Back in January, with 10 days worth of wear on our new vehicle, we set out to test it on a road trip. The destination was Pinnacles National Park, about 2.5 hours south of us. This National Monument-turned-recently-National Park (2013) is known for many cool features including bats, caves, condors and for being split by the San Andreas Fault. It is half of an ancient volcanic field that traveled north 195 miles from its source. The result is towers of basalt rising up to form narrow canyons and a landscape so wholly different from the agricultural lands around it that is seems alien.
The weather was touch and go but we decided to make the drive anyway and take our chances. In the winter, access to the caves is not guaranteed. One set was partially closed for bat protection, so we drove to the lesser-used west entrance to take on the Balcony Caves.
On the ride down we played with the satellite radio (something new for us) and tested the navigation controls. (The adaptive cruise control is the best feature EVER.) “Are we there yet?” rang out about half-a-dozen times and from only one mouth in the back seat so, it was all good.
Once we arrived at the park, we first paid our entrance fee and explored the new visitors center at the west entrance. The kids picked out the items they had to have and we distracted them with thoughts of lunch. It was overcast and warm – perfect hiking weather. The bonus was the rains that pelted most of northern California during the prior week left the streams with running water and the plant life green and inviting.
From experience we knew that pleasant hiking with our children required a pack of snacks and as much possible distraction as possible. Purposely, I held back on some of the items I packed for lunch and recategorized them as snacks. You just never know. Distraction, however, was all around us. The trail was relatively flat, following a narrow canyon between towers of rocks and crossed by a small stream. Rarely could we see more than 50-yards ahead as the trail wound between massive boulders or turned around isocracies in the landscape. The kids wandered ahead of us to discover tiny waterfalls, shallow caves, or various interesting trees.
As we stared to climb over the caves on the trail, my son spotted a small bit of color on the rocks across the canyon. Rockclimbers. From where we stood their ropes were invisible. Real life spidermen (or women, we couldn’t tell) were scaling the face of the rock. We stopped for a snack break and watched. Then we made way too much noise because the echo was amazing in that narrow canyon.
Near the half-way point, still wondering what’s around the bend.
After a couple of miles, we had hiked up and over the caves, and were now ready to enter them as part of our return journey back to the car. The kids donned headlamps and ate another snack, while my husband and I pulled out a couple of flashlights. Now the trick was finding the trail. We knew we were near the caves. The ranger we passed told us. The gate and the many signs warned us as well, but still, there was only a stream running through openings in the rocks. Huh? I guess the stream is the trail?
Just then two men came out from the rocks, trying to avoid getting wet in the stream. Yep! Through the stream. The first casualty was my son. Splash. Wet shoes. He thought it was funny and it was. We climbed, jumped, and lifted each other over the rocks and water, eventually finding the true entrance to the caves.
Thank goodness for the headlamps! The scrambling was no joke and I marveled at the large families with small children making their way through in the direction opposite from us. Most had no flashlights or at best 1 or 2 poor excuses for flashlights. As my 6-year old daughter struggled to climb I watched 2 and 3 year olds being handed down wet rock faces by pre-teens or dads in jeans and t-shirts. Still, they were having a good time and so were we. Until my daughter missed a step. Casualty number 2 – wet and scraped up.
After climbing up, we entered an open area and there appeared railings to help us with the climb down. The water was not as prominent here but the walls were much closer together. Being smaller, the kids were faster in this section than the adults. Before we knew it, we were back in the light of the canyon, re-tracing our steps on the dogleg back to the parking lot. We stopped for a few more snack breaks along the way and sat to watch others emerge from the caves, or wind their way along the trail.
Heading out, the kids got patches for their collections, and the car got a National Parks Passport to help record future adventures. We also added a pack of playing cars with the constellations and facts on them. As the rain began to pelt the highway on the way home, the kids played cards and we only heard “Are we home yet?” 2 or 3 dozen times. Why can’t they just fall asleep back there?
Pardon the interruption, but... 