, so life continues to intervene.
The Trinity trip (June 12-14) is CANCELED because of an Active 20-30 camping trip. I'll just have to hike a long ways while drunk now. Normally I would push it to another weekend, but the weekend before I am moving, the weekend after I am at a wedding, and the weekend after I need to rest.
The Little Sur trip (October 2-4) is CANCELED because my 10th annual high school reunion is that weekend. This trip was supposed to be the last hurrah, but I don't trust the weather after this.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Skyline-to-Sea Trip Report
Wow, this post has gone too long without being written. So I finally took the remaining time had off to sit down and finish it.
The Sublime
I grew up in Northern California. We used to visit Armstrong Grove and see the Redwoods. These same trees are all over the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The fog rolls in and gets captured in the deep, narrow valleys. This, along with ample run-off from all of the creeks, provides enough water to grow a tree hundreds of feet tall and hundreds of years old.
And there are thousands of them.
The valleys trap this moisture, making the trail humid. The redwoods provide shade, making the trail cool. Smaller plants and trees scrabble for prime position next to a creek or near a fallen tree where they can get sunlight.
The creeks are full of careworn stones, granite, quartz, and slate. Exposed by the seismic uplift of the Californian coast, these rocks have have been ejected from the molten mantel of the Earth.
One of my favorite things about camping is figuring out to make due without the stuff you forgot. The quick list of what I remember I forgot ("there are thing you remembered to remember, things you remembered you forgot, things you remembered to forget, and things you've forgotten you forgot," Jeff "Rummy" Heckey):
All-in-all, though, I think ingenuity, critical thinking, and just plain stubbornness got us through the trip.
The rest of the pictures can be found here, at my Picasa page.
Happy Trails.
The Sublime
I grew up in Northern California. We used to visit Armstrong Grove and see the Redwoods. These same trees are all over the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The fog rolls in and gets captured in the deep, narrow valleys. This, along with ample run-off from all of the creeks, provides enough water to grow a tree hundreds of feet tall and hundreds of years old.
And there are thousands of them.
The valleys trap this moisture, making the trail humid. The redwoods provide shade, making the trail cool. Smaller plants and trees scrabble for prime position next to a creek or near a fallen tree where they can get sunlight.
The creeks are full of careworn stones, granite, quartz, and slate. Exposed by the seismic uplift of the Californian coast, these rocks have have been ejected from the molten mantel of the Earth.
The Banal
We started out from Roseville at about 4pm on Friday. We dropped off Matt's truck at the Waddell Beach Campground around 9:30pm. About 12am we arrived where the Waterman Gap Campground is at the crossroads between Hwy 9 and Hwy 236. About 12:01am, we passed Waterman Gap Campground looking for signs to Waterman Gap Campground. At 12:30pm we pulled into the Castle Rock State Park main lot. We then consulted the map and found that, not only was Waterman Gap exactly where I thought it was, but there was supposed to be parking nearby. We returned to the crossroads and looked for parking. We found "No Parking" signs instead. After consultation of the available data sources (i.e., my memory, Google maps, and Matt's indisputable logic), we went with Matt's suggestion of foregoing Waterman Gap in favor of Jay Campground near Big Basin HQ. We arrived at the campsite at about 1:30am, and were setup and asleep by about 2:30am. The next morning (around 10 am) I spent about 30 minutes explaining this turn of events to the strikingly large number of attractive park rangers and getting the campsites sorted. We then ate Matt's chorizo con papas for breakfast, and despite its location in the flow of the text, it was excellent.
On Saturday we hiked along the Sequoia Trail through the main valley of Big Basin up to Sempervirens Falls (somewhat underwhelming, if truth be told). From there we took the Shadowbrook Trail back around to campsite again.
While preparing lunch and hanging out at the campsite, a guy approached me and asked if I was Jeff. It turns out he and his friends were doing the Skyline-to-Sea Trail without reservations. He hoped that we would share our campsite (max. 6 people), in exchange for paying for the site and beer. We, of course, said yes.
We hung out with them for dinner and swapped stories. It turns out that the original guy (yes, I forgot his name) knows the author of the Backpack Gourmet, my camping cookbook. This came up because we made and dehydrated the book's gumbo stew. It was very good. I've yet to dislike a recipe from that book.
