Los Padres National Forest
Last weekend, I hiked at the Los Padres National Forest. This stretch of wilderness lies off the Pacific Coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles. It is filled with lush forests and rugged mountains between 1000-1400 metres in height.
The trek to Pine Valley Camp was about 5 1/2 miles, which wasn’t too bad except that I was in poor condition to haul 15 kg of tent, sleeping bag, water and food. The hike descended about 400m from the ridgeline into the valley. It was tough trekking, but the scenery was fantastic.
I had to make some sacrifices - I left my Canon camera behind and had cold food. There was no space for a big camera and stove. This was the first time I had to use the 2 megapixel camera on my phone, and the photo was outstanding. Of course, the conditions were ideal - lots of light and beautiful scenery.
Camping out alone was eerie. Pine Valley was quiet since most Americans prefer driving to a campsite. Only a small group and another two couples dispersed over a meadow 300m across. Church Creek ran beside most of the sites and the sound of gentle water did not break the silence. At night, screeching owls woke me up.
I brought an astronomy map to do some star gazing. Alas, the full moon made the sky so bright that most of the stars were diminished. Too bad - next time I plan a stargazing trip, should wait for a late-rising moon.
It was a lot of hiking - almost 18 km of trekking. Phew!