Took it Easy Saturday, Hike Sunday?

We planned to hike at Pinnacles National Park. We planned to... just like we planned to the weekend before our Hawaii trip, and the weekend before that, and at least one other time a few weeks before that. Instead, like all those other times, we took it easy on Saturday. We slept in late (I was really tired for some reason), lazed around once we did get up, then opted for running shopping errands instead. Hawk replaced some of her hiking equipment that was stolen in Hawaii, and we bought enough fresh food for the house that we can eat at home most nights this coming week and break the habit of going out to eat half the time we've been backsliding into.

Well, it's Sunday now, and Pinnacles is still on the plan. We'll go today! We're both up early enough, and while it's cloudy here at the moment the weather forecast still looks great for today. Stay tuned for more.

Pinnacles National Park

Today we got out for a hike at Pinnacles National Park! Finally. It's been on our let's-do-it-this-weekend list for over a month. 😅 In the past we used to go every year or two; but now our last trip there was five years ago.

Pinnacles is a small national park outside the town of Soledad, California, 100 miles south of us. We've visited numerous times since moving to the Bay Area back in the 1990s. Before 2013 it was a National Monument. Then it was upgraded to a National Park. What's the difference? Well, aside from technical policy differences (caution: Antiquities Act of 1906 discussed at this link 😂), the entry fees are way higher.

I set my alarm for 7am this morning and swatted the snooze button a few times before getting up. At least I wasn't feeling wrecked even after sleeping in 'til 9 like I was yesterday. We took it easy, though, not leaving the house until 9. We decided that was adequately early given that the Pinnacles isn't that far away. Sans traffic it's just under 2 hours, mostly a straight shot down US-101 into the Salinas Valley.



We took the convertible for today's drive. The weather was clear and in the 60s this morning so it was fine conditions for driving with the top down. Hawk suggested we bring our red-tail hawk toy, "Peggy", as a mascot on this trip. You may recall we added her to our aerie just over a year ago.

One thing we like to do when there's a hawk toy in the car is "flip the bird" at drivers who annoy us. This trip nobody needed to be given the bird. But I perched her on the dashboard for fun anyway. I figured if someone did deserve getting a bird, I'd just point to her as they passed.

Including a stop for an early lunch, where Hawk and I split a burger meal, we got to the trailhead in the park just before noon.



For today's hike we entered the park from the west side. That's one of the epic things about Pinnacles— though it's a small park there are two sides, and they're only connected by hiking trails. You have to pick which side to drive to when you're 50 miles away!

From the west side there's a great view up toward the high peaks that separate the park's two sides. This view is one of the reasons why we chose the west for today. Those high peaks are 1,200' above the valley floor. A trail leads up there, and there's a loop around them. Looking up from down here feels a bit like looking at a 1:5 scale model of Grand Teton. That 1:5 scale is way more approachable for hiking.

UPDATE: Keep reading as we begin the ascent to the top.