Big Basin Hike

Tweet

Last Saturday, AP, Han, Wally, and I did a ~10 mile hike in Big Basin north of Santa Cruz. And guess who was the least tired at the end? The 4.5 month old puppy! Yep, he schooled us with his 8" long legs and great attitude. The hike itself was quite nice...it was mainly in the redwoods and therefore shady. There was a lot of elevation change, and my out-of-shape quads were most definitely reminding me of my 2 months off. The pay-off for the hike was the multiple waterfalls (the headliner was Big Bear Waterfall, I think) about two-thirds into the loop, but unfortunately, there was a shorter trail that also led to said waterfalls. That meant that 98,000 tourists were eating lunch there when we passed through. Regardless of the Cheeto-munching multitudes, we took some cool pics and dunked Wally in the water before heading on our merry way. I'm pretty sure we were on the Sea Basin trial (or something like that) most of the time, but don't quote me.

We finished the day camping at Sunset State Beach. By the time we got to the campsite, the 3 girls were pooped and ready for dinner, but Wally somehow still had the energy to tear around the area like a madman. I ended up having to leash him to the picnic table, which he didn't like, but at least our fellow campers and I got a little piece of mind (Wally contented himself with fake burying things under the table). Three shrimp tacos, two s'mores, and two beers later, Wally and I retired to our tent where the little man snuggled right into my sleeping bag with me, and we both passed out till 5:30am. We spent the following morning exploring the (non-dog friendly) beach in the suuuuper thick fog before returning to SF by way of Santa Cruz. Man, I never realized how many outdoor places DIDN'T allow dogs.

And that's the story of Big Basin and Sunset. Not a bad weekend's work, if I do say so myself.

PS Dogs weren't allowed on this trail, so please don't report me. I just couldn't leave the pup behind on such a gorgeous day.