Skyline to the Sea Trail..... with some bonus miles

The first few miles passed in a blur of orange and brown. Even though this was my third week in a row of 20+ mile runs and after mile 10 I would have a new weekly mileage PR, I somehow expected it to be easy.  After all, it was 25 miles of downhill, how hard could that be, right?

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The first six miles passed quickly through unremarkable groves of baby Redwoods.  Matt, Danny, and I took turns leading, chatting about this trail while we ran along.  I expected a long run pace PR for this run given the ease of the downhill course.  The boys remarked about how urban this trail feels compared to our usual route.  We passed the Waterman Gap trail camp seven miles in and had already seen nearly ten people.  Last weekend, we came across two for the entire 22 miles.  We would eventually stop counting when that number reached 99 people.  The trail was well-marked and we let the four-sided posts guide us to the ocean.  These signposts didn't always point directly at one trail, rather halfway in between two heading in different directions.

We stopped for a snack when we intersected the Saratoga Toll Road, one direction leading back to Saratoga gap and one going in an unmarked direction.  We ran away from Saratoga Gap and ended up at Highway 9 and no apparent trail up the hill.  We backtracked to read the signpost again and that revealed no clues.  I decided to run up to the highway and alongside it for a little bit, figuring if we were lost, the best place would be nearest civilization.  We soon came across the trail we had crossed before.  Now we were going in circles.  Where was the trail?  After about an hour and a half and adding a few miles to our run, my mind considered something I didn't want to be true, "I bet we missed a turnoff a few miles back on the trail.  We must have."  "I think we're supposed to be about two miles back the other way and 800 ft. higher than we are now," I suggested.  The boys agreed, that was the only option right now. 

Just ten miles into our already long day, this destroyed me mentally. Why couldn't we have gotten lost on a mountaintop instead of a valley?  I went to that dark place that not even the fruity delicious Gushers could fix.  Somehow, Matt and I get lost more on well-established trails than faint unmarked ones.  Clearly we just need to travel with a map because the world makes more sense to us than these silly guidepost signs.  One thing we did do right while determining which way to go at a confusing intersection was to note which way our shadows pointed and corresponding cardinal directions.

Where we went wrong.  Tell me that doesn't look right, yeah?

Eventually we regained our position on the Skyline to the Sea Trail and realized where we made our mistake.  We had followed the "Skyline to the Sea Connector" trail, which would connect us back to where we began at Saratoga Gap.  Oops.  That little detour effectively added another six miles to our day.  We ended up somewhere near the little arrow on the map instead of the trail that parallels the highway (in yellow).

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Until this point, the trail meandered through the same forest of scrubby tan oak.  We contoured a ridge and were eventually treated to views of the surrounding hillsides and a few shots of crisp, ocean air filtering up a valley somewhere.  It was nearing 80F and my skin welcomed the sudden cool bursts.  We meandered through these cold areas and toasty, stagnant heat. 

When the trail finally dropped into a Redwood grove with flowing streams nearby, we couldn't resist taking a little dip. I considered ending my day here, soaking in the refreshing water.  I pulled myself from the creek and offered the rock I was perched on to Matt.  I couldn't believe the difference a short dip made on my fatigue level.  When we began running again, I noticed the calming effect on my mood as well.

The boys stopped for one more quick swim and I continued on to the Big Basin park headquarters.  The trails were marked by similar signs, but some had handwritten directions to further aid in navigation.  It seems we're not the only ones to get lost out here.  At precisely 20 miles, we arrived to a flurry of excitement as hundreds of people prepared for their afternoon hikes.  They were fresh, clean, and watched us with curiosity.  I looked like a drenched rat with a trail layer of dust everywhere.  Matt marveled at how his skin had darkened enough to match my natural complexion.

Matt and Danny refilled their packs with water as I ventured inside the snack bar.  This was our oasis for the day.  I gulped down a berry smoothie as fast as I could.  I actually welcomed the brain freeze.  Nothing has ever tasted so good.  We stopped at the ranger desk to ask where the trail left the parking lot.  We didn't want any more bonus miles for the day.  We explained how we had gotten lost earlier and the ranger offered us a map.  Huh, might as well, I thought, even though from our research, we knew that from here the trail was without braided sections and much less difficult to take a wrong turn.  Of course I know where I'm going, I'm going to the oooooooocean.  Duh. ;)

We climbed a short hill out of the visitor center area and then began the long descent towards Berry Creek Falls.  Signs warned of the difficulty of the hike.  I figured after how our morning had went, the rest would be gravy.

After following the same creek for a couple of miles, we eventually crossed and were faced with a trail junction: climb to the top of Berry Creek Falls or continue to the ocean.  My energy levels were beginning to dip and with already five hours on the trail, I wasn't excited to add more.  The boys made a detour as I continued on solo.  Every time I reached a trail junction, I placed a few sticks together to form an arrow pointing in the direction I traveled, just in case.  The last thing I wanted to do was get separated from them.

I pulled off the trail after almost thirty minutes of solitude.  Thinking nobody would see me, I peed next to a tree and began walking again as I pulled up my shorts.  Just then, Matt and Danny approached quickly from behind and a woman walking her dog came up ahead.  Matt told me they had gotten great views and a few photos.  I quickly responded, "Of what? My ass?"

Okay, I guess that's pretty cool. Note the tiny person in lower right corner.

Now that our group was reunited, I found myself missing my solo time.  The boys ran ahead at a pace that I couldn't keep and frequently left me behind.  I suggested they go on their own pace and leave me to run as slowly as I needed to without pressure to keep up with them. The boys took off and I was soon joined by two unicyclists.  We were going about the same pace.  As they teetered down hills, I caught them and they zoomed by on the flat stretches.  I had settled into a natural pace and found myself running consistently again.  

Matt waited for me a few miles ahead and we finished the run together.  When we came within a mile of the end, we caught our first glimpse of the ocean.  I told you we'd find it eventually!! The chill of the ocean air penetrated my skin and I wasted no time changing into dry clothes after we reached the car.  Then the three of us took to the water.  I had just changed my outfit and wasn't willing to go in beyond thigh depth.  Just after Matt turned to head for shore, Danny came up behind him and playfully gave him a shove.  Matt fell into the water and emerged with a snarl on his face.  "The first thing I thought when I went into the water was, 'wow, I must be really sweaty', because my lips tasted salty," Matt explained.  Clearly we don't spend enough time swimming in the Pacific Ocean.

That night I stuffed my face with a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a root beer.  It was awesome. That day was tougher than it had to be, for sure.  I'm just glad that between the three of us, we had enough common sense, supplies, and endurance to add some miles without major issues.

Looks like Garmin spent more time lost than we did.

31 miles.
7:34:10
2,000 ft. gain (about 4,000 ft. loss)