Another year, another teenager. This year Seth wanted to get the Coe experience. Apparently he had a little FOMO when Ada and I went last year, so here we go.
He's 13 and hasn't really hit his growth spurt yet, but he is really athletic and has good endurance. Let's see how he does with 20 lbs on his back for 29 miles and 6000 ft of climbing!
The first couple of miles snaked across a stream several times. I had originally estimated there would be about twenty stream crossings and we would surely get our feet wet. It turned out to be 24 crossings and Seth was determined to do all of the rock hopping and pole vaulting that he could pull off to keep his feet dry. He actually succeeded until a stream finally got him later that morning (which I got video of). This picture is just a picture that Seth wanted me to take because he really liked it.
Seth was great on the climbs. He even invented his own climbing technique he named "beetle mode" where he really leans into his hiking poles and picks up his cadence. He is also hilarious.
Top of our first big climb:
Seth, not keeping his feet dry: Seth hungry: Dad showing how it's done:
He's always been a climber.
Seth and Dad taking a much deserved cooldown brake at the base of Pacheco Falls:
I think I took this same picture of Ada sitting on this rock last year, so I had to get this one of course.
We knocked out 18 miles in no time. In fact, we were so fast that we had a pretty early camp setup while the sun was still pretty high in the sky. The spot was halfway up a ridge from Coit Lake.
I thought I would do a similar camp setup to last year, where I would have the kid in the tent and I could sleep out in the open and enjoy the stars. Similar to last year, I hung out in the tent with Seth to play video games on the phone - killing time until sleep and having fun. I went out of the tent to check out my setup only to find out that there was moisture over everything and a bright moon spoiling the stars. Oh well. I started collecting my stuff to join Seth in the tent for the night and as I started throwing my stuff in Seth asked "So you're gonna come thug with me huh?" Yeah, sure, Seth. The crickets were especially annoying that night, so we just kept playing video games. At some point Seth turns to me and says: "This is nice right? No one to tell us to go to bed, brush our teeth, we get to do whatever we want!" I giggled to myself and thought "that's thug life baby!". At some point we got pretty desperate for a strat that might bring us our sleep, so I dialed up a Lex Friedman sciency podcast, and we were asleep in no time.
Next morning, getting packed up. Leading up to our trip Seth asked if I was going to keep my beard so that all of the dangerous animals would keep their distance.
The Birds at Kelly Lake doing their thing like usual:
The wildflowers were out in full effect once again.
Time for some McDonalds!
Overall I was really impressed with how Seth moved over the hills with weight on his back. He would even run the steep downhills "because it was easier". He seemed to have a good time and hopefully this leads to more adventures down the road!
Well, it's been a while. I was starting to wonder when I would ever go backpacking again. I would think that there was the perfect weekend, then think about trying to dig up my gear from storage in the garage and all of the stuff I needed to fix/buy, etc and then just say nah... Life with four kids, all in sports at this point was consuming a lot of time as well. I think back to all of the adventures catalogued in this blog and now realize that might have been the only time in my life that I could have pulled it off - so I am thankful!
Speaking of the kids, that is why there is this blogpost. Out of left field my fourteen year old, Ada, started bugging me about taking her backpacking. I'm not sure what prompter her, probably Instagram or something like that. I wondered whether she remembered what she thought about going hiking and such, but she was insistent. I still wasn't sure that I believed she was serious, so I kind of bought my time to see if she might forget. But, no, she seemed set. Don't get me wrong - I was super psyched that she was that interested and I was really hoping I could make it a special experience for her. I also thought that the whole thing could be a disaster if she found out real quick that this wasn't for her and then it turns into two days of hell. Well, let's see what happened:
First climb was a doozy: Straight from the parking lot up a ridge to Mt Wilson, it's like 1500 ft of climbing in 1.4 miles with plenty of 25 to 30% grade. I did it a little on purpose to test whether she was actually serious about this - if she gave up or whatever, we could get out of there quick without too much damage...
Here is what Ada thought:
Peak wildflower season here after the wonderful and plentiful rains - perfect for a Coe trip.
Upper Grizzly creek was our first snack stop. I taught Ada about elevensees. We filtered water and prepared for our next climb.
Have the sound on for this vid:
Part of teaching Ada about having a good time while backpacking - take joys in little things along the way:
Spot the creature.
