Carmel River Camp, 2016 June

When: 2016-06-18 to 2016-06-19

We left the San Jose area around 8:00 A.M. for what ended up being a 5 or 6 mile hike. That allowed us to get to the campsite around 14:00 where we sat around and took bets on the stability of my tarp setup skills.

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Memorial Day Weekend

The first three miles from the trailhead primarily consists of a hill.

Along the ridge, toward the river

After reaching the river, there is one remaining hill before reaching Bluff Camp which is an additional two miles of hiking.

Francisco Rios taking a seat at Bluff Camp

After lunch, we traveled along the river from Bluff Camp to Carmel River Camp.

Maksim Demin looking down the river

Giovanni and Maksim Demin crossing the river

For the water portion of the route, Francisco sped through and had enough time to rest while the rest of us catch up.

Francisco Rios documenting the scene

One of my goals for this trip was to test out the bivy and bug net combination from Borah Gear. The tarp was not necessary but everything worked out as expected; that is to say, well.

Borah Gear tarp and bug net bivy setup; Francisco resting at Carmel River Camp

All along the trail, we saw these notes to remind us (at every campfire ring) that campfires are prohibited. Presumably, the ranger went and placed these everywhere.

Campfire ring at Carmel River Camp

Waking up in the middle of the night, we have a clear view of the sky (minus trees).

View from the bug bivy at night

On the way out, we spent some time at the final junction where the river meets the trail.

Francisco Rios looking down the river

We saw this on an earlier trip to Bluff Camp, but this is the first time we stopped to make use of it.

Francisco Rios at the tree swing found near Bluff Camp

For the next visit, it would be interesting to head straight to China Camp from the trailhead. That is likely going through the actual trail, for the most part.