vistas – Leor Pantilat's Adventures

Stone Ridge Descent

Sat, 31 May 2014 06:11:20 +0000

On the last post, I mentioned (many) more Stone Ridge photos were coming so here they are! Despite this being my fifth time travelling the ridge, the views were just as inspiring. Stone Ridge is a spot I could return over and over again; a truly magical place! These photos were taken after an FKT run up Cone Peak via Kirk Creek and Vicente Flat (1h50m). While I have climbed Cone Peak over a dozen times by various routes, I have never really done it for speed, so I figure there is room for some personal improvement. Obviously a race-like effort by talented mountain runners could knock down the time more substantially. Nonetheless, it’s close to 6,000 feet of elevation gain in just over 11 miles to ascend Cone Peak via Vicente Flat (including a couple steep pitches) so it will always be a challenging run. After traveling through a thick fog layer in the upper reaches of Cone Peak, the views opened up near the summit. It was awesome to see low clouds riding over the ridge between Cone Peak and Twin Peak. These clouds dissipated as I made my way over Twin Peak producing brilliant sunshine and spectacular clarity on the way down Stone Ridge. The turquoise blue water along the coast juxtaposed with the green grass was fantastic. I was waffling on whether to carry a camera or not, but very happy I wound up carrying it. I placed the camera in the water resistant pouch of the Ultimate Direction Jurek Essential, I hardly noticed it! I chose a cool day for the quick run up the mountain so I only needed the Jurek Essential and the Fastdraw 20 for hydration. Prior Stone Ridge Posts:

April 2013
December 2013
February 2014
April 2014 (Stone Ridge Direct in reverse)

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Boronda Ridge & Marble Peak

Fri, 02 May 2014 06:08:58 +0000

Back in January I explored the Boronda-De Angulo Loop and thought it would be fitting to return to Boronda Ridge during the short spring period of green. Boronda Ridge rises steeply from the ocean with magnificent vistas of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding terrain. It’s one of the most amazing spots in all of Big Sur. The trail also provides an efficient access point to the central part of the Coast Ridge Road and Marble Peak, with its suburb views of the interior Ventana. I view Boronda Ridge as Stone Ridge’s little sister. While Stone Ridge tops out at over 4,800 ft at the summit of Twin Peak, Boronda ridge reaches just over 3,000 feet at the summit of Timber Top. Despite its lower vertical, Boronda Ridge rises more steeply immediately from the ocean with truly impressive relief on the lower part of the ridge. From a vista at 1,500 feet above sea level, the topography is so steep that it’s almost as if you could dive into the ocean! The amazing views on Boronda are virtually non-stop owing to the fact that the ridge crest is almost entirely devoid of vegetation other than grass. The ridge culminates in an elegant arm at the upper part of the ridge. This photogenic rounded arm is separated by deep canyons of oak and redwood with the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean shimmering below. It’s truly a remarkable spot and one of my favorite spots along the Big Sur Coast. The top of Boronda Ridge is a peaklet known as Timber Top, with a camping area (no water) and more phenomenal views. Boronda Ridge also provides efficient access to the middle section of the Coast Ridge Road (a gravel road closed to public vehicles). Boronda Ridge also provides efficient access to the middle section of the Coast Ridge Road (a gravel road closed to public vehicles). Heading north from Timber Top, the road passes through more grassy meadows as it gradually descends to the Ventana Inn at Big Sur. To the south, the road gradually gains elevation in a predominantly chaparral and pine forest environment with plenty of interior and coastal vistas along the way. The road skirts Michael’s Hill and then has a dip, followed by an ascent and another dip before the final climb to near the broad summit of Anderson Peak. Anderson Peak itself is property of the federal government and contains some buildings, aviation equipment and weather sensors. The summit area is surrounded by fencing and is closed, but fortunately Marble Peak (of nearly the same height) is only a half mile beyond. In fact, Marble Peak arguably has the better 360 degree view because it is more of a pinnacle. Running down the road from Anderson Peak, turn off just past a sign that says “Marble Peak” and briefly take a trail cuts through a brush tunnel. Near the crest of the ridge, leave the trail and take use paths traversing grass on the west side of Marble Peak until you’re almost beneath the summit. From here, a virtually brush free route to the summit presents itself. Marble Peak has excellent views of the interior Ventana Wilderness. Looking north is an excellent view of the rugged ridge from Kandlbinder to La Ventana to Ventana Double Cone. To the south is Cone Peak, Twin Peak, Mining Ridge, and the Lost Valley. To the east is Junipero Serra Peak, Black Cone and the upper drainage of the South Fork Big Sur River. All told, it’s about 7.5 miles each way from the Timber Top to the summit of Marble Peak for a 15 mile roundtrip. Combined with the 6 miles round trip to Timber Top up Boronda Ridge, the route becomes a 21 miles total. The extension to Marble Peak is an excellent way to tack on some miles on relatively fast runnable road, but still enjoy grand views along the way.

