Jules and I went on ten camping trips in 2011 and I only posted about the first two! Here’s a roundup of all the trips we took last year and what I remember from them.

Ventana Wilderness

In January we took our first trip to Ventana Wilderness. We camped at Pat Spring on a cold and windy ridge just past where I’m standing in the above photo. There was one other backpacker in the area that chatted with us for a while by our fire before the sun went down.

Henry Coe State Park

In February we headed to Henry Coe State Park. The campsites in the Western Zone of Henry Coe are reserved at the visitor center on a first come, first serve basis. We needed to be back home by noon the following day so we knew we’d have to get a spot that wasn’t a far trek. That spot, China Hole, is probably the most popular site in the area. Since we had to arrive early to snag the spot, and the spot is only four miles from the entrance, we had plenty of time to lounge around the creek, relax, and read. China Hole is close enough to the entrance that there is a lot of foot traffic through the area.

Owens Peak Wilderness

Jules and I were invited on this trip to Owens Peak Wilderness in March. There’s a good off-road section to get to the trailhead that doesn’t necessarily require high clearance, but it was fun to drive the jeep through anyway. The idea was the camp on the mountain somewhere, but it was so steep and rocky that we couldn’t find a place to set up. We ended up hiking all the way up and down with our packs on and camping near the base.

Henry Coe State Park

Another quick venture to Henry Coe in May. You can see from the picture how different the vegetation is after the rains have come. This isn’t China Hole, but it’s the same creek. We had more time for this trip so we went farther inland to a more desolated area at the eastern edge of the Western Zone.

Ventana Wilderness

In June we we brought two more with us to Ventana Wilderness for a three night adventure. Most of the campsites were being used this time around with a half-dozen backpacking groups and a few solo adventurers milling about. The flowers were amazing.

Yosemite National Park

Against better judgement, for the July 4th weekend we took a group to Yosemite Valley. None of the three people we brought had been before so I thought it would be a good idea to drive the valley loop as soon as we arrived for impact. Of course we got stuck in traffic for three hours. I suppose it made a different kind of impact.

Desolation Wilderness

In August Jules and I finally went on our honeymoon to Desolation Wilderness. It was probably the most beautiful place I’ve gone backpacking, and by far the most populous. Lake Aloha was crowded enough that we had to hike half way up a rocky hill to find a spot. It ended up being a really nice spot though. We had our permits checked by rangers for the first time ever. Half Moon Lake, pictured above, had the fewest campers. Lake Aloha had the most, along with the most flys. Gilmore Lake had the most abundant and voracious mosquitos I have ever seen.

Point Reyes National Seashore

My brother invited us on a backpacking weekend in Point Reyes in September. We got stuck in traffic on the way over after work and ended up hiking in under a starry sky. Luckily the trails are well maintained, the signs are good, and most importantly, we knew the way to our first campsite. We also borrowed a super light tent from a friend (pictured above).

Henry Coe State Park

After a camping hiatus Jules and I went on an impromptu trip to Henry Coe in December. This time we entered from the South and camped outside of the Western Zone which meant we could set up anywhere. The only people we saw on the trail were a pair of horseback riders, one of which was a ranger.

Harris Beach State Park

After Christmas we drove up 101 along the Pacific Coast and stayed a night at Harris Beach State Park. We were the only ones in a tent that night. Everyone else was in an RV or yurt. It wasn’t particularly cold but it was damp enough that we couldn’t get a good fire going even after three hours of effort. So we headed into the tent with our two kindles (Jules got a second kindle for Christmas) and read for the rest of the evening.

Jules and I took advantage of the previous weekend’s nice weather to revisit Henry Coe State Park. We decided to try out the closest campsite, China Hole, for this visit because we had to be back by noon the following day. We’ve hiked past it on our previous trips, and we knew it would be a nice place to spend the night. This particular campsite is snatched up pretty quickly, so we made sure we got to the park headquarters by 8:30am. Even then, the ranger that helped us was surprised it hadn’t been taken already. Lucky us!

The temperature got into the 70s around noon so we spend a lot of time lounging by the creek.

Jules reading by the creek

Mike lounging by the water

It was incredibly relaxing. I spent a lot of time just thinking and napping. Later in the afternoon we set up camp and skipped some rocks in the creek.

China Hole Campsite

When the sun went down, so did the temperature. Jules had bought a small thermometer at REI before this trip because she was testing her new sleeping bag. It was the first time I’d slept with my Marmot Pinnacle 15°F zipped up all the way. Jules ended up pulling her down jacket inside her bag. When we woke up in the morning the thermometer read 30°F in the tent and 20°F outside.