Sunday, we left from Jay Campground and headed out on the third leg of the Skyline-to-Sea Trail. The first section of the trail was closed due to down trees and trail damage, so we started out on the Sunset Trail for about 1.5 miles before it joined back up with Skyline-to-Sea. It also turned out that I have accidentally scheduled a trip on the same day and same trails as an Ultramarathon. Again (see Mt. Tam). I need to make sure that no other trips are co-scheduled with runs.
About 5-6 miles down the trail we took a detour to see the Berry Creek Falls. This was an aggressive trail, going up about 500 feet in three stages over about 1.2 miles one way. This caused Matt some discomfort because of his enormously long legs, but at least he toughed through it well.
From the base of Berry Creek, we continued along the Skyline-to-Sea Trail. The trail is beautiful. It is mostly a gentle downhill, with needlessly painful and annoying uphill when you are expecting only downhill.
We reach the final, mostly level portion of the trail and continued along for about 2 miles. Eventually, we came to a sign saying about 2 miles to go. About half-mile or a little more we ran into a father and son bicycling who said it was about 1.25 miles to go to get back. About 40 minutes later, just as I started cursing the fact that we should have (at our current pace) gone about 2 miles, we went up a final hill and reached the Waddell Beach Campground and the truck. It felt good to lay down.
On our drive back, we stopped at Hawgs Seafood Restaurant. Very good stuff, very fresh. Very hard to find around Sac. Plus they have sazerac on the drink list. :)
On Saturday we hiked along the Sequoia Trail through the main valley of Big Basin up to Sempervirens Falls (somewhat underwhelming, if truth be told). From there we took the Shadowbrook Trail back around to campsite again.
While preparing lunch and hanging out at the campsite, a guy approached me and asked if I was Jeff. It turns out he and his friends were doing the Skyline-to-Sea Trail without reservations. He hoped that we would share our campsite (max. 6 people), in exchange for paying for the site and beer. We, of course, said yes.
We hung out with them for dinner and swapped stories. It turns out that the original guy (yes, I forgot his name) knows the author of the Backpack Gourmet, my camping cookbook. This came up because we made and dehydrated the book's gumbo stew. It was very good. I've yet to dislike a recipe from that book.
Sunday, we left from Jay Campground and headed out on the third leg of the Skyline-to-Sea Trail. The first section of the trail was closed due to down trees and trail damage, so we started out on the Sunset Trail for about 1.5 miles before it joined back up with Skyline-to-Sea. It also turned out that I have accidentally scheduled a trip on the same day and same trails as an Ultramarathon. Again (see Mt. Tam). I need to make sure that no other trips are co-scheduled with runs.
About 5-6 miles down the trail we took a detour to see the Berry Creek Falls. This was an aggressive trail, going up about 500 feet in three stages over about 1.2 miles one way. This caused Matt some discomfort because of his enormously long legs, but at least he toughed through it well.
From the base of Berry Creek, we continued along the Skyline-to-Sea Trail. The trail is beautiful. It is mostly a gentle downhill, with needlessly painful and annoying uphill when you are expecting only downhill.
We reach the final, mostly level portion of the trail and continued along for about 2 miles. Eventually, we came to a sign saying about 2 miles to go. About half-mile or a little more we ran into a father and son bicycling who said it was about 1.25 miles to go to get back. About 40 minutes later, just as I started cursing the fact that we should have (at our current pace) gone about 2 miles, we went up a final hill and reached the Waddell Beach Campground and the truck. It felt good to lay down.
On our drive back, we stopped at Hawgs Seafood Restaurant. Very good stuff, very fresh. Very hard to find around Sac. Plus they have sazerac on the drink list. :)
The Forgotten
One of my favorite things about camping is figuring out to make due without the stuff you forgot. The quick list of what I remember I forgot ("there are thing you remembered to remember, things you remembered you forgot, things you remembered to forget, and things you've forgotten you forgot," Jeff "Rummy" Heckey):
- eggs (hence only chorizo con papas);
- hip-flask;
- to allow extra time for organizing when more than one person involved;
- to buy a map with the complete trail on it;
- to completely research the access to the trail; and last but most certainly not least
- boots.
All-in-all, though, I think ingenuity, critical thinking, and just plain stubbornness got us through the trip.
The rest of the pictures can be found here, at my Picasa page.
Happy Trails.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Santa Cruz Mountains and Thanks
First off, I would like to thank all of you for the emails and words of encouragement and interest in this project. It's been a great support to me and motivation to keep going.