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King Range 50 at the Lost Coast

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 22:57:38 +0000

Photo album here.

The Lost Coast is a spectacular meeting of land and ocean along the most undeveloped, remote and rugged stretch of coastline along the U.S. West Coast. I was eager to return here after amazing experiences in 2010 and 2012 (see 2010 TRs: King Range, Sinkyone; July 2012 album here). The northern portion of the Lost Coast is protected by the King Range National Conservation Area and 42,585 acres received Federal Wilderness designation on October 17, 2006. The southern portion is protected in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, named after the Sinkyone Indians that lived on this part of the coast. The two sections are split by Shelter Cove, a small community of mainly vacation homes, but the parts are completely different in terms of their overall feel and experience. The northern section of the Lost Coast in the King Range NCA from the Mattole River to Black Sands Beach at Shelter Cove features a famous 24.5 mile beach walk with two-thirds of the distance spent on sand, gravel, and rock-hopping and the remaining third on trails just above the beach on the bluffs.

Lesser known than the beach walk is the interior of the King Range NCA, which features a rugged subrange of the coastal mountains that reach just above 4,000 feet at King Peak. On my first two visits to the Lost Coast I did the beach walk in the King Range NCA, but on this trip I decided to explore the interior and designed a 50 mile loop that includes virtually all of the highlights of the beach portion along with with most of the highlights of the interior mountains including the Kings Crest and Cooskie Trails. The “King Range 50” is a phenomenal route that showcases the immense beauty of the King Range NCA, both the spectacular Lost Coast and the rugged interior mountains. It’s an aesthetic and convenient way to see a lot of amazing scenery without having to organize a care shuttle. The loop is a challenging route with over 11,000 feet of elevation gain, virtually all of it coming in the last 26 miles. However, the first 24 miles are no cake-walk either with a steep 3,200 ft descent down the Buck Creek Trail followed by nearly 20 miles along the beach on a sometimes arduous surface of talus or gravel. Careful planning must also take into consideration the two sections of beach that are impassable at high tide (a 4 mile section and a 4.5 mile section). Impassable at high tide is an accurate statement as the waves crash right into the cliffs at high tide making travel impossible. Being stranded part of the way through one of these sections would be very dangerous. GPS route here. The route beings with a steep descent down the Buck Creek Trail to Buck Creek camp along the coast. The upper portion of the trail features sweeping views to Shelter Cove and south to the Sinkyone portion of the Lost Coast. Towards the bottom the trail enters a lush forest with ferns covering the ground. Emerging on the coast, I began walking north on sand and rocks toward Miller Flat and Big Flat (this section is impassable in high tide). The coastal section was as beautiful as I had remembered from my previous visits. Continuing north past Spanish Flat, the beach walk enters another rocky and sandy section that is impassable at high tide. The geology of this portion is fascinating with cliffs of conglomerate and plate rocks coming right to the coast. The final section of my journey north along the coast featured Seal rock and Punta Gorda Lighthouse. Shortly after the lighthouse turn uphill on the Cooskie Trail, which climbs moderately steeply. The grassy slopes feature outstanding views of Punta Gorda to Cape Mendocino. The Cooskie Trail then enters a dense Douglas fir forest where directional arrows placed by the BLM are essential. This area sees little foot traffic and it would otherwise be easy to wander astray. The Cooskie Trail emerges from the dense forest into a meadow area known as “The HJ” with more excellent views of the northern part of the Lost Coast. The grassy meadows culminate at the summit of Gorda 2, with a jaw-dropping view of the Cooskie drainage on one side and the northern Lost Coast on the other. After a steep descent off Gorda 2, the Cooskie Trail passes a cattle area. The cow paths and other trails increase the route finding challenge as one descends to Cooskie Creek. Above, Cooskie Creek, the trail climbs through a lush glen with heritage oaks and big leaf maples. The trail then emerges onto meadows once more on Lake Ridge with excellent vistas back towards Gorda 2 and the coast, perhaps my favorite view of the entire loop. The Cooskie Trail finally reaches the junction with Spanish Ridge and from there it’s a short distance to the Spanish Ridge Trailhead. From the trailhead, it’s a run along the Telegraph gravel road to the North Slide Trialhead where the King Crest Trail begins. The King Crest Trail is an awesome stretch of singletrack with a healthy does of steep climbs and steep views. The conglomerate rock faces along the King Crest are fascinating. King Peak, the highest point in the region, is reached nearly 44 miles into the loop. It’s a phenomenal viewpoint with the chiseled canyons of Big Creek and Big Flat Creek thousands of feet below. After King Peak it’s mostly downhill although there was a surprising amount of downfall and brush in the first few miles to slow things down. The last couple miles to Saddle Mountain Trialhead are along an old road.

