california quick trips (pescadero) | Squat the Planet

california quick trips (pescadero)

marble

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massachusetts
Pescadero

This week our plans got all turned around, my work schedule has changed but we didn't want to lose our weekend trip. After the weird wednesday nights dinner push, i ran out the doors of work and we hit the coast. We were meeting Feast and Bailey on the first beach pull off down the 1 without closed signage due to COVID19. The plan was to hangout on the coast, sleep with the ocean then go for a hike in my all time california park Butano. Since the weeks of quarantine have continued the more shit is closing down. Literally every place down Route 1 with a 3ft pull off was littered with signs that said no parking the whole drive from SF to Pescadero.
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We made it to the spot we have camped before, Feast had some hot water going for some tea. We caught up and let the dogs do their thing. It was so cold and windy, I just wanted to head to bed and wake up with the sun. We did have another neighbor with us, he was cowboy camping in the truck bed with no cap on it. Pretty manly if you ask me. A cop stopped to talk to him but took off. I assume it was because when the cop drove by the first time he was standing in the truck bed looking all sorts of weird, we’ve never had trouble staying the night at this spot.

The ocean sang us to sleep and before I knew it the sun was starting to come up, and I was freezing. Michonne has her own room now (after the last sleeping experience on the coast) but did I miss that little heater right now. I climbed out of the truck, took a windy pee and got her into the back with us. We woke up 2 hours later to the warmth of the sun. Made some coffee with Feast and brought the dogs down to the beach. After exploring the tide pools around this weird building we can't decide if it’s a house or not. We headed inland towards Butano to make some breakfast in peace and start our day into the woods.

Butanos closed, which we thought might happen after the sign takeover down the coast. We knew of a different spot on the same road with a trailhead out but we hadn’t really done any hikes over that way. We had no maps and no service so at this point was kind of a guessing game. We followed the winding road until its end. We found the trailhead and set up camp for our pre-hike ceremony. Bags were packed, bowls were smoked, I had some Fiji water and we were ready to start the climb through the redwood forest.

It was great to be back into the forest. The dogs were happy, the air was fresh, and it was still only around noon so we had a solid amount of time to get lost. There was a creek almost immediately so you really got the nature sounds guiding you as you step into the forest. The climb was gradual pretty much the whole time with different breaks in the water flow that kept me distracted. I'm a sucker for a game of river runner. A lot of the really old redwoods have been burned out and have tons of new growth all over them. Very green and vibrant. We stumbled into a goose pen right off the trail and decided this would be our first break to have a toke and feel the energy from the inside of the giant. After we hugged our new found friend goodbye we continued onward and upward. Checking out all the different trees and giant boulders covered in moss that must have fallen off the sides of the long switchbacks we are climbing. The sides got steeper and the trees got taller. This trip was more about nature and getting really out there.
Out of nowhere we stumble right into 3 railcars (a caboose and 2 boxcars), a huge tree house with bridges and platforms through the trees, and under them all, teepees. It was like a dream property miles into the redwood forest. I'm still shocked. We eventually had to keep going with so many questions and hopes for a return to this dream property, who knows maybe it’s an airbnb or something.

We eventually kept going towards sunset camp to check out the campground and see which sites had the best location and views. It’s kind of been fun to roam while campgrounds have been closed and get the full layout. We sat for a while, smoked a couple more bowls, ate some snacks, and watered the dogs. We decided to go check out Silver creek falls, it wasn't far from the campsites, not knowing what to expect we cruised a single track down trail back into the forest. A tree fell in the distance. This is a sound you don’t often hear, it was pretty far but definitely noticeable. Hearing the sound of a tree falling is a special and scary moment that not a lot of people have the privilege of hearing. Signs show we are getting closer to the falls, the sounds kept getting louder as the air get colder as we drop into a canyon. The first view was breathtaking, I love running water so much. I was extremely happy to be getting up close and personal with the falls that I didn't realize Maria had kept going, as did the falls. I'm pretty sure there were 4 levels of tall falls. One more grand than the one before. This whole hike was just about getting out into nature and really forgetting about the city. It worked! This was exactly what I needed out of this trip. Now it was time to retrace our steps, reflect on the journey, and enjoy a toke of descent.

Back at the truck, 10 miles later just in time to pack up the truck, take our boots off, and have some dinner and coffee before we caught sunset on the coast. What a day. These are the hikes we'll miss when we leave California.
Go outside.
 

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