We first hiked past Kelly lake (featured in a video above). At Kelly there was this dude that had things figured out: He had packed in a big float chair. He was chillin with beers and a fishing pole in the middle of nowhere - he probably didn't appreciate us passing by, but we were out of his hair fast. The next lake we passed by was Coit lake. At Coit we chatted with another lone fisherman (this one traveled by mountain bike). We told him that we were headed for Pacheco falls and he was kind enough to give us some trail beta that wound up being very useful. He detailed a secret trail that allows people to look down into the waterfalling pools above Pacheco.
Chillin on a rock.
Pacheco Falls.
I figured since this was probably an instagram kind of trip, I would plan the trip with the main goal of seeing Pacheco Falls. It did not disappoint:
The original plan was to fill up on water in the creek at the bottom of the waterfall, but alas, there was a wall of poison oak blocking our access. The sun was going down and we planned on climbing out of the gulch and finding our camping spot, but we needed water. As we headed back up the hill I heard water flowing to the left of us. Fortunately we found the perfect little stream to fill up on. As we continued our climb we met another lone backpacker that was planning to camp by the pond along the trail. He told us about how he was worried about being able to get to the water because of the reeds. That was when we made his day by giving him all the info: the stream just beyond the pond and the secret trail. It was nice to feel like we helped someone.
This video shows the sweet spot we found to spend the night:
Mountain House pad thai with chicken has a thumbs up from us.
As the sun disappeared, some bugs came out, so I threw my sleeping pad into the tent with Ada and we gamed out on her phone until we decided to go to bed. It was cold enough by then that the bugs weren't a problem anymore and I went out and got a wonderful night of sleep in my bivy. Fortunately there was no moon to deal with, so we just enjoyed an incredible star filled night. The next morning:
Views from the ridge as we headed back to the car.
All downhill at this point.
We hiked about 15 miles with 3000 ft of climbing on day one, and did another 10 miles on day 2. It turns out that backpacking food aligns pretty closely with the preferences of a middle schooler: Chocolate, cheetos, candy, jerky, stroopwafels, trail mix, breakfast bars - Ada was pretty happy with the selection.
Ready for McDonalds.
I would say that the trip turned out to be a huge success. Ada was a trooper and was a really good backpacking partner. She got a realistic experience that taught her that it's really hard, but that is one of the points. The hard stuff is punctuated with beautiful experiences that are amplified exactly because she endured the hard stuff. That is why McDonalds turns into one of the most satisfying meals - because we were really hungry...
A few weeks ago I began to get the itch for another Coe adventure. I'm not sure why - I've been to every corner of this park in all kinds of weather and different kind of conditions. The fun of the mystery of exploration and seeing what's over the next hill is out at this point: I know this place like the back of my hand... And yet there is the pull to keep coming back for more. Of course this is the case for any of my trail running exploits at this point. Even with the thousands of miles of great trails around the bay area, I have traveled them all, in races, out of races, training runs, backpacking adventures, etc. I keep going back because it is fun!
Spring is the ideal time for Henry Coe. The winter rains have saturated the watersheds - the ponds are full, the creeks are flowing, the water is nice and cold, and the grass is green, and the flowers are blooming. I was keen on a solo backpacking experience, not because I'm anti-social, but because there is a real experience to be had in being in the middle of nowhere all by yourself. The feeling of vulnerability and overcoming the tough physical and mental obstacles give a very real payback of achieving a certain amount of confidence and aptitude that is appealing to me. Day to day life seems to provide a façade of safety and comfort that is nice - this is why as a civilization we have decided to tend in the direction of climate controlled dwellings within range of supermarkets. Nothing wrong with that - it is what I signed up for as well - a great place to raise a family... But there is still the itch to insert just a little bit of adventure to spice things up.
This particular weekend, on which I planned a three day trip Sat through Mon, was the only weekend of April that worked with the family schedule. It happened to be a weekend with great weather - lucky me! I've made a few changes to the way I approach these Henry Coe trips: I now go with full coverage to protect from the brush and the sun. It gets pretty warm, but the payoff in terms of avoided pain is well worth it. Nylon hiking pants, long sleeve white perforated light tech shirt, my lucky Wheaties bandanna around the neck, and a full brimmed hat was the way to go.