Now, the trip. I will be traveling with Matt Hall, one of my friends from HP. We'll be doing an abbreviated version of the trail, since we only have Saturday and Sunday, and I would like to reach the beach.
We will be driving out Friday night and placing one car at Waddell Beach and then driving a second car back to the Waterman Gap Campground. We'll start out from Waterman Gap Saturday, just outside of Big Basin in Castle Rock State Park. From there we have a 9.8 mile hike to Jay Campground, by the Big Basin Headquarters. From there we have a 13.3 mile hike to Waddell Beach and the end of the trail, 1200' down from Waterman Gap. Near the bottom we have the option of taking a short loop to see some gorgeous waterfalls at the bottom.
A map of Big Basin can be found here. A map of Castle Rock State Park, where Waterman Gap is, can be found here.
Now, the trip. I will be traveling with Matt Hall, one of my friends from HP. We'll be doing an abbreviated version of the trail, since we only have Saturday and Sunday, and I would like to reach the beach.
We will be driving out Friday night and placing one car at Waddell Beach and then driving a second car back to the Waterman Gap Campground. We'll start out from Waterman Gap Saturday, just outside of Big Basin in Castle Rock State Park. From there we have a 9.8 mile hike to Jay Campground, by the Big Basin Headquarters. From there we have a 13.3 mile hike to Waddell Beach and the end of the trail, 1200' down from Waterman Gap. Near the bottom we have the option of taking a short loop to see some gorgeous waterfalls at the bottom.
A map of Big Basin can be found here. A map of Castle Rock State Park, where Waterman Gap is, can be found here.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Desolation Wilderness Permits
Just a quick reminder: if you are interested in the July 24-26 trip to Desolation Wilderness, please contact me soon. The permits are available this Thursday and I would like to get them as soon as possible.
Also, I have booked campsites for the Skyline-to-Sea trail. There are still four spaces available if you would like to come.
UPDATE: The reservations have been made. I have reservations for 6, with 4 (including me) already signed up. The ranger said there were plenty of additional reservations available, so don't be shy about more people. Please let me know if you want to bring kids or dogs.
We will be camping on Saturday by Aloha Lake (area 33). We are allowed to camp off the road on Friday night, just not right by the Echo Trailhead.
Also, I have booked campsites for the Skyline-to-Sea trail. There are still four spaces available if you would like to come.
UPDATE: The reservations have been made. I have reservations for 6, with 4 (including me) already signed up. The ranger said there were plenty of additional reservations available, so don't be shy about more people. Please let me know if you want to bring kids or dogs.
We will be camping on Saturday by Aloha Lake (area 33). We are allowed to camp off the road on Friday night, just not right by the Echo Trailhead.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Mt. Tamalpias Trip Log
A couple quick notes about the trip before I start the report.
It was a dark and stormy nig... morning. Okay, so it was kind of bright, but I definitely just wanted to go back to bed and sleep through the rain. Even so, I got up and headed out about 9am from my apartment to Mt. Tam.
It actually took me longer to get there than I thought, what with driving through the winding roads of Mill Valley, but I arrived at Pan Toll Campground (or Pantoll; I've seen it both ways) around 11:30 and got checked in.
Around noon, I hit the Matt Davis trail and headed east toward the East Peak. I connected into the Hoo-Koo-E-Koo Trail (the coolest trail name in the park), up Vic Huan Trail, and lastly up Temelpa Trail to the top of the East Peak. A summitted around 2:30pm.
The view from the top of the mountain is spectacular. I could see all of Marin, Stinson Beach, Oakland, San Francisco and most of the Bay - almost to San Jose.
There is a short trail, the Verna Dunshee Trail (0.7 miles), around the top of the mountain, and the Plank Trail (0.3 miles) leads to the very peak, where the fire lookout is. The peak is also very developed, with a visitors' center, restrooms, and even a snack bar.
It turns out that in 1896 a railroad was completed that would take tourists to the top of the mountain. It was called the "Crookedest Railroad in the World," at one point paralleling itself five times in 200 yards. A tavern and an inn were also built at the top for guests. Luminaries such as John Muir and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were among the visitors.
I headed back down after exploring the top and talking to ranger in their visitors' center. I took the Fern Creek trail down to the Old Railroad Grade. That led me to the West Point Inn, a cute little place with detached cottages and views of the Bay. From there I took the Spring Trail to the Mountain Theater.
