Relevant background info: I’m dating a guy who doesn’t like to hike. Don’t misunderstand, he’s outdoorsy and loves trail running, mountain biking, rock climbing, the like. But walking is just too… slow. Needless to say, this creates a smidge of a rift when weekends come around and we both are itching to go play outside. This past weekend, Nolan indulged me and we planned a last minute backpacking trip out in the Sespe Wilderness to take full advantage of the amazing weather southern California has been having.

Friday night I came home after work and packed up for the overnighter. It became immediately apparent that I need a better way to organize all the camping/backpacking gear I’ve amassed over the years. As I went back and forth between dresser drawers and kitchen cupboards and garage shelves for the items on my trip list, I started thinking about how much easier things will be when I’m out in the woods with only the contents of my pack, of how simple it will be once I remove choice as an option. But in these planning stages, choice is a necessary process — discriminating now will make my life easier this summer! I don’t have all my gear and clothing systems worked out yet, so each item in my pack was deliberated over. Being only ten miles in to the hot springs and only one night out, I knew that I would be just fine if I forgot something or something failed to meet my needs (I was prompt to find the loophole on this, but more on that later).

For the first time I weighed many of the items in my pack, and while I wasn’t really surprised at their weights, I definitely started to think about their particular value as far as usage. Mind the ounces and the pounds take care of themselves, as Nolan always reminds me. Regardless, I stubbornly packed the BushBuddy and the Snow Peak canister stove, just for comparison in the field. I also packed up my new Marmot Helium 15* down bag, and threw on my funky snakeskin Dirty Girl Gaiters to test out for the first time (both were awesome!!)

After picking up Nolan from work, we drove out behind Ojai to the trailhead on the Sespe River. The trail criss-crosses the river for ten miles or so, with some gentle ups and downs, and cuts mostly across the exposed hills just above the creekbed — in 2006 a wildfire burned the area, leaving even less shade than the chaparral offered before. The creek has nice holes to dip into, especially in the spring and summer when the temperature rises a bit. The last time I hiked out to Willett hot springs, the temperature gauge on my pack read around 115*, but that was last June (and silly me, it was way too hot to enjoy soaking in the hot springs anyway!); this past week the area has been enjoying temperatures in the 70s and 80s, following a couple of storms — just about two weeks ago this trail was under a blanket of snow! Needless to say, the knee-high creek crossings were brisk, and I was excited to soak in the hot springs after the hike in.

We made pretty good time, reaching Bear Camp (the half-way point) with ease; we passed a group of younger people, all carrying larger packs than ours, and I felt pretty pleased with myself that I’ve learned how to pare down my pack. There were several parties out on the trail, including a large group of boy scouts, but once we arrived at Willett it seemed relatively quiet. There were a few other groups camped out around us that evening, but no one with much proximity to the site we camped out at. After getting water from the creek (finally used my Steripen, for once — hold that thought), and setting up the tarp and the kitchen, we walked a half mile up the hill behind camp to the hot springs, which we found unoccupied and inviting. The water was an opaque milky green, almost like a hot glacial bath, and we soaked in the tub as that sun set and the bats dipped down around us. Across the river canyon, the last of the snow was clinging to the backside of the Topatopas, lit up by the nearly full moon. A beautiful evening, and the best foot rub ever! After our soak, we made dinner on the BushBuddy woodstove (all the soot was a bit too messy in practicality for my taste, honestly) and shared a bottle of wine we’d packed in using a Platypus wine bladder, and then retired to bed with the sound of toads clumsily crashing through the foliage around us.

The next morning we packed up, and agreed we’d just chug water and carry a liter between creek crossings — totally reasonable for this hike. We started back toward the car, passing a few other hikers along the way, watching a group of three coyotes make their way up the creek from up above, and reveling in our good fortune at such an incredible weekend. Again we made good time and were in good spirits, and made it back to the trailhead without incident. My pack felt great, my body felt capable, and I only had one hot spot on my heel from wearing my running shoes which I normally don’t use for hiking. A nice little twenty mile weekend to break up the work weeks! Triumph.

But there was one nagging thought: My Steripen failed to emit any visible light while I was treating the water. Admittedly, despite owning it for the past three years or so, I have hardly used it, and I didn’t re-read the instructions. I simply packed a backup set of batteries and threw it in my pack, even passing on taking Nolan’s water filter instead — I knew we’d have clear water sources, and this was the perfect situation to use it. All the indicator lights were functioning perfectly, and I couldn’t remember if it actually produced any visible light during treatment because I so rarely used it. Well, once I got home, I pulled up the website. Oops. The good news is that it comes with a lifetime warranty. The bad news is that it appears we drank several liters of unfiltered water. Chalk it up to user error (read: laziness), but I’m hoping we get off with just a warning ticket, so to speak. All in all, we’ve had a few nice storms push things through, and the water is definitely moving, so I’m thinking that this is as good a time as any to drink the river water, but it’s definitely a reminder to pay attention… I’m also reminded that I need to supplement my first aid kit with a few antibiotics and whatnot!

All said, it was a lovely weekend, and I’m grateful that Nolan joined me in walking slowly along the riverbed :)