Red was day 1: 32.45 miles with 5463 ft climbing
Green was day 2: 27.82 miles with 7726 ft climbing
Blue was day 3: 11.29 miles with 3258 ft climbing
Totals: 71.56 miles with 16447 ft climbing
As I ascended the valley from the Hunting Hollow entrance to the park I was forced to wade through the creek multiple times. While refreshing, it did mess me up later as the wet feet began to show signs of wear as the day went on. I made a silly rookie mistake by wearing regular running socks instead of my trusted Injinji toe socks. This led to multiple hot spots developing on my toes as the day went on. I took a break in the middle of the day to dry out my shoes and socks, while filtering water and eating lunch and applying duct tape to the problem toes. This provided temporary relief, but as the day went on there were more creeks to wade through and more damage to deal with. At the end of the day when I was able to air out my feet and remove the tape I was both relieved to give the feet a break, but also worried about how they would hold up for another couple of days.
The hike was pretty magical. The greens were brilliant, the spring flowers were in full bloom, the birds were singing, and the views were forever. There was such complete sensory stimulation with the eyes watching the teeming of life, the ears hearing birds songs, and the nose picking up the aromas of the various pollen wafting through the air, and the skin feeling the warmth of the sun and cool of the breeze. And there were no distractions, it was just me and the hills, and it was great!
When everything is going great it is kind of sad how just a little bit of doubt can start creeping into the head and start dominating your thoughts. When I was several miles into the hike I began to notice that there seemed to be excess moisture coming off of my backpack. Generally this just means I am working hard and sweating and that sweat gets channeled down the back, but I have had issues with my hydration bladder springing leaks before and that was my fear. The problem is that if that thing springs a leak, almost everything in your pack is going to get drenched, and depending on the size of the leak, you may not have water carrying capacity either. These are all pretty catastrophic situations for backpacking at Coe, and it started occurring to me that my trip might be cut off prematurely. Fortunately when I took that break to fix my feet and eat my lunch, the inspection of my pack revealed that all was fine and that huge worry was lifted from my thoughts.
Coit Lake
As I headed north through the park I decided to take a route that would bring me to each of the lakes along the way. This route wasn't necessarily the most efficient to get to my main destination of the Orestimba Wilderness, but I wasn't there for efficiency, I was there to see things. The lakes did not disappoint, it was a joy to witness the vibration of life that thrives near the water. At one of these lakes I met some fellow backpackers and we had the usual conversation about where we were headed and what was going on. When the guy heard what I was up to, he got this far off stare in his eyes and confided in me his desire to one day make it to the wilderness on the north end of the park. Apparently last year he had gotten himself in pretty good shape and was ascending the final ridge that separates the state park from the wilderness, the Mississippi ridge, when he injured his knee because he was pushing too hard. He had to turn around, but at the top he did get a glimpse of wilderness and vowed to return one day and complete his mission. Its stories like that that remind me not to take my health and capabilities for granted, and it reminds me that these things are hard and deserve the attention and respect that they require...
The hike proceeded up and down the ridges until finally I dropped down off of Mississippi to Orestimba creek where I followed the old farm road past the Rooster Comb and on to the confluence of the Orestimba and Robison Creek where I filled up on water one last time before climbing up a slight hill and making camp and preparing for the ascent of Mt Stakes in the morning. One interesting tidbit from this hike was that I saw the first woman that I have ever seen in the Orestimba. I was shocked when I was about to leave Orestimba creek to take the Rooster Comb trail and I see a woman in short shorts, running shoes, and a small fastpack coming off of the trail in my direction. I asked her what she was up to, and she told me all about the trail/not a trail situation that she just went through. I would imagine she didn't really know what to expect from the wilderness as the maps clearly show where trails should be, but when you actually go out there you find out that it's been a long time since anybody did any work on them, so a lot of times you are dealing with remnants of a trail. I think she was glad to be done with it.
