Sespe Wilderness, California | 2024: The Westside

Day 1: With our new backpacking gear in hand, we set off to see what the West Sespe had to offer. After a few small stream crossings, we started to make great time. The trail was well-maintained, and there were multiple shady spots where you could take quick breaks. After arriving at one of the first campsites, we saw a group of young adults who asked if we had any bug spray. They said (while shirtless) the bugs were biting them, and they had no way of getting them to stop. We agreed to give them our bug spray, on the condition that we get it back on our way out and that we get a joint from them. Some might say a good deal.



We continued on the trail, which tossed and turned through the streambed, taking us high up and back down in no time. While taking a break, we saw a whole family of deer crossing the river. After arriving at our campsite, we spent some time swimming in the pond. The fish would frequently come up, bite our legs for food, and swim away. When checking out a cool tree that overhung the water, we saw a snake not two feet away from our heads. I'm not sure if I've ever swum that fast.



After making our food, we spent some time searching for frogs and climbing the rocks. There were remenants of campers before, and it was a nice area to explore. Soon, nighttime was upon us, and after a quick doze, I was woken up by my friend to spend time looking at the stars. They were crystal clear and very bright.



Day 2: I woke up the following morning feeling refreshed. After debating whether it was possible to reach one of the highest peaks nearby, we opted to head back. On the way back, I almost stepped on a rattlesnake while hopping over some rocks. He was pretty unhappy with our presence. We collected our repellent from the young adults and made it back to the car in great time. Overall, it was a great trip that helped mentally map the western part of the Sespe. There are some cool spots that I will check out in the future.

Ojai, California | 2024: Ojai Swimming Holes

Day 1: Our trip started off strong. We had made good time to the main punchbowl area and had passed quite a few hikers along the way. Thus, some of my friends decided to have a little smoke break. I cautioned them due to the intense mountain we would scale ahead, but alas, they did not listen. We ate some food, and before long, we were back on the trail.



We passed a small campsite that we could have stayed at, but we had bigger goals in mind. The trail quickly became overgrown and dilapidated, making it difficult for us to follow. The path was clearly not well used, and we had been some of the few to use it recently. The views were incredible, and the mountains really humbled us.



It is hard to describe the level of bushwacking required to get back there. It is tolerable, but only for those who really want it. It did not help that it was about 90 degrees out and many of my friends were quite buzzed. After many hours of walking through the bush and almost running out of water, we made it to our campsite.



It was calm, empty, and beautiful. A small stream oozed out of the mountain, creating beautiful ponds that fed right into the basin of an empty waterfall. The rocks of the basin were incredible, clearly formed through years of constant flows. After realizing the lack of water up-trail and the trail's difficulty becoming much more extreme, we decided to head back to camp and relax. That night we all slept well, aside from an allergic reaction I experienced and the eerie feeling of blackfly larvae being on our legs earlier.



Day 2: We opted to head out the following morning, as we couldn’t continue and weren’t sure what caused my allergic reaction. The hike back was difficult, but we were mentally prepared and knew what we had gotten into. Overall, the hike was great, and I was glad I went, as it's clear that few people go there nowadays.

Santa Monica Mountains, California | 2024: Mt. Boney

Day 1: After arriving at the trailhead in the early evening, we were greeted with a vast mountain looming above us. Looking at what would be our entire night, we pushed hard and fast. We made good time, taking frequent short breaks to prevent fatigue. Darkness quickly enveloped the mountainside, accompanied by a cool fog. The trail soon became more of a climb, with brush covering the path on all sides. Although the photos look amazing, they do not give justice to the feeling of being up there at night.





After my friend fought a bush (and lost), we crested the final ridge. The sight of a full moon greeted us, and the fog stopped just below us. The fog was rocking back and forth like waves on a beach, with enormous mountains breaching the water; it was an incredible sight to see. We decided to set up camp a little further than Mt. Boney, as there was more flat land and protection from the wind. After having some fun on the rocks and in the darkness, we went to bed later than usual.





Day 2: We had heard from friends that we should check out tri-peaks, and considering it was nearby, we thought we might as well. The fog was still heavy, with a dew covering everything from our clothing to the plants on the ground. We made our way up some hills and spent time climbing amongst the rocks. We saw a little cave entrance and made our way towards it. We were not disappointed.



The entrance quickly opened up, and we were greeted with an underground cave that included multiple offshoots. After thoroughly exploring them, we made our way back to the campsite and headed down the mountain. We found some cool (poisonous) newts that we dared not touch. The trip was a great, quick outdoors adventure, and had one of the most surreal moments I have ever experienced.

Sespe Wilderness, California | 2022: North Sespe

Day 1: The trip began with a long, dirt road leading to the trailhead. We were far away from any civilization, which was a nice change. While trying some off-roading, we got stuck and had to wait for someone to come tow us out. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait too long before a group came by with sufficient gear. We made it to the trailhead and started.



It was extremely hot, and my friends packed a little water in hopes we would find a stream relatively quickly. We made our way through the pines and down into the valley. Where our maps indicated water would be, we found none. The mountains were enormous and went as far as the eye could see. After reaching the point where we would either have to turn back or continue forward, we opted to continue searching for water without our packs. We made it a considerable distance down the hill and found a lovely stream waiting for us. The feeling was exhilarating and indescribable unless you were there.



We made our way back up the mountain with bottles filled with water. Shirtless, hot, and tired, we decided it was too much to hike back down. We instead opted to sleep on the mountain and hike down early morning.



Day 2: After checking out the hot springs, we continued south on the trail. It was getting extremely hot, and we decided it was best to relax at camp for the entire day. We had a good laugh about grugs and took naps on the sandbar. We spent the night there before hiking out the following morning. Although checking out hot springs during the hot summer isn’t the best idea, it was cool to see and fun to hang out at.

Sespe Wilderness, California | 2020-2023: Devils Gate

This post will be a little different from my other trip posts, considering I have made numerous trips (4+) to the south Sespe and specifically to Devils Gate. This will be a compilation of photos from those trips.