Skyline to Sea Trail - December 2017
From December 19, 2017 through December 21, 2017
Starting: Castle Rocks State Park Parking Lot
Ending: Waddell Beach
The Hike : Our People : Trail Log : References : Abbrevations : Photographs
The Hike:
We hiked the Skyline to the Sea Trail in three days, from top to the bottom. The most challenge we had was the amount of cold and our conditioning. It was not so cold that we could not walk well, just cold enough to say we did not want to stop walking until we hit sunshine. Our conditioning, particularly mine was only walking a couple of miles around my neighborhood sans pack.
In a lot of ways, this hike was not about how high could we go, even though we did go up a lot. It was about how much downhill could our bodies endure. But we all made it and enjoyed it. Highly recommend this trail.
Our People:
- Gary - Myself. 64 years old and enjoy backpacking. I have done the John Muir Trail once, completely. Most of my backpacking has been in the Sierra.
- Sherri - My wife. She has done the complete John Muir Trail twice.
- Steven - My son who enjoys being outdoors.
 |
| Gary |
 |
| Sherri |
 |
| Steven |
Trail Log:
Our journal is given by each day. Mileages came from our GPS. But they do not match up with some of the trail signs
Date
|
Campsite
|
Miles
Walked |
Elevation
Gained |
Max
Elevation |
|
| Dec 19, 2017 | Waterman Gap | 9.47 | 1,119' | 2,779' | Early start after being dropped off by David |
| Dec 20, 2017 | Jay Camp | 8.12 | 2,194' | 2,049' | Rained last night and a late start. |
| Dec 21, 2017 | Waddell Beach | 9.43 | 1,633' | 1,757' | Cold, near freezing last night. Also needed to divert from the traditional Skyline to the Sea Trail |
Our total walking was 27.02 miles, Our "average day was 9.00 miles with an ascent of 6,585'.
Of course behind that average our days ranged from 8.12 to 9.43 miles and 1,119' to 2,194'. A note: it seems like many places reference this to be a 28.5 mile hike. Some of it is that we needed to take a different trail than the Skyline to the Sea proper because of unsafe conditions before Berry Creek Falls.
References:
For those of you who might be interested in hiking this hike, here are some references which you can consult:
- Redwood Hikes - a very good write up of the trial
- Sempervirens Fund - The main sponsor of this trail
- Calif State Parks - How to reserve a camp site
- Wikipedia
- Santa Cruz Hiking Trails brouchure
Abbreviations:
- STS - Skyline to the Sea Trail
- DDG - Drop Dead Gorgeous, usually when we are looking at a view
- JDV - Jaw Dropping View
Photographs:
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