Steve and Terrie's Vacation
S: We didn't really have a good idea how much distance we could cover on foot, what speed we could average with the added weight, etc.
Note to would-be backpackers: walk a measured mile or two before your trip, with a full pack, on similar terrain, to get a ballpark figure for this.
This is really a great time of year in Marin County. The trail winds up and down gentle slopes through flora from rainforest-like to chapparalish, passing two large lakes and a number of small ponds. The cow parsnip (look kinda like cauliflower umbrellas, were as tall as ten feet in places, with stalks an inch and a half thick. Douglas' Iris, from pale pinkish-blue to deep purple, with white-to-yellow veined petals, are plentiful and varied. Sky lupine, various shades of purple, everywhere. The state flower, though, is poison oak - or maybe we're just watching for it more than other stuff. (All of the above courtesy of our handy field guide, "Wildflowers of Point Reyes National Seashore.")
T: Wildlife sighting, after a group of three or four day hikers pass us and we stop for a water break (and to let them get further away): a pocket gopher, shoving dirt out of the embankment along the trail. Looked as though he and his friends had been busy, lots of signs of them here. Somehow out here they're kinda cute, as opposed to the pests they become in our back yard.
S: Two and a half hours later, including a lunch stop and several photo ops, we descend a short series of switchbacks to an acre of blooming mustard. This is Wildcat Camp. At ground level, you can't see the campsites - the mustard is four feet tall or taller. It's pretty much done blooming in Sonoma county, but here it's in full flower.
T: We have to wander around in the mustard field at Wildcat for a while until we find our site, but eventually we do.
S: We are WAY ahead of schedule. We find campsite #7, set up the tent, lock up the food, and go to check out the water supply. Warnings indicate that the water is not drinkable as is, so with our handy "PuR" water pumping/filtration system, we filter about a half-gallon to augment our supply for cooking etc.
Day-tripper horse people are at the campground, but they ride off after stinking the place up. There are, I think, four of the (I think) twelve campsites actually occupied for tonight. (Unfortunately, one of those is at a group site, about 20 kids on some kind of a Scouting thing, and they make a huge racket most of the time.)
Wildcat is in a nice little meadow, perched on a low cliff overlooking the ocean...
T: We get set up pretty quickly - store food away in the locker, put up the tent, filter water, etc. We wander down to the beach and make a fire. One seal swimming along makes a solitary and brief appearance. At this point we're at somewhat of a loss with what to do with ourselves. Typically, we'd be drinking stouts and smoking - but since we've left those habits behind on this trip, that option is out. Already weary of carrying the packs, doing another hike is not an inviting option. Sleeping in the sun on the beach would be a good idea - but there is no sun, only fog. We put out the fire and wander back up to our site, make dinner, watch the deer grazing in the meadow, and finally just turn in early for the night despite some remaining daylight. Some of the fog is turning to drizzle, but the tent is snug and the sleeping bags are warm and dry. All too quickly I'm completely asleep.
S: I conk out too. (Tried to stay awake as long as I could, worrying that I’d find myself wide awake at 2 am with absolutely nothing to do but wait for first light, but the excitement and exertion of the day just plowed me under.)
There’s really not a whole hell of a lot to DO here, once we’ve set up camp and had dinner. Any hike would be either: (a) back up the trail we just came down; (b) forward on the trail we’ll be taking later; (c) climbing directly up the side of the ridge to the east; or (d) marching out into the ocean. If it was sunny out, however, we could just lie there on the beach or in the campsite, and it would be quite pleasant.
T: Things learned this day: bring a book to read. Have a designated "dirty water" container if you're filtering it. Water boils more slowly at the damp windy coast than it does in Death Valley (hopefully we won't run out of Gaz). Bring gloves (this was a last-minute thing we remembered, and we were really glad we did). Bring something to add to bad-tasting water - even though the filter takes care of the dangerous stuff, it still might taste bad. Steve's idea: half-tablets of Alka-Seltzer - helps a lot.
S: That’s not just ANY Alka-Seltzer - it’s Alka-Seltzer Cold Plus! Hangover, heartburn, and all-purpose medicine, I drink it at home sometimes just to make the water fizzy. It has a slightly lemony taste. Most people would probably prefer something like Kool-Aid (or Fizzies, if you can find ‘em).