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Cabezo Molera Loop

Tue, 04 Feb 2014 14:45:22 +0000

The Cabezo Molera Loop is a stunning route and among the finest adventure runs in all of the Big Sur Coast and Ventana Wilderness. The loop includes an aesthetic mixture of excellent views atop a rugged ridgeline followed by excellent coastal vistas and a beautiful beach. The route comes in around 26 miles with 6,700 ft of elevation gain and some off trail travel makes it a challenging marathon route. While the loop can be done in either direction, the preferred direction is as described, which starts with East Molera Ridge and finishes with the coastal section in Andrew Molera State Park. This direction optimizes photography which includes morning light on East Molera Ridge, midday light on Ventana Double Cone from Mount Manuel, and afternoon light on the coast at Andrew Molera State Park. The route begins at Andrew Molera State Park and ascends up to East Molera Ridge, one of my favorite grassy ridges in Big Sur. The last time I was on East Molera Ridge it was bursting with wildflowers and vibrant green grass. While the meadows were golden this time, it was still an amazing trip up the ridge and to Post Summit with the white limestone apron of Pico Blanco commanding attention the entire way. Strava route here.

Beyond Post Summit the section of the traverse to Mount Manuel was all new terrain for me and it far exceeded expectations. The route sticks to the ridge crest and therefore provides amazing views down to the South Fork Little Sur River on the east side and down the rugged Juan Higuera Creek canyon on the west side. Ascending up to the high point of Cabezo Prieto, the view of Pico Blanco’s limestone face is as striking as anywhere. There were even some Santa Lucia Firs growing on this cliffy slope that proved particularly photogenic with a backdrop of a low marine layer off the coast. Beyond Cabezo Prieto, we found the use path to Mount Manuel reasonably easy to follow through the brush, ultimately emerging at a series of lovely viewpoints on Mount Manuel with stellar views to Ventana Double Cone, the interior Ventana Wilderness, and the Big Sur Coast.

My favorite viewpoint was from a prominent knoll on the way down from Mount Manuel off slightly off the trail, a viewpoint that I call “Manuel Vista.” This point features a remarkable, unobstructed 360 degree view from Ventana Double Cone to the entire Big Sur River drainage to Point Sur. Contuing the descent off Mount Manuel the trail is in pretty rough shape in spots in the upper elevations but becomes better in the last couple miles into Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Descending to the valley bottom by the Big Sur River suddenly transitioned to a completely different ecosystem with redwoods instead of the parched chaparral slopes on Mount Manuel. After a break at the State Park near the Big Sur River we continued along a couple miles of road on Hwy 1 to a back entrance into Andrew Molera State Park Trails. This back entrance is a little tricky to find. Just past the River Inn is a gated bridge across the Big Sur River that contains a window for pedestrian passage. Just after the bridge, turn right onto single track for around 0.3 miles before coming to a junction. To the left is the start of the South Boundary Trail (as of January 2014 the trail sign was on the ground). The path ascends through redwoods and oak woodlands to great views of Pico Blanco, Post Summit, Cabezo Prieto and Mount Manuel. Ascending higher up on the Ridge Trail we reached the a point on Pfieffer Ridge with views into the recent devastation caused by the Pfieffer Fire (Andrew Molera State Park and its trails were not impacted by the fire). From the viewpoint, we headed down Panoramic Trail and then Bluffs Trail to Molera Beach with with some awesome afternoon light on the coast. Finishing along the coast with a cool ocean breeze served as a perfect way to finish a great run and complete the loop. Strava route here.

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