Escape to Nature: Backpacking in Big Sur

To celebrate our 3-year anniversary, Bryan and I went backpacking up the Pine Ridge Trail in Big Sur. Our destination: Sykes Hot Springs in the Ventana Wilderness. After spending the night at Aimee's in San Luis Obispo, we got an early start and drove up the coast through Morro Bay and San Simeon. Although I've driven up the central coast more than a few times, I'm always in awe over the beauty of the ocean and mountains up there!! In my opinion, THE most beautiful drive in the world!
Bryan and I have talked about the Big Sur/Carmel area being the ideal place to live... ahhh, if we could ever afford it... After a few short vista stops, we reached Big Sur Ranger Station and got our wilderness permit, laced up our boots, and threw our packs on. The weather was perfect--75 and sunny--this was looking to be an excellent trip.

We hit the trail at 10:00 a.m. and were welcomed with a vibrant blue Stellar's Jay and coastal Redwoods everywhere--a gorgeous start to our hike. Parts of the trail took us through chaparral and wildflowers, where other bends would lead us to picturesque waterfalls and creeks. Some of the switchbacks were killer, but overall it was a manageable trail.

After about 7 miles, we decided to make camp at Barlow Flats along the Big Sur River. We were able to find a great place to pitch our tent with a priceless view of the river.

Our #1 thing to do once we took off our packs was to kick off our boots and get into our sandals!!! My feet weren't in too bad of shape (some minor blisters), but man it felt good to give them some air. After putting up the tent and cooking dinner, we crawled into our sleeping bags to get some rest. Unfortunately, my thermarest had a small hole in it, so we had to repair the hole before going to sleep.

We awoke to dappled sunlight and a morning chill. Bryan fired up our small backpacking stove and put some water on to boil while I grabbed the water filter to start pumping some drinking water for our journey that day.

Bryan's coffee and my hot chocolate really hit the spot that chilly morning and got us ready for the climb ahead. After packing up our tent and packs, we hit the trail for our destination: the hot springs!
Now, Bryan and I had journeyed to hot springs before--in Arizona and Jamaica--and you never quite know what kind of people to expect at remote hot springs. At Verde Hot Springs in Arizona, we'd been on back-country roads for over an hour, forged a river, and hiked for about a mile and we thought we we'd be the only ones there, but instead we were greeted by a bunch of nudies. In Jamaica, at Bath, there were a bunch of guys insisting on giving massages-- so REALLY, you never know what to expect

After about 3 miles of switchbacks, we reached a part in the trail where we had to backpack through the Big Sur River. We put on our sandals and for about a mile we kept crossing the river (5 times) until we reached the springs. 11 miles into the wilderness, at what we'd hoped to be a secluded hot spring, we were greeted with a plethora of other backpackers... not quite as remote as we'd hoped, but at least wed' made it! After changing into our bathing suits behind a big redwood, we soaked in the soft mineral-rich water for about an hour before realizing that if we wanted to make camp, we'd better leave soon.

We backpacked out of the canyon for about 6 miles until we reached Terrace Creek, stopping along the way to filter more water in a small waterfall.

We made camp in a pretty little area surrounded by gigantic redwoods. After a dinner of freeze-dried chili macaroni and cheese, we decided to be ambitious and cook our freeze-dried apple cobbler for dessert. For backpacking food, the instructions were pretty complicated! Once we'd committed to making the dessert, we immediately began questioning our decision--we dont even make apple cobbler at home!! What were we doing?!? One burnt pot and 20 minutes later, we were chowing down on one of the best desserts ever! We crawled into our tent with achy backs and full bellies. It was humbling and inspiring to sleep nestled amongst the tallest trees in the world listening to a flowing creek. I fell asleep calm and serene with the sounds of nature.

On day 3, we awoke a little later than planned, but were refreshed and ready for the last part of the trail. After a quick breakfast, and filtering more drinking water from the stream, we packed up our gear and were ready to go--only 5 more miles. This last part was actually the best part of the trip. We were in no hurry, our packs were lighter, and we'd become accustomed to the aches and pains in our bodies.

Once we got close to the trailhead, we began to smell barbeques, and started craving real food. After 22 miles of backpacking, we reached the car by afternoon, stripped off our backpacks and boots, and headed over to Big Sur Lodge to grab a couple of cold beers and a juicy burger. Overall, our backpacking trip was a wonderful escape from the busyness of everyday life into a much more simple, beautiful world--our worries shifted from bills, gas, and work to the basics of food, water, and shelter--I cant wait till my next rendezvous with nature.