VAST LIFE DIARIES - WEST COAST TRIP | DAY 8 BIG SUR
We finally took a dip in the ocean today!
It took a bit of convincing ourselves to leave the camp site this morning. The morning air was still chilly and we could hear the wind blowing through the trees. We lounged around the camp fire and chit-chatted over coffee for a good while before finally deciding to leave and look for surf. Sophea Khem, our Brand Director, camps in Big Sur quite a bit and is familiar with the local beaches. He suggested we check out Andrew Molera State Beach. It’s close to where we’re camping and it’s a wide stretch of beach with a cove that might offer some protection from the wind.
Getting to the beach was a small mission, about a mile and a half hike in from the parking lot. Right of the bat there is a small river crossing. After taking off my shows i managed to stepped on a already dead bee, and it stung me in the soft middle part of my foot. Stepping on the only dead bee with the soft part of my foot sucked and was random, but I took that as a sign of good luck as I took out the stinger. In the river, the water was crisp and refreshing. After that it was a fairly easy walk down a dirt trail. On both side of the trail were blooming wild flowers, and the air was full of their sweet scent. Carrying all our gear slowed us down, but none of us minded taking in the views and smells.
The stretch of beach amazing, white sand, boulders thrusting out from the ocean bottom with bluffs and green rolling hills as the back drop. Once in a while, a set would roll through with a peeling right point break by the northern most cove. We suited up and jumped in for a dip, The water was frigid and waves were definitely smaller than small, but the surround environment was too amazing be bothered by this. We stayed at the beach most of the morning, goofing off, letting go of the weight of adulthood and just acted like a bunch of silly guys.
Later that afternoon we checked out a landmark waterfall just north of the road closure, then decided to head back to Pfeiffer Beach State Park. After seeing Key Hole Rock yesterday, our rider, Alex Pendleton, wanted to come back and try to surf through the rock. There was also a left beach break right in front which looked surf-able when we looked at it yesterday. There was not much room to maneuver inside Key Hole Rock, and after riding through it, there’s only a few feet before the wave meets jagged rocks. Definitely sketchy but it one of those things that if he didn’t do it, it would be at the back of his minding nagging at him for the rest of the trip.
After Alex paddled into the rock waiting for waves, a small crowd gathered. It took a few minute to feel out the ocean then he did it. A wave of water pushed through the opening and Alex paddled for it and caught the waves. He did a couple tight carves and was through the wave and it was over. Then more people came over to see what was going on and Alex, probably now feeling a bit more confident, paddle back into the hole and waited for the next one. It took maybe 7 or 8 minutes before another ridable set pushed into the hole and this time Alex was able to get more speed and make a tight cut back after pumping down the face. It was not a world class wave, nor a record breaking ride, but it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The crowd also thought the same and gave Alex some whoops.
We then surfed the wave out front for a bit before the sky turn crimson red, and the sun started to set. Without realizing it, the day was through and we needed to get back to camp before everything was pitch-black. Tomorrow we leave for Morrow Bay for another night of camping. The surf forecast isn’t looking promising, but I’m looking forward to what blessings in disguise will be waiting for us. Today we learned that if you stay positive, positive things will come.
Life is good