The Mountain Theater is an amphitheater made of tiered stones. It is pretty cool and apparently they still have shows out there.
From there I took Bootjack Trail back to Pan Toll and arrived about 5:30pm.
Chad showed up a bit later, and we got catch up over dinner and cigars.
Day 2:
Chad and I took off down the Dipsea Trail. About a mile from Stinson Beach we ran into some runners. There were three circuits, a 7 mile, a 25k, and a marathon. We had to make way several times for the runners both on Dipsea, and when we were climbing the Matt Davis Trail back to camp. The Matt Davis Trail should really only be taken west to the beach, not east, because the trail climbs about 1200 feet in about 2 miles, making it very steep.
The trails around Mt. Tam are beautiful, typically surrounded by tall oaks, pines and redwoods, passing creeks covered in ferns. Matt Davis crosses two large meadows with beautiful views of the surrounding areas. Much of the east-side of the mountain is covered in low brush, live oak, and manzanita.
After returning to camp for lunch, we took a quick loop following the TCC and Alpine trails. Finally, we drove up to the top so Chad could the view from there.
We both took off about 5pm to head our separate ways.
I'll upload the trip pictures tomorrow.
UPDATE: Pictures have been uploaded to http://picasaweb.google.com/jheckey/MtTam. Please take a look.
- Remember in my last post how I said you plan carefully. This does not stop applying. It goes faster, but I forgot my climbing rope (just in case), and almost forgot my camera and my sleeping bag. PLAN EVERY TIME!
- Despite remembering my camera, I still forgot to charge it. So the photos that will be posted are horrible. But horrible beats nothing. Most of the time.
- The trail map for Mt. Tam State Park doesn't list mileage information, and I was writing it down as I went, so all distances are approximate and designed to make me look better. :-)
It was a dark and stormy nig... morning. Okay, so it was kind of bright, but I definitely just wanted to go back to bed and sleep through the rain. Even so, I got up and headed out about 9am from my apartment to Mt. Tam.
It actually took me longer to get there than I thought, what with driving through the winding roads of Mill Valley, but I arrived at Pan Toll Campground (or Pantoll; I've seen it both ways) around 11:30 and got checked in.
Around noon, I hit the Matt Davis trail and headed east toward the East Peak. I connected into the Hoo-Koo-E-Koo Trail (the coolest trail name in the park), up Vic Huan Trail, and lastly up Temelpa Trail to the top of the East Peak. A summitted around 2:30pm.
The view from the top of the mountain is spectacular. I could see all of Marin, Stinson Beach, Oakland, San Francisco and most of the Bay - almost to San Jose.
There is a short trail, the Verna Dunshee Trail (0.7 miles), around the top of the mountain, and the Plank Trail (0.3 miles) leads to the very peak, where the fire lookout is. The peak is also very developed, with a visitors' center, restrooms, and even a snack bar.
It turns out that in 1896 a railroad was completed that would take tourists to the top of the mountain. It was called the "Crookedest Railroad in the World," at one point paralleling itself five times in 200 yards. A tavern and an inn were also built at the top for guests. Luminaries such as John Muir and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were among the visitors.
I headed back down after exploring the top and talking to ranger in their visitors' center. I took the Fern Creek trail down to the Old Railroad Grade. That led me to the West Point Inn, a cute little place with detached cottages and views of the Bay. From there I took the Spring Trail to the Mountain Theater.
The Mountain Theater is an amphitheater made of tiered stones. It is pretty cool and apparently they still have shows out there.
From there I took Bootjack Trail back to Pan Toll and arrived about 5:30pm.
Chad showed up a bit later, and we got catch up over dinner and cigars.
Day 2:
Chad and I took off down the Dipsea Trail. About a mile from Stinson Beach we ran into some runners. There were three circuits, a 7 mile, a 25k, and a marathon. We had to make way several times for the runners both on Dipsea, and when we were climbing the Matt Davis Trail back to camp. The Matt Davis Trail should really only be taken west to the beach, not east, because the trail climbs about 1200 feet in about 2 miles, making it very steep.
The trails around Mt. Tam are beautiful, typically surrounded by tall oaks, pines and redwoods, passing creeks covered in ferns. Matt Davis crosses two large meadows with beautiful views of the surrounding areas. Much of the east-side of the mountain is covered in low brush, live oak, and manzanita.
After returning to camp for lunch, we took a quick loop following the TCC and Alpine trails. Finally, we drove up to the top so Chad could the view from there.