The Rooster Comb
Camping on the hill was a peaceful affair. You could hear the water falling over the rocks in the distance and the frogs starting their chorus. I chocked down my AlpineAire Chicken Gumbo (average), crawled into my tent, and sent my wife a good night message through the satellite messenger. I then read until I thought I could pass out and then began my regular backpacking routine of barely sleeping at all. As the first light became available in the morning I slowly started packing up my stuff. At some point while crouched over in my small tent I felt my back give a slight twinge. Not good. I then slowed everything down, paying close attention to my posture and being extra cautious, got ready for the climb up the mountain. The climb was uneventful. My back complained, but I found a rhythm and routine of changing posture that seemed to provide some relief. When I finally pushed through the last chaparral bush and ended up on a newly graded dirt road on top of the ridge, I knew I had made it. I followed the dirt road west towards the high point of the park at which point I recognized the outlines of the old farm road following another ridge back down to the Robison valley. As I climbed back down the ridge I found a fork in the road that might have been the Mt. Stakes trail that headed toward red creek road. One day I may explore this path, but I knew that this trail is notoriously overgrown and hard to follow as you near the valley floor, so I opted to follow a path that I was already familiar with. As I neared Robison creek I must have missed the trail that Sachin and I were able to successfully navigate several years back and was forced to bushwhack down the same gully that I was forced to take the first backpacking trip that I had done at Coe. After refilling my water at the creek, I did my best to navigate the brush and creek climbing up-river towards the pass that leads to red creek on the other side. At some point I realized I had missed the trail and ended up on yet another bushwhack. Finally I linked up with the trail and was able to successfully navigate down to red creek, but not without first twisting my ankle in a hole in the grass field. The issues were piling up at this point: my back was bothering me, my toes were chewed up, my ankle was messed up, and I was rattled by all of the bushwhacking. When I got down to the creek I decided to take another break to eat some lunch, air out the feet, and dry out my camping stuff that was still damp from the morning dew. It was a good decision as I was able to chill out in one of the most beautiful parts of the park, and regroup before the big climb up the chaparral trail back to Mississippi ridge.
I hiked to Mississippi lake, which is kind of a stunning place given it's location high up on the ridge and the fact that it is the biggest lake in the park. There I sat down to review my route options to get back to the car. I had seen most of the stuff that I had set out to see, I had climbed Stakes, and now I was trying to figure out where I might want to make it to set up camp that night. I aimed at making it to Los Cruzeros, which is a beautiful confluence of streams in the middle of the park. This also happens to be the place where my family and I had quite the adventure several years back. I made it to the stream as the sun was starting to set, and refilled my water. Learning from that family adventure, I decided to climb up from the stream to an open meadow to camp that night to avoid the extra moisture from the running water and the cacophony of the frogs. Again, it was another peaceful night. I enjoyed my Backpackers Pantry Three Sisters Stew (average), sent the wife a message, read my book and passed out. This night I slept like a rock - I think I finally wore myself out!
The next morning I had almost no flexibility in my back, which made packup really challenging. Somehow I muddled through the whole affair - just took my time and tried to enjoy the beautiful morning with the early sun just starting to glow over the green pastures around me. My hike up to Mahony Meadows was incredible. This ridge is definitely one of the most stunning places in the park right now with the bright green open grassland dotted with ancient oak trees and placid ponds. As you hike along the ridge you are treated with views forever. As I headed south along the ridge I could see the steep drop down to the coyote creek valley below and the Coyote ridge on the other side to the right.
I made it back to the car just before lunch time and concluded what ended up being a great trip to Coe. Mid-April is definitely one of the nicest times of the year to explore the park. Here are some pics a vids:
We have had racer in the Quicksilver Challenge Kids race ever since Hayley was six years old. Now we have four in the race. Hayley is about to age out: turning 13 before next years race, she will have to become a spectator or graduate up to the 10k. The race is a one mile out and back course on a rolling fire road. The kids are always excited about this race because they usually get some pretty nice goodies at the end. I like it because it is free.
Seth beat Hayley last year - which I think she took pretty hard, getting beat by her then six year old brother. This being her last year, she decided she was going to go all out and take back the crown as the fastest Johnson kid miler.
Small turnout this year. But it is a fierce group of competitors!
And they're off:
Don't know this kids name, but by the looks of it he might be one of the well trained quicksilver cross country boys. The kids all agreed - he was fast. He had a pretty comfortable margin for the win.
Seth charged up the last hill to the finish like a little dude on a mission. Apparently he ran with Hayley for most of the race and then decided to drop her like a bad habit and flew to the finish line for second place.
Hayley ran a well paced third place. She seems resigned that Seth might officially be faster than her - but I have yet to remind her that if she so chooses - that she has many years of actual distance training ahead of her and the potential to transform her as a runner.
This little girl ran with beautiful form and took it out hard with Seth on the opening downhill. Well done.
Blake chugged up the hill with a determined pump. He was ready for a donut!
Ada ended up getting into a little bit of a sprint at the end, dueling another determined gal for a finish.
Notice Ada relaxing HARD in the background. They earned their goodies!
