Monday September 6 - We woke up to a clear day in Mendocino and enjoyed an early morning walk along the cliffs and through town. It's a 5 hour drive to Pinnacles, but the windy roads take a lot of extra time, and it's Labor Day, so we thought we'd head out early to beat the crowds heading back to San Francisco (which we have to drive through).
We got to Pinnacles around 1:30 and it felt like we were visiting hell. We went from a high of 65 in Mendocino to full on 102. We had to run our air conditioner for the first time this trip and it had trouble keeping up. Once the sun went down, it cooled off and by 5 AM it was chilly and we needed an extra blanket.
Tuesday, September 7 - We left for a hike around 8:00, trying to beat the heat (although, we should have left at 6:30 to truly beat the heat). We drove to Bear Gulch and hiked to the Bear Gulch Cave Trail. There are several caves at Pinnacles and they are called Talus caves, which are different from caves that are under the ground because they are are formed from boulders falling into steep canyons. It was a fun hike, requiring flashlights and there were a few spots where we had to crawl. We were lucky enough to have the whole cave to ourselves. When we came out the other side of the cave there was a reservoir that we sat and enjoyed some water and a view. We didn't have enough time to hike the high peaks trail (which would have added another 3 miles, straight up the mountain), as it's recommended to be off the trail in between 12-5, as it's too hot. So we decided to hike about a half an hour up and then turn around. There were nice views, and we're thinking about getting up early tomorrow to do it before we leave for Morro Bay.
Nice hike, while it's cool
The hike gets a little tight at points
We need our head lamps
It's dark in here
Hope the rock doesn't drop on Kev
Bear Gulch Reservoir
We're not going to make it to the top today
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