Trip Overview
I had been itching to go on another trip, and I identified
Henry Coe as yet another great spot to backpack in the neighborhood. I'm still blown away by the glut of options I have access to now. There were still two kids I hadn't tortured outdoors yet, and it was time for Adam (10 year old son) to transition into manhood via backpacking. I planned out a short trip because I wasn't sure about the change in elevation and how well Adam would handle the trek.
In planning the route, it looked like Henry Coe was a lot drier than Big Basin, so I had to be more deliberate about my plans for water. Thankfully, our trip was on the tail end of the rainy season, which meant the seasonal streams were flowing well. The plan was for a three day trip that started and ended at the Hunting Hollow entrance in May 2019.
The Hike - Day 1
Adam and I are up early Saturday morning and on the road before 8 am. Adam is one of the earlier risers in our house, so the morning start doesn't really phase him. We have a quick breakfast, load the car, and head for Hunting Hollow.
When we arrive, the parking lot is filling up quickly, which isn't surprising since the rainy season is coming to a close. I see a lot of campers and hikers unloading, so I'm pretty certain that I've at least picked a good weekend for a trip. We hit the porta-potties, double check our packs, and then start on the trail! It begins on a dirt road that weaves across a few stream beds. We're able to navigate across the rocks without getting our feet very wet and start to head uphill.
On the trail, we stumble onto a tarantula, and Adam is elated. He has been watching Youtube videos about them for months, and this is the first tarantula he's seen in the wild. We scamper around it and take a few pictures before it scrambles into its hide. I had already told Adam that we might pick up a pet tarantula on the way home, and our run in with the real thing seals the deal.
On our way to the top, we take a break so that Adam can sit and whittle some sticks into spears. Unfortunately, his knife etiquette is a little lacking as evidenced by the wide berth people walking by are giving him. We are nearing Willson peak after a long climb, and Adam is not happy about the elevation. He is adamant that I should have warned him about all this uphill nonsense. The view at the peak is nice but overcast, and despite the manly poses, Adam makes it clear that the view is not worth the climb.
We go off trail into a copse of trees to find a place to camp for the night, but I'm not really feeling the conditions so we take a look at the map to decide where else we might go. Adam is excited to find out that there is a "Willson Camp," which he thinks is named after Wilson in the game Don't Starve, so we decide to head down there before setting up for the night.
It is quite a jog down the mountain and over to Willson Camp. Adam is already worn out, but he is taking the extra miles relatively well. As we get closer, we walk down some old fire roads that go in and out of the sunshine, making for an easygoing and peaceful finish.
When we arrive at Willson Camp, we see a large group of boys setting up camp. It turns out they are boy scouts practicing for a more involved camping trip. Adam again is a little too excited about his pocket knife, and one of the parents at the camp tries unsuccessfully to give Adam a quick lesson on knife safety. He's taken the knife safety courses, but I think his excitement at having the knife is overriding his good reason. A refresher course is definitely in order.
Willson camp is actually an abandoned homestead with an old barn that has been partially converted into a picnic area. Peering into the windows you can see old furniture and canned food strewn about, a fascinating glimpse into the past. There is a toolshed next to the house, and I briefly consider just sleeping in the toolshed and forgoing the tent. The soggy carpet in the toolshed persuades me to setup camp in the little spot between the house and shed. We have the tent up without too much trouble with a few knots to old plumbing since there isn't much room for stakes. There is a spout to fill up on water, which we do before heading over to the old barn for an early dinner.
There are a few campers already eating at the barn, and we chitchat about campfood choices for a bit. One of them is loaded up on Ramen, which I think has been underutilized on my trips. Adam is pretty happy about the camp food, especially the Oreos and chocolate.
After dinner Adam isn't interested in exploring and heads back to the tent to rest. We chill in the tent and chat until nightfall. He seems comfortable sleeping in the wilderness, but his allergies are going into overdrive and making it hard for him to breath. I have a single emergency benadryl that seems to help a little, and we drift off to sleep.
The Hike - Day 2
Unfortunately, my sleeping pad has a slow leak in it, so I wake up every couple hours from discomfort and have to re-inflate it. Adam and I are both less than excited at the prospect of spending a second night in the wilderness, and we agree that it is time to head to the car. The boy scouts get an early start, and while Adam and I are slowly making breakfast and packing up camp, they head out toward the parking lot. Adam is excited to get back on the trail because I've promised that the walk back to the car will be short.
The views on the way back are overcast but still gorgeous. The boy scouts must have taken some side trips or long rests since we are able to catch them at a fork about two miles from the parking lot. We steamroll through the miles because Adam is anxious to get back to civilization so he can get his pet tarantula.
We reach the parking lot in high spirits, and I tell Adam he can pick whatever he wants for our post-hike celebration feast. Of course he wants to go to McDonald's, so we drive over and get burgers and fries.
Then for the highlight of the trip, we head over to the East Bay Vivarium in Berkeley to check out tarantulas. I knew they could be expensive, but I wasn't prepared for the range in prices and cost of additional gear. This is Adam's first, so we decide on an easy to handle new-world tarantula, Honduran Curly Hair, which Adam promptly names Curly.
It isn't often that you are able to see your pet in the wild right before you get him/her, and I'm so happy Adam had the experience on his first backpacking trip. Like my other kids, he says he's done with backpacking for now, which means my quest to find a backpacking partner continues...
