...or my first ever backpacking trip.
Trail details
Distance: 16.7 miles (we only did about 9-10 miles total)
Elevation gain: 1,125 ft
Type: Out & Back
Approx. time: 5h 55min
Dogs allowed: Yes
Permit required: Not for hiking, but fire permit is needed for backpacking
Yes, I have been hiking a lot. And yes, I have camped a few times in my life. But have I ever combined the two into a backpacking trip? Not until last weekend! Join me as I recount the challenges, discoveries, and awe-inspiring moments that made this adventure truly remarkable.
First of all, this was extremely spontaneous. Even though my friend Ashley and I had planned on going backpacking together, we didn't decide where we would go until just a few days prior to the trip. Thankfully Ashley has a lot of backpacking experience, so prepping for the trip was super easy. We created a shared list with all the things we needed and she was able to lend me backpack, tent and some other items, so I didn't need to buy everything new.
Ashley came over Friday night, so we could get everything packed and prepped for Saturday morning, making it easier on us to just head out. We already knew the day would be hot, so on our ride to the trail we made sure to hydrate. But sometimes even the best preparation just isn't enough...
We started our first hike around 4pm with the hope it wouldn't be so hot anymore. Well... we got it wrong. And so the first 1.5 miles along the trail seemed very hard. We were sweating our way along a ledge with a deep drop off. As we finally made it to the valley, we got to Potrero Camp right away. The spot was incredibly beautiful with the creek running by and conveniently had a great cleared space, a picnic table and fire pit. Considering we were exhausted from the drive and the heat, we decided to stay at the site for our first night.
The night was a breeze as we had easy to set up gear and freeze dried meals from Peak Refuel. It stayed warm, so we were able to stargaze without our flies and listen to the creek, crickets, frogs and birds.
On day 2 we got up early, as we wanted to continue on our trail as long as it was still cool enough. The trail was a lot of fun with some ups and downs, meadows and ledges and great views. And anytime it got hot we got to cool off as we had to take one of the 3 creek crossings on our way.
We passed through Coldwater Camp pretty soon and decided to keep hiking. At one of the creek crossings we met a couple of guys that told us about some swimming holes ahead. As we hiked through the already warm day, we were already excited getting there. On the way however, we first had to climb under some fallen trees and navigate our way through the bushes, making sure we didn't walk into poison oak.
And then we got there. It looked like another creek crossing, but there was something about it that made us stop. After looking around we found a swimming hole. As we debated if we could camp on the rocks, we noticed a guy and his dogs sitting at a picnic table. It wasn't a marked camp and we wouldn't have noticed it without the guy there... but there it was! And it was perfect!
So we decided to set up camp right there, knowing we wouldn't be able to hike the full trail. But as I like to say: "Better safe than sorry". Considering the heat and the fact that it was my first ever backpacking trip it didn't feel quite right to continue on, knowing we would have to hike back more than 8 miles the next day. Instead we stayed around mile 5...
... and then we got attacked! By a million bugs and deer flies. So what better thing to do than sit in the swimming hole. And we literally did that all day! We stayed cool, avoided the bugs and best of all, we saw a turtle.
The next morning we got up early again, ate and packed up camp to make our way back. And while we could've easily hike a longer distance, we were happy to see the car at the end, being all sweaty and hot and eaten up by all the bugs.
What did I learn from this whole experience? First of all I want to thank Ashley for prepping me well. I understand now what is needed for a backpacking trip, how to pack my backpack and how to plan out routes. What we certainly learned together was paying better attention to weather and bugs. While we knew it would be hot, we certainly underestimated the heat. Especially given the fact that we couldn't just sit in the shade without getting eaten alive. We can deal with heat, we can deal with bugs, but we don't want to combine the two!
It was a great weekend and I am already looking forward to another backpacking adventure where I can put into practice what I learned!
Happy Trails, everyone!
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