The sun was out!
It had been hidden behind clouds for nearly three months.
Almost all the trips I had planned to make this winter got canceled,
and the few that did not, took place in stormy conditions.
We were all tired of the rain of this big El Nino year, but this
day was different. The sun was shining, and it felt a little like
spring. I was not the only person feeling this; fifteen other
PCS'rs dropped everything with just a short notice, and joined
me on this hike.
We met in Morgan Hill at 7:00 AM and carpooled to Fort Hunter Liggett. The stream crossing at Del Vontura Rd. was flooded with over a foot of water, and the gates were locked. But luckily the Lower Milpitas Road, which is not paved, was open and in good condition. We got to the trailhead near Indian Ranger station by 10:00AM. (See direction to the trailhead below.)
The trail was well marked and easy to follow. There were some creek crossings that required boulder hopping. and the flat parts of the trail were partially flooded. But considering all the rain we got in the last few month we could not complain. The trail called Santa Lucia Trail starts fairly flat for the first couple of miles, then climbed steeply to a saddle on the western ridge of Junipero Serra Peak. There, a spur trail leads East to the summit. Although the guide book warned us about the possibility of snow on the summit, I was surprised that it started a good 500 ft. from the summit, and was up to a foot deep in places.
We spent a good
hour basking in the sun and exploring in the summit area, and
then headed back down. A few of us were running low on water.
I had carried 2 quarts with me, but I drank it all. I guess we
were somewhat not prepared for the nice, warm weather. Luckily,
Steve Eckert was on his "getting in shape" binge, and
was carrying 3 gallons of water as ballast. He pretty much emptied
his ballast into our water bottles. This should serve as a warning
to anyone attempting this peak. Carry water, a lot of water.
Participants: Ron Karpel (Leader), Joan Marshall, Tim Kutzcha, Nancy Fitzsimmons, Dan Tschler, Ted Raczek, Anh Duong, Steve Eckert, Aaron Schuman, Mark Godecki, Rich Calliger, Arun Mahajan, George Van Gorden, Richard Vassar, Ahmad Zandi.
Direction to the trailhead, by Arun Mahajan:
From 101, 1 Mile north of King City or 105 miles south of SJ,
take the Jolon Rd exit. Proceed 16.8 miles to Mission Road. Turn
on Mission Road, pass Hunter Liggett Mil Res. checkpoint Drive
5 miles to the intersection with Del Ventura Road with a sign
for Santa Lucia Memorial Park. Turn left on Del Ventura Road which
becomes Milpitas Road. Cross a creek after 0.3 mile and another
after 7 miles on the DV Road. 10 miles after the second creek,
is the trailhead, marked by the Santa Lucia Trail sign on the
right side of the road near a 10mph sign. Turn right on the small
dirt road there to a parking lot.
A lot of detail of the trail itself can be found in the Calif. County Summits by Gary Suttle. I bought it at REI.
Numbers to call: (In the 408 area code).
Los Padres National Forest office in King City (385-5434) and
the
"Range Control" office at Fort Hunter Leggett (386-2403).
The second number was the one that gave me better information.
Author Notes:
To use Lower Milpitas Road, do not turn left on Del Ventura Road,
continue North on Mission Road pass the Mission. The pavement
stops and the dirt road begins. Stay on the main dirt road until
it tees with the paved road which is Del Ventura to the left and
Upper Milpitas Road to the Right. Turn Right and continue to the
trailhead.
