car camping

Heading up to Pine Mountain after work on a Friday is a beautiful mini adventure.  Pack up the car with Thermarests, sleeping bags, books, journals, blankets, pillows and a cooler. Make a quick stop to Trader Joe's for wine, cheese, oatmeal, some instant coffee and head up the mountain deep into the Sespe wilderness. At around 6,000 feet in elevation, old growth Pines make wandering trails and sweep down the mountainside, scattered boulders lord over great camp spots, perfect for climbing and hiking around.

On this particular mission, we were a day ahead of a nasty spring storm heading over the ridgeline. This wind and cold was surprising, but tolerable in full jackets and puff pants. We slept so cozy in the car, watching millions of stars through the moonroof and listening to howling winds whip around the trees and the car. The original plan was to find a trail to run before heading back to town but since it was so cold, we decided to leave Pine Mountain and see if Rose Valley was more runnable. Here are photos of the sights at our campsite and down the mountainside that day.

Spring winds whip dust around the valley floor