Sunol Trip

sarah and i have been planning to do some backpacking in sunol since we read about it on the redwood hikes site. it’s a wonderful resource, so we trusted the author about it being one of the best backpacking campsites in the bay area. the only thing they were wrong about is how busy it would be. during our whole stay we were the only folks there. after the hike through mccorkle we were totally alone.

sarah summed it all up best:

I experienced so much awe on this trip it’s hard to put into language. We hiked to the highest campsite, Sky Camp, which was probably the hardest I’ve ever done. The last 3 miles felt so steep. What I didn’t expect was just how beautiful the view we were hiking up to was. The photos do not do it justice. You’re so high up airplanes look their actual size, and you’re making eye contact with vultures.

in fact we saw lots of animals. vultures, a few cows, a snake, so many squirrels, lizards, and hawks. apparently the ohlone wilderness is also host to eagles but we unfortunately didn’t catch any.

emboldened by the ranger at the visitor center we opted to take the steeper and rockier mccorkle trail to get to the site. it did kick our asses but i think the views of the hills were well worth it.

after the unexpectedly super hard hike up to the site, we sat down on our foam mats to snack on some dried fruit and rehydrate. dried fruit has been a real treat on these trips when you need some sugar from working your body so hard. i’ve been enjoying dried pineapple, and sarah’s been eating dried apple. occasionally we both snack on some dried peach.

we also recognized the mats as being the sleeper MVPs of our packs. sarah:

What I have found in my life is that the more simple something is, the more likely it will work. I hate inflatable sleeping pads. You’re constantly afraid of popping them, and they take forever to inflate and deflate. A mat just works. It was awesome to use as a comfortable seat for the ground, for to sit on a rock, or to simply lay on outside. A lot more versatile and less stressful!

we pitched the tent facing the sky and rolled up the outer layer so we could look out. the tarptent two layer system is really top notch and has a lot of different configurations depending on the weather. this was the hottest weather we’ve used it in and the mesh feels breezy.

on the topic of gear, sarah weighs in on her bag, the Deuter Aircontact Ultra 45+5 Sl:

This was my first time ever using this specific backpack, and I found it to be a million times better than my last one. This pack can simply hold more, which gives me the opportunity to bring more luxuries. This pack felt tailored more to women. It was able to clip onto my chest without squeezing my chest, you know. It was a thousand times more comfortable on my body and distributed weight in a better way for me.

books was also a fan of it.

after sitting a spell and basking in sun we started cooking some dinner. some months ago i ordered the jindaiji mountain works 550 cooking pot. kind of a luxurious purchase but the design of it is really beautiful and simple. this version has a magnetic cork lid and perfectly fits a small isobutane container and the camp stove inside for easy storage.

after searching far and wide a few trips ago for dehydrated refried beans and ultimately deciding that ordering them online feels Insane with a capital I, they magically appeared at the co-op in the bulk section. it was with utter delight that i dressed them with a little oil and seasoning at home before taking them on the trail, and mixed them up with some minute rice for some trail-friendly casamiento. topped with avocado and organic fritos, we were in heaven. nothing like some home cooking a long ways from home.

we had a little bit of chocolate for dessert and finally the sun set so we moseyed off to bed, tired and full.

in the morning, looking back on our little campsite reminded us that doing something really hard is awesome and rewarding. it felt great that we could access this beautiful nature not too far from the city, and that having less is more.

after some quiet reflection we got a chance to bust out some bags of ground coffee to steep, and paired it with some stroopwaffles. looking out on the hills with delicious coffee and sweets was the perfect way to start our morning.

it should be obvious to our readers to that we had to get it cracking with some cute, functional outfits for the hike back to the visitors center.

we didn’t pass too many others on the way back with it being a monday morning and all, but the few folks we did see were up to cool stuff. nature photography, taking an unauthorized dip in the water, just walking. i love the different ways we cultivate our relationship with nature.

sarah weighed in with an apt comparison to the feeling of being out there:

I kept feeling like this certain painting, which I will add down below. If you want to feel like that painting, go to Sunol. caspar david friedrich, wanderer above the sea, 1818

until next trip!

bonus: we had to grab some mama’s royale in oakland on the way home. the waiter actually gave us a recommendation for our next camping trip, so maybe we’ll have to weigh in on it for the next one!

☮ ♡