I was able to take a few days away from the school on a nice
winter weekend to make a trip up the coast from UCSB to Ventana Wilderness. Ventana
Wilderness is part of the Los Padres National Forest, but colloquially it is considered
Big Sur. Big Sur is really a state park north of Ventana, closer to the city of
Monterey (this was in the county of Monterey) but meh for the semantics of it. I
was getting away and that’s all that really matters.
The drive up the coast UCSB to the trailhead ranks pretty highly amongst scenic
drives – I hate to say it but it definitely rivals the 395N on the east side of
the sierras. The scenery starts only about 10 minutes past the city of Goleta,
giving way to oceanside grasslands, invaded with the gorgeous but unfortunately
non-native mustard weed (which Sachi has told me is edible!). Then within 20
minutes I was speeding through Gaviota pass. Gaviota pass is really cool, with
big uplifted and titled walls of sandstone, maybe 50-100ft tall cliff bands running
at 50 degrees or so up the canyon walls. From there to Pismo beach the interior
central coast can be seen, with the occasional cut-and-paste town such as Santa
Maria. Pismo beach looked gorgeous. By the time I was driving through it was
about 8am. Maybe it was the geography, but there were extremely strong off-shore
winds, whipping the sea into white caps and attempting to push my car out of
its lane. I put both hands on the wheel and it was fine, nothing to worry about
mom.
Past Pismo was Morro Bay, which has actually been on my mental list of places
to visit. What's funny is that I actually saw Morro Rock before I saw the ocean.
As I rounded the bend in the highway and saw it I thought something along the
lines of oh, that looks like a great peak to climb up. Indeed it may be,
and I was recommended by some peakbaggers to make the [illegal ascent] before I
left for Santa Barbara. Maybe I will one day.
From Morro Bay to Kirk Creek (my trailhead of choice), the road was amazing. I
left the 101 for the 1 in San Luis Obispo. The grasslands became wind-cropped
fields of deep green – wait, no, they were cropped by cattle. Well, maybe a mix
of both? I don’t know. I did see cattle, which were funny to see framed against
the ocean. The coastline is cold and rugged here. I'll be honest – I was
dismayed why there was no big city here. From San Diego all the way to Ventura the only undeveloped bits of coast are parks and other state/federal land, so
it was odd to see big and gorgeous plots of land simply used for cattle grazing.
Not a bad thing, in fact, while cattle may damage the environment I’ve learned
they can also play a role in active management. So, much rather cattle than the
hustle-bustle concrete jungles that we find ourselves wasting our lives away in
(and for what).
Cambria was one of the most amazing little cities I’ve been through, with a
cutesy antique sign at the entrance saying “Pine by the sea”, indeed there was.
Again, as a SoCal native it was odd to see such lush greenery, such plentiful
conifers not a stone's throw from the beach. Onward the CR-V chugged. Between
there and Kirk Creek the coast grew to unbelievable levels of beauty, there was
a lighthouse that seemed out of a postcard, framed against dark cliffs and the
spray of the ocean. There was a sign that said “Elephant Seal Viewing Area,” I
was tempted to stop but figured I could on the way back – I had to get to the
trailhead on time lest the limited street parking would fill up.
The mountains that were once in the distance grew closer until they were
butting up against the ocean. The small highway, forced in between a rock and…
the ocean winded its way up and down the ocean cliffs. It was a bit nerve-racking
to be honest, the road gained elevation and I was driving one to two hundred
feet off, oftentimes without a guard rail. I passed Ragged Point, a small inn and
gas pump sitting high on the cliff. Twenty minutes later I was at the trailhead.
Although it was already 9am there weren’t many cars. I began to change into the
clothes I’d live in for the next two days. A woman pulled up next to me and did
a double-take at my braided hair. There was no reception at the TH so I sent a
message out to my parents through my Garmin Inreach to let them know I made it
(didn’t want to repeat a previous incident where I was presumed dead)
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| Kirk Creek Campground |
After
getting situated and donning my backpack, which I estimated to be around 25
pounds I set out on the trail. The trail followed the road for about a quarter-mile before starting to switch back up the mountain. A small hill came into view
with a grove of conifers standing. Lucious ferns grew on the hillside and mixed
with the ever fragrant chamise and other chaparral brushes. In around 15
minutes I had made it to sign reading “Ventana Wilderness” and to the north a
view of the Big Sur coastline was had.
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| North |
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| Ventanna Wilderness |
The ocean grew further and further below me as the trail continued to traverse and
switchback up the hillside. The trail was very gradual, dipping in and out of
ribs and small canyon on the hillside.
After about three miles and 1500’ of vertical gain the trail turns east into
Hare Canyon. Looking west the ocean was still visible. A mixture of trees grow
on the steep hillside. Unfortunately, my conifer identifying abilities have
waned and I can’t identify them all, but there was certainly a scattering of
coastal redwoods especially in the damper regions.
