A Wonderfully Wild Place - The Sespe

Wild heights, wild winds, wild depths, wild
temperatures and perhaps wild hearts as well or, "What
Java and I did this past weekend".

As you may have noticed I've been spending most of my
time outdoors, in my nearest wilderness area; The
Sespe. It is a broad and diverse swath of the much
larger Los Padres National Forest. This past weekend
Java and I traveled the Reyes Peak Trail from Reyes
Peak Campground to the intersection of the Piedra
Blanca Trail.

Because I've explored much of the surrounding area I
thought I knew what to expect; dry grasses, thick
brush, the usual ubiquitous Chaparral - I was wrong.
Instead we found a soothing Alpine environment marked
by numerous sandstone rock features, and old growth
pines. Most trees were easily 5 - 7 feet in diameter
and almost all were higher than all but the tallest
building in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, 100 -
150 ft high. The height of many trees were limited
only by stunted growth due to the winds that whip
across their tops along the extensive ridge that we
traversed.

From atop that ridge we were privileged to views that
extended for 50 - 60 miles and beyond. On the return
trip we even observed the top of Santa Cruz Island,
floating above a sea of clouds - A solitary peak
isolated from is neighboring islands, whose locations
were enshrouded by the marine layer underneath.

Fallen trees, fallen pine cones, and small spindly
stakes of white flowers were everywhere; as where
large numbers of blue, brown, yellow and red feathered
birds as well. While I found the avian population of
greatest interest, Java generally was most intrigued
by the various squirrels and chipmunks we encountered.

The trail consisted of a unobtrusive narrow footpath,
that at times was at times highly discern-able, while
at others barely distinguishable under a carpet of
pine needles and overgrown flowers and immature brush,
including thorny bramble in spot that mercilessly dug
into my shins.

After we reached Haddock Peak, we descended a
relatively steep ~ 1400 ft, to Haddock campground on
the Piedra Blanca Trail (National Recreation Trail).
The campsite was a bit too developed for my taste, and
was too close the slow running stream nearby that had
plenty on late season mosquitoes. Instead, we found a
secluded level spot up the trail at 6240 ft., and I
set up camp.

In addition to the underestimating what to expect on
the trail I under estimated how cold it would get. I
had too few layers of clothing, a too light sleeping
bag, and a too breezy tarp for protection for the just
slightly above freezing temperatures that we
encountered.

The temperatures dropped from the afternoon near 65
degrees to a cold 33 degrees before dawn. During the
night, after each trip to answer nature's call, I did
jumping jacks, and ran in place to elevate my core
temperature before jumping back into my bag. Even
still, I did not fully evade the night's chill.
However, it being cold was not without its benefits -
the night sky was crystal clear night and moonless,
which made for some fantastic star gazing through an
opening in the canopy above - It was great!

After our explorations this weekend I've come to think
of the the Sespe Wilderness as a smaller, much more
accessible counterpart to the infinitely grander
Sierra Neveda. Although substantially less
prestigious than other better known wilderness areas,
the Sespe Wilderness is still equally endearing and
every bit as rewarding. Java and I were certainly
gratified by our recent explorations.

Trip Summary - 2 Days, 1 night. Moderately strenuous
~12 mile hike. Total ascent 3000 ft. Max Elevation
7500 ft.

I'm loving life and hope you are too! Take care.

-Manny