Skyline to the Sea: Day 1

Today, I am thankful for unexpectedly free time. Granted, I "earned" it by a foolish mistake - I thought I was supposed to take a teaching test tonight, only to show up and find out that it's next week. Luckily, I am just appreciating being home, watching a fun new "chick" show while Ed's at rehearsal. So, I thought I'd do a long overdue blog update!

So, travel back with me to mid June. Ed had just finished the famous Double Dipsea race that morning. We had enough time to get home, shower, and get all packed up, and we were off to the trail head for my first backpacking trip ever!

With all the stress of our impending move, the school year ending, Ed graduating, etc., it was such a breath of fresh air to, well, go out into the fresh air. 

Our first day (afternoon really) was an easy 6ish miles to Waterman Gap. I was a bit nervous about impending darkness, even though Ed promised we'd get there in time. But, as we traveled down the trail, with our packs, and took in possibly one of our last forays through these California forests for a while, we couldn't help but be so happy. Even now, recalling the whole trip, but especially that afternoon, I can't help but feel more relaxed. 

When we reached our first viewpoint, looking out over the 25ish miles we still had until we reached the ocean, it was exciting and exhilarating. 

We knew we couldn't spend too long admiring the view, so we one last look, 

we headed back into the forest. 

Singletrack redwood trails are some of my favorites (as I've mentioned more than once), especially since they were leading us quickly to our resting spot. 

Before we knew it, we're arrived!

We set up our tent. Well, Ed's tent really. The one he's had since he was a kid. The one we shared 3 weeks into dating on our first camping trip ever. I have to say, it was a lot smaller than I remembered. Also, sleeping on the ground? A lot harder than I remembered. But, we still had a few hours before we went to bed, so it was time to dig into our dinner. 

On the menu? We'd made two not necessarily backpacking friendly meals (in terms of weight), but very yummy. Walnut pesto kale and quinoa salad. We decided to have a little of both. 

I've got to say, I did miss the hot food, especially as the temperature dropped. But, it was yummy and very filling.

We were very happy with our little log bench, sitting on our pillows to make it extra comfy (we'll more comfy at least). 

We brought a few books, though I can't say I had any interest in Ed's "light reading." I spent time planning our Hawaii trip :)

As soon as it got dark, we headed to bed, mostly because we were so amazingly cold. Especially on that cold, hard ground. But, sleep came pretty quickly. We were excited to start our first full day on the trail!