Go Climb A Pinnacle

I went camping over the weekend at Pinnacles National Monument. Despite having lived in King City for some 10 years, I had never been to the Pinnacles, even though it is only about 35 miles away from there. I had a great time. It was hot in the daytime (around 94 or so), but it cooled off to a nice 54 degrees at night, which felt so great. We hiked up to Bear Gulch Cave and then to Bear Gulch Reservoir. It was a tough hike for me, with my achey joints and all, but I made it. It was about a mile to the reservoir, and it was mostly uphill. There were a few flat areas and there were some nice shady spots, which was good since it was in the 90s. The cave was dark and cool...about 64 degrees. You are required to have a flashlight if you go into the cave, but someone forgot the flashlight, and damned if I was going to hike back over a half mile to the parking lot then back up the hill again just to get the damned thing, so we went in with no light (hehe). It wasn't too bad, since there were spots where the light shined though the boulders. But some areas were pitch black and you had to feel your way up the stairs, and some of the steps were wet and mossy and slippery. It would hurt like hell if you fell in there - lol. Plus, there were some tight squeezes and low overhangs where you had to duck (unless you wanted a nice big knot on your forehead as a souvenir of your trip). It was great though. I felt like Indiana Jones (only without the whip and the cool hat). In order to get to the reservoir, you have to climb up a narrow staircase, which sucks ass since I am afraid of heights. Some of the stairs are wet and mossry and slippery, too, and there is some poison oak near them, and you can't avoid brushing against it since there is no room to move on the narrow stairs. I didn't get poison oak though, thank the lord. I almost didn't want to go to the top, but I am very glad I did. It was so pretty up there.

After the hike to the top of the reservoir, we had to turn around and go back the way we came, which meant going down those stairs (ugh - I hated that) and back through the dark cave. It seemed darker when we came back - lol. You would think it would be more difficult to hike uphill than downhill, but that is not necessarily so. It is way more taxing on the knees to go downhill, and by the time we got back to the parking lot, my knees had had it! I was so achey the next day, and my calf muscles are still sore - lol. But it was worth the trek.

The campground was great. I saw deer (a few wandered into the campsite - a doe and her fawn), raccoons (quite a few of them), and cottontail rabbits. I heard coyotes howling in the middle of the night and owls hooting in the trees. There were quail everywhere. I love quail. They are so cute!! The weather at night was nice and cool which made for good sleeping weather.

The next day, we drove to Arroyo Seco and then to San Antonio Lake and Lake Nacimiento, just to look around. I remember going to San Antonio Lake when I was a kid with the Girl Scouts. I got my swimming badge there - lol. It seemed so much bigger than I remembered.

Anyway, the weekend was fun. I didn't get poison oak or a sunburn, but I did get a few mosquito bites. Those suckers just never leave me alone

I took pictures (duh) and you can see them and read more about the trip by clicking HERE.

Enjoy!