Point Reyes National Seashore, or My First Time Backpacking!

2015 is already proving to be a year of firsts, the most notable of which is a backpacking trip to Point Reyes National Seashore. Point Reyes is a beautiful strip of seashore just north of the San Francisco Bay, and it's a great spot to camp because you can park your tent within view of the beach! Here, check out our campsite:

We were on a cliff, overlooking the beach. (And check out that tent in the foreground! It's brand spanking new and belongs to yours truly.) :)

It was very nearly a full moon that weekend, so we hiked in at night. It felt more like a 6-mile nature walk (or I'm in way better shape than I thought!), but there were some inclines that made me breathe a little heavier. For my first time backpacking, though, it wasn't so bad!

Let's talk about backpacking for a sec. The thought of it used to cause me a bit of anxiety. I wondered whether I'd be able to walk for so long carrying 30–40 pounds on my back. But with the right motivation (a.k.a., the edge of the beautiful earth that is California), I put my anxieties behind me and prepared as best I could. Truth be told, I was pretty excited about buying new camping gear. I got some stuff on sale a few months ago, and with Christmas and my second round of shopping, I am now the proud owner of

• A down, 32-degree Kelty mummy bag, 2 lbs, 8 oz
• A sleeping pad
• The REI Passage 2 tent, 4 lbs, 14 oz. (Sweet!)
• A Black Diamond Orbit Lantern
• An aluminum pot
• A spork

It's a good start. Now I just have to get a hiking pack, sleeping bag liner, hiking poles, good waterproof hiking shoes, and a backpacking stove. Not too bad. And it's kind of a game now, too. How lightweight can I get my pack? What good deals can I get out there? How can I make camping more comfortable without sacrificing space? I think I have the backpacking bug . . . I am now beginning to understand my brother-in-law Clay. :)

So back to Point Reyes. Rather than describe everything, I'll just show you the pictures. (And yes, there's a waterfall on the beach that flows right into the ocean. Look forward to that.)

Isn't the California coast beautiful? Aren't sunsets on the beach wonderful?

(You'll probably get tired looking at sunset beach shots on my blog, but watcha gonna do? It's my blog.)


Thing I'm thankful for: Clay's help with buying camping gear. He really is the coolest of them all.