I highly recommend spring backpacking in Big Sur. The hills are still green, wildflowers are plentiful, and it’s not too hot. Let me tell you about the trip that Wes and I took last month (April 2021)
But first, my dehydrator.
I was gifted a very fancy dehydrator and took the plunge to prep two backpacking dinners, as well as some fruit to add to oatmeal. So before I show you pics from our trip, I need to show you photos of this process!
Our first night in Big Sur, we rehydrated the Thai curry and basmati rice (cover with water, soak for 15 minutes. Then heat for 10 minutes on stove, then remove from heat and finish rehydrating in cozy for 10 minutes).
A big success! I feel very empowered and can’t wait to try more kinds of food.
Back to Big Sur…
We hiked in at the Pine Ridge Trailhead at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The trail had just re-opened after being closed for several years due to fires and we appreciated all the trail maintenance that had been done, especially as we passed branch after bush after clump of poison oak. Seriously, so much poison oak. Everywhere we turned, we saw poison oak flourishing. Shiny leaves and matte. Scalloped edges and smooth. Budding with tiny flowers. We hiked along and tried to avoid contact but felt a little doomed, especially when someone wanted to keep exploring, even beyond where the trial had been cleared.
We found an idyllic spot to camp at Barlow campground. We weren’t sure if it was because so few people had been through recently, but there were no mosquitos, even near the water. The campground even had a newly-constructed pit toilet set up the hill from camp. Unfortunately “far” still meant you could look down and see campers walking around. That was exciting. Also exciting — the preponderance of ticks. Hey, never say this blog sugarcoats the tougher realities of backpacking.
We had a really good time but because poison oak doesn’t show up until about three days after the fact, it took a few days before we could relax and say we’d made it out, rash-free and (mostly) tick free.
I didn’t grow up backpacking or even camping, really. So the pleasures of extended time in the wilderness is still a relatively new pleasure for me. But what a deep pleasure it is.