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Hare Canyon
|
The trail ascended a bit more over the next mile and then descended to Vicente
Flat, a forest service designated backcountry campground, over the mile after
that. The majority of the trail is cut into the steep hillside which provided
some excitement hiking on the singletrack. At Vicente Flat I found a few other
campers and Hare Creek. There were many premium campsites, and I chose one under
the largest coastal redwood in the immediate area.
After taking an hour to set up camp and eat a protein-rich lunch of tuna and
tortillas I set out towards Cone Peak. The summit was another 6mi past camp,
which would bring my total day out to 17mi if I could do it. The trail followed
up the creek bed for a mile for or so. It was mostly washed out here so there
was a lot of trusting intuition, and when that didn’t work I referenced my GPS.
I did accidentally head up a side canyon but caught it after only a few minutes.
Eventually, I picked up the trail as it began to ascend the side of the canyon.
Somewhat infuriatingly it ascends the south side of the thousand-foot-deep
canyon, and Cone Peak is on the north. After about a mile and half past camp, I
got a great view of Cone Peak and the Pacific Ocean was once again visible to
the west.
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| Cone Peak |
The next few miles were pretty cruisy. I was probably going about 2.5mph on the
uphill with the occasional break just to grab a water bottle. I’ve found a
slower pace with little to no breaks makes more progress than a fast pace with
many breaks. At about mile 2 past camp I hit the abandoned road and at around
mile 3 past camp I could see my progress toward Cone Peak. A small saddle
allowed for a great picture encompassing the entirety of Hare Canyon.
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| Hare Canyon |
I
didn’t take any pictures between the road and the summit of Cone Peak (5155'). The trail
follows the road for a bit longer before leaving the ridge and traversing the
incredibly steep mountainside. Hare canyon dropped off to my left. After this, the trail goes into some brush and then begins to switch back up to the final
summit. By now I was hot and running out of energy, so the last quarter mile
was incredibly grueling and I had to take multiple breaks. Eventually, I did
make it though, and was rewarded with fantastic views (and cell reception!).
There was a couple already here, who informed me they too were staying at
Vicente Flat and had hiked in the night before. I had already hiked 11 miles by
then and had 6 more on the return to camp. It was somewhere around 2pm meaning I
had about three hours before dark. I sat on the old fire lookout and enjoyed
the view. To the NW Twin Peak and the Pacific Ocean could be seen. To the east
was Los Padres NF and Ventana Wilderness, the slightly higher Junipero Serra Pk
(5862’) could be seen. To the south was the rugged stretch of coastline I had
driven up on. To the SE I looked down upon the Cone Peak ridge, which some
people climb directly instead of following the trail.
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| North West |
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| East |
South
After
taking about an hour at the summit I set off again. I had two hours of daylight
left and six miles of terrain which would be cutting it close. As I descended, I
took some pictures of parts of the trail I had missed and soaked in the views.
While some people hold great distaste for out and backs I find that usually you
see a lot of things on the return you missed on the way up. Particularly
interesting was the large cliffs across the canyon.
I got back to camp about 15 minutes before twilight. I had passed the couple on
my way down and they came in only 5 minutes after me, despite my running and
furious speed walking. I met two other campers, both crossed on a marijuana vape
and a 2L bladder of wine, which would be drained by the end of the night (I did
not partake). Two other campers joined us around the fire after arriving past
dark. Great campfire discussion was had on the silliest drunken topics, but
heavy issues of parenthood and ethics were brought up. Our group of 5 stayed up
late into the night, around ten or so before retreating to our tents and
sleeping bags.
In the morning me and the two who had arrived during the night decided to make
a one mile detour to a little known and off-trail waterfall. We followed Hare Creek up the canyon for about
a quarter mile before turning up a tributary creek. Coincidently it was the one
I had accidently turned up the day previously before catching myself. The creek
bed itself was quite scenic and as enjoyable as the fall itself. After some
rock hopping, careful to avoid poison oak we made it to the falls. There were
two cascades, maybe both about 100ft tall. Pretty awesome feature for such a
short side trip.
After returning to camp I quickly packed up my stuff and the two other and I hiked
the five miles out. It was a great, if a bit warm, hike back to our cars. There
was a fantastic view out to where Hare Creek flows into the ocean, the silt and
sediment churning with the water. California poppies were blooming along the trail,
and I could hear the waves crashing hundreds of feet below us.
We found ourselves back at the cars and after a few minutes said or goodbyes. I
drove back to SB and stopped for In-N-Out along the way. I also took advantage of my chance to stop at an elephant seal view point. This was the first time I had ever seen elephant seals and I was filled with amazement. A sense of fulfillment
came over me during the drive – 23 miles in two days and some great friends
made along the way, my first time seeing a coastal redwood and other thoughts
filled my mind. This was undoubtedly one
of the best trips I had been on, despite it being so short. I will definitely be
returning to bag for peaks in the Big Sur area.
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