I was up early again on Monday morning, my hiking buddy Julie and I took a day trip to Pinnacles National Park. We were on the road by 5:15 to try to miss traffic and ensure we could get parking. We did hit a little bit of traffic, but had no problem finding parking at the trailhead. This was my second trip to Pinnacles and her first, and it was glorious! The weather was beautiful, a mix of sun and clouds, no wind and absolutely wonderful views. The start of the hike took us through the talus caves, and because of the recent rain we had to wade through areas where the water went over our ankles. Luckily, the rest of the trail was relatively dry, and our wet socks didn’t cause any irritation. We had the reservoir all to ourselves for about two minutes before a group of moms and their kids emerged from the caves.
For the first half of our hike we saw very few other people which was such a treat. We were especially glad not to pass anybody when we were on the narrow part of the High Peaks Trail navigating very steep steps up and down where using handrails was absolutely necessary because of the small amount of space around the edge of the pinnacles. It was exhilarating to say the least! After getting through that point in the trail we passed dozens and dozens of people making their way around in the opposite direction. That seemed to be the more challenging way to go, but did mean that you got your feet wet at the very end of the hike.
On our way down Condor Gulch Trail we actually saw about a half a dozen condors soaring high above us! We may have seen some earlier, but they were too far away to tell if they were condors or turkey vultures. We managed to miss the evening commute traffic – thank goodness! What a fun adventure!
Later that night I had dinner with a friend, so nice to catch up with him after not seeing each other for a couple of months. His oldest is graduating from college soon and has landed his first real job. I could tell he was so proud and a bit overwhelmed by the thought of his kid becoming a real adult!