Carrizo Plain Camping Day1

Mr.S1, Mr.S2, Mr.R, Mr.A, Mr.N and I went camping in Carrizo Plain National Monument on a weekend in 2017. I had been there a year ago, but I was interested in the view after all the rain. First, we stopped at Soda lake. Last year the lake didn't have water at all because of drought, and I even walked on the lake. This year there was an actual lake. I was surprised. It was quite different and pretty.

Then we secured a campsite. The site had great views; one side was green mountains, the other was the vast plains. Then we started hiking around 1 p.m. The plan was to climb the Caliente Peak. It was 7 miles one way, and 14 miles in total. The trail was on the ridge, so the view was always nice. The mountains over the vast plains and soda lake were pretty. 

 

At the top

 

Because our destination was the highest poinat on the ridge, the goal was visible. It was supposed to be 7 miles from the trailhead, but the peak looked far away. We had estimated that we would reach the summit around 4 p.m., but we arrived at the top around 5:45 p.m. The sunset was 6 p.m., so we needed to hike at night. Luckily, the moon was full. So it was not completely dark, but I used a Mr.N’s headlamp. It seemed that it was around 8.5 miles from the trailhead to the peak. Because the area was managed by BLM (Bureau of land management), the mileage seemed to be wrong.

Sunset near the top

 

Mr.S1, Mr.S2, Mr.R, Mr.A started descending and Mr.N and I left the summit last. 30 minutes after Mr.N and I left the summit, we caught up to Mr.S2 and Mr.A. They were sitting on the rocks. Mr.S2 said, "I was telling Mr.A how bad my knees are." He had knee issues and he was having a hard time descending. It was already dark and we had to walk at least 7 more miles. Good thing was that Mr.N had Delorme inReach (a satellite device that can call rescue).

Sunset then moon came out

Moon

Interesting rock I saw on the way to summit

Mr.S2 had knee problems and he was slow, but he could still walk, so we hiked slowly. Actually, the mountain ranges reflecting the full moon light were very pretty. Another thing I liked about the trail was the smell. The combination of dirt, weeds, and trees made me feel good. Usually downhills are really bad for knees. That’s why Mr.S2 had a hard time descending, but once we reached the flat part, his speed got back to normal. I was relieved that we didn't need to carry him, but then we realized that we couldn’t see Mr.A behind.

We stopped to wait for Mr.A. It was my first time hiking with Mr.A, so I didn't know how much Mr.A had hiked before. Our hike was supposed to be 14 miles, but obviously it was more than 16 miles. It might be overkill for Mr.A. We were worried.

While three of us were waiting for Mr.A, we heard Mr.R who was ahead called us. Then Mr.R and Mr.S1 came back. They went to see if Mr.A was doing good. 20 minutes later, Mr.A showed up. We were glad he was okay. At 10:30 p.m., we finally got back to the trailhead. All of us were very tired and went straight to sleep. It was a very long day.