No snow this year meant we needed another way to spend New Years. I was getting over a cold and not too excited about the prospect of spending a few days outside but the weather was too nice to justify anything but. Ended up getting a late start in the Ventana Wilderness (45 miles S. of Big Sur) on Friday night -- didn't reach our first campsite until 10:30pm after a tranquil hike along the coastal shelf by moonlight.

Saturday saw us climb to ~5500 ft before dropping back down to 3k or so to campsite #2; all in all a 10 mile day. Sunday was short and sweet and made for the end of our 18 mile loop.

Turned out to be an awesome trip, despite my picking up a tick and also a liberal coating of poison oak (which 3 weeks later has only now subsided). Sanny of course experienced only the good: typical.