Amy, Jennifer, and Sparky started at 7 am from the parking lot at Saratoga Gap. Although everyone complained of lack of sleep, they quickly began their hike. Sparky asked Amy if the pace was the same as the hike the previous weekend, and she responded that she thought it was a bit slower. Unfortunately, this made Sparky take off at breakneck speed, and Jennifer and Amy had to follow along half jogging for the next mile or so. Finally Amy made a comment about the pace and Sparky slowed down a bit.
Right on schedule, at 8:50 am, we found Jeanne Ann waiting to join the hike where the trail intersected highways 9 and 236. Now it was 7 miles down and 21 more to go! Here the trail starts climbing a little as it goes up and down for the next five of the nine miles to Big Basin Headquarters. There we would meet up with two other hikers. We slowed the pace to save energy for the last leg out of Big Basin Headquarters. About five miles into this stretch, Sparky and Jennifer were resting waiting for Jeanne Ann and Amy when suddenly they heard Amy calling for help. Jeanne Ann had tripped over a root in the trail and gone flying over a steep embankment.
Sparky had just completed a Wilderness First Aid training class two weeks ago, so she had an opportunity to practice what she had learned. Quickly assessing the scene she asked Jeanne Ann to hang on. After figuring out she was safe for the moment, Sparky and Amy got in place to help pull her up and back on the trail. Grasping her arm, with Jeanne Ann digging in, Sparky hoisted her onto the trail. Jeanne Ann had a few scrapes and bruises but was a real trouper…she was ready to hike on within a few minutes. However, we all began watching where we were hiking a little more closely.
By 12:45 pm we were approaching the store at Big Basin when we ran into our two new hiking partners who were joining us for the last 12-mile stretch to Waddell Beach. We hung out at the picnic tables eating dove ice cream bars with our lunches. We rested our feet while Jennifer bandaged up some mean looking blisters. At 1:45 pm we were ready to hike to Waddell Beach. We climbed the last real hill on the trail at then headed downhill. We were still waiting for that cool sea breeze that was supposed to kick in somewhere close to the ocean.
We made good time on the last stretch. However, when we reached the sign stating that the hiking trail was to the right with the "bikes, horses, and disabled access" to the left we knew we did not have the energy for that sneaky up hill hike. Electing to follow the flat road we reached our destination, Waddell Beach, at 5:45 pm. It was a piece of cake! All agreed that it would become an annual event on the second Saturday in July.
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Amy, Jennifer, and Sparky at Hwy 35/9 parking lot. |
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Sparky saves Jeanne-Ann |
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We made it! |
