Survived to tell the tale
I'm back from a three-night venture into the Big Sur mountains with some fraternity buddies. We were on a search for the elusive Sykes hot water springs (3 miles from Barlow Flats and 10 miles from our parking-spot.) Our trip was successful. We logged a total of 22 miles in three days and it was a blast...I'm choosing to focus on the positive only and have already forgotten about the pain involved. :P
The trip included a side (ways) trip to Talley Winery, a night in a wooded-motel, starry nights, a broken-down boot (mine), rock sculptures by the river, a game of hearts under the bright lights of some glow sticks, strange camping neighbors, fishing and an introduction to "Carmel Gary."
The highlight was the discovery of a natural hot spring at Sykes campground that is a closely guarded secret because the locals have done their best to keep it that way (by removing signs.) A natural hot spring from high-up above the stream has been corralled and fed through pipes down below next to the stream...creating several "natural jacuzzi's" aided in part by the hard work of "Carmel Gary" who schleps in 25 pound bags of cement for his "pay it forward" work. Quite the guy! Thank You Gary.
My first backpacking trip since the Boy Scouts was a success...thanks in large part to my life-long friends: Jeff, Craig, Jon and Jim. Thanks for the memories guys! See you next year.