Brrrr

We had to melt the ice that had formed in our water bladder tubes and break the ice that was locking our tent poles together. We’d never camped in such cold weather before so it was pretty fun. If Jules had kicked me out of my sleeping bag like the previous time, it might have been a different story.

On the hike out of the park it started warming up pretty quick and by the time we reached the trailhead it was back in the 60s. A good end to a quick and fun backpacking trip.

The rest of the pictures are up on Flickr.

A couple of weeks ago we went on another one of those impromptu backpacking trips. This time we went to Ventana Wilderness for the first time. Our plan was ambitious: a 28 mile round trip in two days. We had planned on starting from Bottchers Gap and making it up to Double Cone Summit. Instead we went about half that distance and stayed overnight at Pat Spring. It worked out pretty well. The spot we found we a bit windy, but had a great view.

Jules enjoying the sunset

Although we don’t have a thermometer, I’m pretty sure the temperature dipped below freezing overnight. Surprisingly, Jules was able to stay warm with two sleeping pads, handwarmers, supplemental woolen leggings, and her new down jacket.

The double cone trail follows this ridge.

I was using my Garmin Rino to record a GPS track while we were hiking along and here’s a little flash widget it came up with.

I’m a little annoyed with EveryTrail’s implementation. There’s a lot of potential there but it needs a lot of cleanup.

Okay fine, I take it back. I love the badges, but I don’t have very many. Between the two of us, Jules and I only have these two.

First two badges

But I like the idea of them. I’m not sure about sewing them onto my backpack or anything like that, but they serve as a nice reminder of the places you’ve been. Maybe I’ll put them in a large poster frame of some sort. How many can I collect?

Mike and I were planning to go to the DMV to take care of car stuff on Saturday, as well as visit Mike’s parents. However, the visit got moved to Sunday late afternoon, and on Friday night, we learned that the DMV suspended Saturday service. So what did we do? We planned a spur-of-the-moment backpacking trip! Is that an oxymoron?

This time around, there was a lot of water, and many flowers in bloom. We had a great view from our camp site at Willow Ridge, on the border of the Western Zone of the park (~7.5 miles from Coe Headquarters). We made it out of the park 30 minutes before the storm rolled in, and in time for Easter Sunday hanging out/dinner with Mike’s family (did I mention that we are all atheists? I don’t know what’s going on). We are backpacking ninjas.

Turkeys!

Navigating The Narrows

A hitchhiker

Drying off after Mike helped me dunk my right foot in The Narrows ~_^

Almost Home

Jules and I picked up my mom and headed to Briones Regional Park for a quick hike to try out one of the new backpacks and the Garmin Rino GPS device. I wasn’t able to load the a topo map onto the Rino before we left so all we could see was a dotted line (our track) in a sea of tan, but it was interesting anyway. Here’s a short video I posted on youtube.

Recently Jules and I have acquired some new backpacking gear in preparation for some epic trips this summer.

Plotting the Course

First on the list is a fancy GPS device. Jules did some research and came up with the Garmin Rino 530HCx GPS/Two-Way Radio. After last year’s trip to Snow Mountain where we lost the trail a few times, we thought it would be a good idea to have a backup plan. We were never really lost while in the Snow Mountain area, but a few times we didn’t know how to proceed. When I say we lost the trail, we could still go back, just not forward. So with this handy device we can plan our route ahead of time and bring it out every so often to make sure we’re on the right track.

Garmin Rino 530HCx

Disclaimer: A GPS device should not take the place of a map, compass and planning. Always let someone know what your plans are.

Setting the Sails

Right around when I graduated from college I decided to get a framepack for all of the backpacking I was sure to do. Unfortunately I didn’t put any research into it and didn’t even test the fit. Despite all that I’ve been on many trips with it and it’s all worked out just fine except for a little chafing and perhaps a little more strain than was necessary. So Jules thought it was a good time for an update.

Osprey Aether 70

Enter the Osprey Aether 70. This 70L pack should get me through the long trips with comfort. I’m planning on taking it on my honeymoon. For those shorter weekend trips she got me something lighter and more agile.

Osprey Kestrel 48

Aren’t they pretty? I’m pretty excited to get out on the trails and start breaking these guys in. I’m tempted to take them in to work and just go on walks for lunch. Maybe I’ll try that this week