Pretty much all of our weekends at home in the Bay Area over the last couple of months have been dedicated to Patagonia training.  This weekend was no different.  Given that it was a three-day weekend and our eight days on the trail are just TWO WEEKS away -- we figured we best simulate the trip as best as possible.

Nearly 7 years ago I was given the greatest hiking book ever. It lists the best trails in California and rates them on difficulty and beauty.  I rely on it every time I go for a hike.   The 34 mile Skyline to Sea Trail was rated the highest possible beauty rating (10) while relatively easy (2 on a scale of 1 - 5).  I think we'd all agree that the difficulty rating was accurate but the beauty rating was a little generous...   Not until late in day 2 did it live up to it's rating. Perhaps it was because we paralleled Highway 9 for 12 miles and crossed over it umpteen million times.   I'd do parts of this trail over again -- but I'd skip the Castle Rock part for multiple reasons...

Lee and I were able to get Joy and Collin to join us for this adventure.  Joy has a long-full past of incredible backpacking experiences and this was Collin's first pack trip and second hiking adventure - EVER.  One might think him a little crazy to kick it all off with a 30-miler, but he did fantastic!  It was so much fun to have them both along -- they definitely spiced it up.

The trail requires you leave a car at the end of the trail to shuttle you back to the beginning -- so we didn't actually start hiking until noon on Saturday.  (We are noticing a trend in our departure times... always a bit later than expected)  We parked Lee's pickup at Castle Rock and off we went.  That first day was close to 10 miles and was unseasonably warm.  It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed being outdoors.  However it was a little strange to hear motorcycles continuously speeding by and know that one could have driven to where we camped for the night.  I know we looked a little strange as we passed cars and the hot dog stand at the top of Highway 9 where it crosses Skyline with full packs and trekking poles.    That first night was INCREDIBLY warm.  We were certain our digital compass/thermometer was off a few degrees -- I doubt it dropped below 50 that night.  It made for some comfortable games of "Authors".

We got more sleep that Saturday night than I've had in my own bed for weeks - maybe even months!  It was wonderful.  We headed off again mid-late morning on Sunday with the destination of Jay Camp at Big Basin Headquarters (another 10 mile day). The scenery improved as we dropped into the park.  We walked along the small valley stream among gorgeous redwood trees and ginormous ferns.   The only downside to this canyon/valley was how damp it was and how cold it got when the sun set.  By 6:30pm it was pitch black and so cold!   We were a bit envious of those campers who arrived by car and were at authorized fire building campgrounds.  We were definitely the only suckers at the "trail camp".   It was 42 degrees outside before we bundled up in our tents for another night's sleep.

We were expecting a 12 - 13 mile day on Monday and got off a slightly earlier start.  We all awoke a bit stiff, some with seriously debilitating blisters and Lee with a very sore knee.  All of which slowed our pace some -- and made us all the more excited when our day ended up being only 11 miles instead of 13!   The highlight of the third and last day was Berry Creek Falls.  It was only 4 - 4.5 miles from the Park Headquarters.   Up above Berry Creek Falls is another set of falls -- Golden Falls and Silver Falls.  We had hoped to side trip up to see them -- but our slow pace and injuries didn't facilitate that.  We'll have to come back in April.....  The Falls were gorgeous, the trail out was also beautiful... And of course finishing with a beautiful view of the ocean and dipping our sore feet in the ocean waters was fantastic.

We passed through Santa Cruz on the way back to Castle Rock to pick up the pickup and of course had to stop at Marianne's Ice Cream.  We thought this was the end of our adventure.... that all changed when we got to the trailhead to get the pickup.   The pickup was locked in at Castle Rock with a steep parking ticket for a "parking in violation of posted hours".  Apparently the area is locked IMMEDIATELY upon sun set and tickets issued (it sure would have been helpful to know that piece of info).  We got there within 30 minutes of the sun setting, but it was 30 minutes too late. We did happen to see a Trail Ranger up the road who not-so-willingly let us out of the parking area.  I think we got the brunt of what was turning out to be a bad day for him.   (from what we could tell he had just apprehended several punk kids and was annoyed with a few climbers who had violated other park rules...)  Hopefully the Department of Parks and Recreation will be a little friendlier when we contest this unjust ticket!

Not only did we have lots of fun with Joy and Collin (who wouldn't?) but we also learned lots of little things that will help make our trip to Patagonia go a bit smoother.  Some of those highlights are:

• It's not smart to start our trip off with a 16 mile day when an 11 mile day is also an option
• I ♥ Craft socks
• The tent we borrowed from our brother-in-law, Zach is AWESOME.  I have tent envy.
• Ramen Noodles don't require a full 2 cups of water
• Our cool new stove (that burns ALL types of fuels) is super efficient with the fuel
• I won't survive without my puffy coat
• That we both really can survive without trail mix and 400 pounds of snack foods but not peanut M&Ms
• We take way too long getting up and out in the morning
• Trekking poles are a must
• We CAN do this!

And of course there are PICTURES