Monterey County and Beyond

Showing posts with label hiking. Show all posts

Pinnacles is awesome, but not in the summer

In recent news, a bill passed in the House declaring the Pinnacles National Monument the United States’ 59^th national park. The Pinnacles, declared a national monument by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, must now have the bill go to the senate and be signed by President Obama before it can receive that status and national attention. This news, as well as that fact that August’s picture of the month in my California Nature 2012 calendar is Pinnacles, urged me to visit in the dead of summer. You would think I would have learned my lesson in the desert. But I did not.

I had visited the area lots of time throughout my youth and adulthood. As a kid, I had gone with my parents and “got lost.” Our 2 mile hike ended up being much longer. 15 years later, my mother and I made a similar mistake. We ran out of water and mom began to “see spots.” Very scary.

But overall there have been more positive experiences there than negative. I have taken amazing night hikes with a group of friends, explored the caves, and even seen a condor up close. The Pinnacles is a unique park in Monterey County that showcases a much different landscape of ancient volcanic fields and canyons. So I am excited to tell people who have not been there, especially locals like my coworker Sonia. So we drove out there in the early afternoon.

When I left Salinas, it was no hotter than 60. A drizzly, sweatshirt, day.

Even when we took the South Eastern drive into Soledad, the temperatures didn’t get any higher than low 70’s.

But when we parked our car at the trail parking lot, my temperature gauge read 96 degrees. And just like video at the Visitor’s Center stated, “The Pinnacles becomes a desert in the summer.” Despite this, we trekked off to take the High Peaks Trail. After a quarter of a miles, the flat trail turns into a series of switchbacks. The heat seemed to climb 5 more degrees and something made me nauseous. I felt like I may throw up my Pho breakfast. We probably hadn’t hiked a full half mile before I got very dizzy and started to see spots. After some “hike, hike, break, hike, hike, break” routines and my desperate attempt to fill my stomach with water, I suggested we take a flatter hike through the caves instead. So we climbed down slowly. We only passed one other hike, a 70-something year old man who seemed to be unphased by the heat despite his long clothing and cool hiking sticks.

So, I recovered from my “heat wimp” attack by checking out the new visitor’s center, then took the Bear Gulch Cave trail. Now flashlights were required to explore the cave, and this isn’t an unnecessary precaution. But… if you happen to a keychain flashlight, a book lamp, and iphone flashlight app… it may be enough.

It should be a law that all Monterey County residents visit the Pinnacles. Except in the summer.

-N

New Visitor's Center!

Trail Head

Caving

This is how dark it is.

Rock climber's dream

Ancient Volcano Fields

Massive.

Kinda reminds me of Yosemite

Pinnacles National Monument http://www.nps.gov/pinn/index.htm

No dogs or mountain bikes

Carry water! (lots of signage about this)

Flashlights required to enter cave

$7 Day Parking Pass (But only $15 for the yearly pass!)

Two Fools in the Desert

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Mud and wind caves. Indian pictographs. Desert wildflowers. Anza Borrego Desert California State Park offers approximately 1,000 square miles of caves, cliffs, and desert landscapes. It is the largest California state park and has much to offer if you don’t mind the extreme weather and have 4WD. Well, Jose and I are no desert rats and really didn’t understand the unpredictable weather or the vastness of space. As a result, we didn’t get to see what we had originally planned. However, we did discover some hidden gems. This is a list of some lessons learned.

Bring the correct vehicle. Despite the fact that my silver VW Jetta looks great against the desert backdrop, my poor car was not made for desert trails. While many major roads and highways cross through Anza, some of the attractions are only accessible through “primitive roads.”

Check the weather. We were prepared for the heat. My car’s air conditioning was functioning. We purchased two gallons of water and nonperishable foods (Chip Ahoy Cookies) in case “something” happened. I even called my mother to tell her we were going and to expect to hear from us by 10 pm that night.

Apparently, deserts have thunder storms and flash flooding in summer. Upon visiting the visitor center to get directions to the mud caves, a park ranger told us that one park patron spent a few days trapped and was barely rescued earlier that day. So, we were unable to access the mud caves as well as the Indian pictographs- our primary reason for going to Anza Borrego. Pretty devastating.

Bring a map. Anza Borrego’s signage is not very clear. Major roads are marked, however, the dirt roads in the desert are just as important but often unclear. We picked up a map at the visitor center; however, it isn’t always easy to decipher major desert roads from small turn-offs. Jose and I spent a good hour trying to get to one location driving my two-wheel drive onto dirt roads made for Jeep Wranglers.

We did come across some amazing desert surprises. Artist Ricardo Breceda created an eerily beautiful sculpture garden which can be seen from Borrego Springs Rosd. As you head south from Borrego Springs, giant horses and dinosaurs made from scrap metal scatter the landscape.

The Anza Borrego State Park Visitor Center is a pretty impressive facility, especially compared to other California State Parks. The air-conditioned building complements well with the backdrop. We even stopped to watch a short film, “A Year in the Desert,” and peruse the mini-museum.

After chatting with the park rangers in the visitor center, we received some recommendations on flood free sights. We settled on visiting an Indian archaeological site. Off of the 78 State Highway, a tiny sign led us to the dirt road called “Mine Wash.” This area is deemed “Kumeyaay Village” where California Indians made their home here seasonally.

Anza Borrego State Park is located within the Colorado Desert of Southern California. Bring a 4 Wheel Drive vehicle.

-N

And we have arrived!

Me and the Giant Bird.

Infinite desert.

The visitor center. It has a bridge you can walk over. Disregard naked bike rider.

That just happened.

Jose's favorite dinosaur.

Clearing the trail of rocks.

Dark and sweaty.

Jose discovers mortars.

Indian Village.

Checking out some rocks.

She looks good... like a car ad.

Good advice!

Information:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638

Park Map http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/638/files/ABDSPmap.pdf

Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1217

Information on Desert Sculptures http://www.galletameadows.com/

Garrapata's Steep Climb

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I was pretty surprised to learn that Garrapata State Park was one of 70 parks on California's State Parks closure list. This beautiful park and beach really offers everything- aerobic mountain climbing, pristine beaches, and moderately dense forests. In late spring, the mountain is covered in vibrant wildflowers… and sweaty hikers.
I will admit, it wasn't until I learned this park was slated to close that I rushed to visit it. My loss.
We parked off of Highway 1 in a turnout near a tin barn. Then, we laced our laces real tight. Initially, the hike began in a pretty flat meadow. At one point, the trail split and we mistakingly missed Rocky Ridge Trail. Despite our error, I enjoyed the lush, cool forest… as well as the gentle climbing. We turned around and realized the steep ridge we missed was the way to our peak. To be honest, I don't remember much of the ascent because I blocked it from my memory. At one point, we noticed that someone carved "I'm tired" in the dirt. But at 1,997 feet, I realized it was all worth it. We nestled on a rock and took it all in. The view was impeccable: views of the rocky Big Sur cliffs, lush forests, and mountain ranges. Do it.
We hiked the Rocky Ridge and Soberanes Canyon loop for a total of 6 miles.
The park also has 2 miles of beach walking. In late June 2012, The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District and the Big Sur Land Trust agreed to help with park services in order for the park to remain open. Friends of Garrapata and California Native Plant Society will help with trail maintenance. "Garrapata" means tick in Spanish… So wear long socks.