We both took off about 5pm to head our separate ways.
I'll upload the trip pictures tomorrow.
UPDATE: Pictures have been uploaded to http://picasaweb.google.com/jheckey/MtTam. Please take a look.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Backpacking 101
So, my take on backpacking is fourfold:
Be prepared is the mantra of the Boy Scouts. They do this more than I do, so I think they should know something about it. The basic idea is to go over every aspect of the trip and figure out what you should and shouldn't bring. If you are in doubt, bring it and make the final determination at the trailhead (this is especially true of things like rain gear). You should have a plan, contact information, a backup plan, a first aid kit, and a contingency plan. This gets easier as you do it more.
Be comfortable means taking gear that fits well and operates effectively. The most important pieces of gear are your boots/shoes, socks, backpack, and sleeping bag. Everything else is personal preference. A final note: AVOID COTTON! There are many alternatives, wool, silk, and synthetics, that can be bought for very reasonable prices. The goal is to wick sweat and moisture away from the body. That means you will be warmer, drier, and chafe less or not at all.
Travel light means taking only what you need for the trip. Just enough food, only enough clothes, no unnecessary gear. Feel free to bring more than you need to the trailhead, but do a final packing before heading off. And feel free to keep a final change of clothes in the car, it cuts down on stinky rides home.
Lastly, here are some packing lists that I have found. Feel free to follow them as closely as you want, I will gladly go over them with you to make sure you are prepared and not spending more than you should.
That's the brain dump. I'll be talking more later on specific topics (e.g., backpacks, sleeping bags, foot care, etc.) later.
- Leave no trace
- Be prepared
- Be comfortable
- Travel light
Be prepared is the mantra of the Boy Scouts. They do this more than I do, so I think they should know something about it. The basic idea is to go over every aspect of the trip and figure out what you should and shouldn't bring. If you are in doubt, bring it and make the final determination at the trailhead (this is especially true of things like rain gear). You should have a plan, contact information, a backup plan, a first aid kit, and a contingency plan. This gets easier as you do it more.
Be comfortable means taking gear that fits well and operates effectively. The most important pieces of gear are your boots/shoes, socks, backpack, and sleeping bag. Everything else is personal preference. A final note: AVOID COTTON! There are many alternatives, wool, silk, and synthetics, that can be bought for very reasonable prices. The goal is to wick sweat and moisture away from the body. That means you will be warmer, drier, and chafe less or not at all.
Travel light means taking only what you need for the trip. Just enough food, only enough clothes, no unnecessary gear. Feel free to bring more than you need to the trailhead, but do a final packing before heading off. And feel free to keep a final change of clothes in the car, it cuts down on stinky rides home.
Lastly, here are some packing lists that I have found. Feel free to follow them as closely as you want, I will gladly go over them with you to make sure you are prepared and not spending more than you should.
That's the brain dump. I'll be talking more later on specific topics (e.g., backpacks, sleeping bags, foot care, etc.) later.
Mt. Tam and Muir Woods Flight Plan
Alright my friends, here's the breakdown for this weekend's trip. (Eek! I'm already behind!)
I will driving down to Pantoll Campground in the Mt. Tam State Park tomorrow, arriving around 10am. The Pantoll Ranger Station can be reached at 415-388-2070. An annoying map of the area can be found at the Mt Tam website. There is also this brochure, which has a very complicated map on page 6.
My buddy Chad Pry, who some of you may remember from UOP, will be joining me Friday evening for dinner and camping. Saturday we will both go hiking and then leave for our respective Easter festivities.
We will be sticking to the trails, but have no set plan. The trails I'm interested in are the Matt Davis, Bootjack, and pretty much everything that will get to the top of Mt. Tam.
Happy Trails!
I will driving down to Pantoll Campground in the Mt. Tam State Park tomorrow, arriving around 10am. The Pantoll Ranger Station can be reached at 415-388-2070. An annoying map of the area can be found at the Mt Tam website. There is also this brochure, which has a very complicated map on page 6.
My buddy Chad Pry, who some of you may remember from UOP, will be joining me Friday evening for dinner and camping. Saturday we will both go hiking and then leave for our respective Easter festivities.
We will be sticking to the trails, but have no set plan. The trails I'm interested in are the Matt Davis, Bootjack, and pretty much everything that will get to the top of Mt. Tam.
Happy Trails!
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