Mar. 8, 2003: Andrew Molera State Park at Big Sur

Taking advantage of the last free weekend for a while, Sarah and I decided on a camping trip to Big Sur, about 2 hrs south of SF. Growing up, I'd seen advertisments on TV for Big Sur waterbeds, but this park only vaguely resembled a waterbed. We in fact slept on solid ground. But we were warned by an irate lady with a soaked cotton sleeping bag that solid ground might not be as dry as one might think. She left us to ponder this without further elaboration. Surprisingly, we arrived at 1pm, nearly 4 hrs ahead of our usual schedule. This can be directly attributed to Sarah making coffee before trying to rouse me out of bed. Experience shows this increases the chances of success from 8% to nearly 98%. Anyway, we set up our tent, paying heed to the lady's irritation by testing the ground for dampness, avoiding stream beds, etc. We then set out for a hike, but to get to the trails and the beach, we had to cross a large stream by way of a "summer footbridge". It being March, this turned out to be somewhat less like a bridge than expected. It was, in fact, a trial by pain, testing the worthiness of those who wanted to hike by forcing them to wade through barely-liquid water too far to be refreshing. Since we were planning to hike in dry boots, we proceeded to wade through knee-plus deep, freezing, running water barefoot. It was a high time for all. But we survived, and enjoyed the great 6 mile hike we earned. We saw a banana slug, a sunset, and lots of stars. The prospect of recrossing the "summer footbridge" in the dark should have sped our footsteps, but it didn't. We managed the recrossing with somewhat more anguish than before, but at least our ordeals were at an end. Arriving back at the tent, we found that a cloud of dew had visited our campsite and soaked all exteriors. Thus did the lady's words become at last understood. The rainfly and groundcloth weathered admirably, however, and we slept on dry beds.