Pt Reyes, Father/Daughter Backpacking Trip

Ah, the second annual coastal father / daughter backpacking trip. We once again returned to Coastal Camp at Pt Reyes National Seashore. The hike is an easy 1.8 miles in and 3.1 miles out. These trips started because we wanted our daughters to fall in love with backpacking. We picked Point Reyes as the initial destination for several reasons. For the first couple of trips we wanted a short distance so we could slowly build up endurance. We were looking for a fun destination, and Point Reyes is packed with fun opportunities. Finally, we were looking for some place that wasn't too far of a drive. We figured a few fun trips and the girls would be hooked. Seems to be working. After this trip all the girls were asked when we could go next and they are also begging for trips to the sierras even though the distances will be longer.

This year we added Bob and Katie, and lost Craig... so I was a "father" to Sarah for the weekend. We drove up the trailhead Saturday morning. The girls and the dads are ready to get going.





The trail had a few spots that were quite mucky. Helen lost her shoe until dad pulled it out of the muck, earning her the nickname "muddy shoes" for the rest of the trip.



The hike was otherwise very pleasant. We stopped for lunch and saw some horse, and the continued over the hill to Coastal Camp.





We set up camp and then got to the activities:

playing in the ocean


rolling down the hill


Hanging on the rope


Climbing on the tree



pretending to be tigers in the grass


just hang out with friends


play boot toss


turn groundsheet into kites


This trip was quite windy. It was normally blowing 8mph, with gusts in excessive of 25mph. So even though it only got down to 50F, it felt chilly in the evening thanks to the wind. As expected, sundown was pretty.






For more pictures, see a collection of our Father / Daughter BP: Pt Reyes (2005) set on flickr