The Struggles of SoCal
I had traveled west, all the way across the United States, from as far east as New Jersey. Since it transpired over the course of many months, there were no particularly long or tiresome drives that caused me to end up in California. As such, it felt like I hadn’t really traveled that far at all.
I crossed the state line into California unceremoniously, but it felt like a momentous occasion to have reached the westernmost state of the mainland.
Escaping the Heat
The first order of business was to escape the desert heat. As I had spent a couple of months wandering around southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and
Nevada, I had my fill of desert climates and hundred degree temperatures.
After looking at a weather map, I noted that Julian,
California, was the first town west of the Anza-Borrego Desert that was reporting comfortable 75 degree temperatures, so I decided to head there to see what kind of camping I could find.
The answer was none. Well... there was no free camping at least. I intercepted a ranger while exploring a nearby park, and asked him about places to spend the night. While he was polite and genuinely interested in helping, he suggested the desert, which offered an abundance of camping opportunities.
Unfortunately, it was 30 degrees warmer in the desert, at the bottom of the mountain, and I was going to do everything in my power to avoid going back down there!
Trailhead Camping
For the first time in thousands of miles, I was struggling to find a place to camp. It was frustrating, as most land was either private, or a heavily regulated wilderness area. In this regard, southern California was a lot like the densely-populated northeast.
One car-camping loophole that I’ve found, that works pretty consistently across the country, is to spend the night in parking lots for major hiking destinations. Many backpackers park their cars overnight to spend a few days on the trail, so it usually makes a great, discrete place to camp.
In this case, there was a parking lot for the Pacific Crest Trail not far to the south of Julian, and it was before the trail descended into the desert, so temperatures were pleasant. It wasn’t glamorous, just a spacious gravel lot, but it was remote and it served as a decent place to catch up on some rest and plan my next moves.
The Aborted Hike
While I was at camp in the PCT parking area, a cyclist who was out for a ride stopped by to see what I was up to, and to introduce himself. He was very friendly, and recommended a number of nearby adventures; one of which was a desert hike to visit the defunct Goat Canyon Trestle
Bridge - the longest wooden railroad bridge in the world.
The problem was that it was back in the desert, and it was supposedly a very technical, 2.5 mile, poorly-marked rock-scramble. Nevertheless, I thought it sounded like a great idea at the time!
I set off for Ocotillo, California, to spend the night in the desert, so that I could start the hike in the early morning before the heat set in. The road in was very primitive, and required four-wheel drive at times. It passed through an impressive wind farm that seemed to stretch on for miles. Not far from the Goat Canyon trailhead, I made sure that I was sufficiently prepared with food, water, fully-charged electronics, and then I popped the camper for the night.
The next morning, I woke up at 6:00 AM, and set off on foot. Right off the bat, it was 90 degrees. I had almost two gallons of water on me, but I was worried that it wouldn’t be enough. A quarter of a mile from the Jeep, before I even started scrambling on rocks, I spooked a rattlesnake… which, in turn, scared the crap out of me.
I immediately decided that the hike was too risky in the current conditions. Between the sweltering July heat, and the snakes… well… I felt like I was pushing my luck. So I bailed!
Exploring with OvrlndX
Following my aborted hike, I connected with my friend Marco Hernandez, who is
@ovrlndx on Instagram. Marco and I met up in Julian where we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Romano’s, and then, we set off for the Anza-Borrego Desert.
Marco has an extraordinarily well-built Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, and he’s extremely passionate about the Anza-Borrego. The desert is his playground, and it was his intent to give me a tour and to share some of his favorite, lesser known places.
It was the Fourth of July, and 116 degrees out that day. Despite the harsh temperatures, Marco and I drove down washes, barren expanses, and through beautiful desert canyons whose walls were lined with monstrous rocks and hardened mud.
To follow someone on an excursion was a refreshing change of pace, as I could enjoy the trail in the comfort of my air-conditioning without having to worry about figuring out where I was going! We experienced Canyon Sin Nombre, the Diablo Drop-Off, the Fish Creek Trail, and we got out of our Jeeps to explore the cool and labyrinthine mud caves.
Marco and I wrapped up the day with dinner in Borrego Springs.
It was an extraordinary and memorable day from start to finish, and the best part about it was forging a friendship with Marco. While overland travel constantly yields new experiences, it’s the people you meet along the way who make those experiences special.
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