The Big Sur Odyssey

The following morning (day 1) we traversed chaparral ridgelines and dipped into nicely shaded oak woodlands along the north-facing slopes. The day was hot but pleasant, and then it happened. The black flies and other pestering bugs attacked us in full force--relentless in their pursuit of flesh! The bugs were worse than I have ever experienced in California, and I swore I would bring a bug net next time. The onslaught of bugs, I assume, were so "thick" because California had received record rainfall this year. Despite the bugs, the scenery was spectacular and serene as we walked passed through dappled fields of wildflowers everywhere. Purple lupine, orange poppies, Indian Paintbrush and lots of other brilliant flowers colored pink, white, lavender and yellow covered the rolling hills. This section was short, only about a half days hike, and ended us in a place called "Big Pines." This camp was actually a side trail leading out of the wilderness and off the ridge line, but a nice resting spot with fresh water, cystal clear and ice-cold. Lots of big ponderosa trees provided shade.

The following day (day 2) we mistakenly continued down the Big Pine Trail until we realized that we needed to go back up to the ridgeline. From the ridgeline we continued south mostly along contour lines toward the Ventana Double Cone where ferns and Yucca plants happily intermingle above the valley below. Along the way I also met a curious bobcat that just stared at me for about 10 seconds then trotted off. Three (3) hours later we came to a major junction: one trail continued south toward Ventana Double Cone and another one (called the Puerto Suello Trail) descended eastward into the Carmel River headwaters. We chose the latter trailhead down to the Carmel River.

I'm sure this overgrown trail is where I got poison oak from hacking through a jungle of brush to reach the bottom. Quite obviously we were one of the first seasonal hikers to reach this area as we hacked through poison oak and jumped over many fallen trees. This canyon had been ravaged from earlier winter storms too. In spite of this adversity, this arduous journey began to bring about a sense of discovery as we descended into the remote Carmel River Valley. When we finally reached the Carmel River, a fine sight to see, we immediately plunged in the river to rinse off bug snot and poison oak oils. This was one of the groups favorite camping spots known as "Hiding Camp" for its remoteness.

The following sunrise (day 3) we traveled up the Carmel River for a few miles and then swam in its cool water coursing through polished granite walls and lined by smooth-barked Madrone trees. You can reach this section of the river along a spur known as Round Rock (map). After a refreshing swim, we traveled up the eastern flank of this valley and soon realized ticks were crawling all over us. One of us had 8 of them on him with one actually beginning to burrow its little head into his skin. So watch out! Near the Carmel River check yourself regularly for ticks. Things got better as we rose above the Carmel River Valley until we reached Pine Valley--truly heaven. The breeze, the meadow, and the pine trees must have scared the bugs away. This place was amazing!

We dropped our packs under a shade tree just like the hearty pioneers must have done a century ago declaring, "this is it!" Pine Valley is actually privately owned and you will run across a beautiful cabin and set of corrals at the far end of the valley. In addition to the lush meadows, the perimeter was punctuated by a grand fold of eroded sandstone rocks, most likely part of an ancient seafloor at one time. As we climbed onto this sticky rock, it reminded me of the strange rocks found near Laguna Beach, CA (if you have ever been there). Our camp was lovely as we slept in the meadow next to a groovy creek (shown here).

The next day (day 4) we were on our way to see redwoods, Sykes Camp to be specific, where we had heard hot springs existed. With fortitude we climbed from Pine Valley several miles south toward Pine Ridge Trail, one of the best old trails I have seen. This trail must have been a mule train at one time judging by its broad and butressed trail and lined by aging communication lines. Gracefully we peaked out to see below us the distant Carmel Valley (shown as the first photo in this series) and Pine Valley farther to the east. As we reached the ridgeline, signs of a great fire began to steal our shade as we worked our way into the Big Sur River watershed. In the distance we could see the foggy coast and lots of chaparral and sagebrush below. As we began our long descent to Sykes Camp, a rattler snake spooked me on our way down this hot, steep and sometimes windy pathway. Surprisingly we also encountered many wildflowers here as well (shown here). After about 15 miles of hiking, we arrived in the lush redwood grove of Sykes Camp, which was like an oasis among the desert. We set up camp beneath the redwood grove and then asked where we could soak our feet in the hot springs. What a treat this was, especially after hiking nearly 40 miles. We had only 10 miles to go to reach Pfeiffer State Park, our final destination, and this was mostly downhill.

(Day 5) Slowly we woke up beneath towering redwoods and, unfortunately, to the fact that much of our breakfast had been eaten by chipmunks. No problem, we thought, because this was our last day. After taking a quick dip in the river, we headed out and casually meandered down the Pine Ridge Trail toward Pfeiffer State Park Campgrounds. Soon we ran across many incoming hikers struggling up the trail on this typically crowded weekend. As they writhed in pain from the long uphill haul, I smugly smiled at them because I knew we had seen over 50 miles of Big Sur few people have experienced and we were heading home. Even with the horrendous bugs I would do this trip again, I thought. The plant diversity, sense of solitude, wildflowers, crystal clear rivers, and towering redwoods made it all worth it.