Trip Report: Brush Mountain and San Emigdio Mountain

For the weekend of September 10/11, I decided to do a quick, one-nighter trip in order to test the current set-up and try out the new sleeping platform, the new tires, and take the 4Runner for some actual off-roading for the first time.  It'd be a solo trip, but with the dog.

Since this was the first trip, and it was a solo trip, a lot of time was spent planning and coming up with a checklist of items to bring.  The resulting checklist included all of the camping gear, food, personal and dog items that I would be bring.

Preparation

The Plan
We hit the road on early Saturday morning, heading out to the national forest.  Once we found the campsite, the plan would be to drive the nearby trails that run along the ridge and then go for a hike with the dog.  The hope was that both the drive and the hike would be challenging.  The real test for the weekend would be at night, when we would settle into the 4Runner.  The next morning, another drive or hike and then it was time to go home.

The drives were planned out using the Los Padres National Forest (South) map purchased from the Forest Service with some help from the Gaia app on my phone.

Storage

Strapped down and ready to roll

Most gear was stashed in a new Sterilite 27-gallon Industrial Tote.  The benefit of this plastic bin over many of the others I have bought for general storage are slots in the lid which allows for strapping the bins securely in place.

All food and water (other than some dry snacks) was stored in the Coolest cooler, which has a variety of capabilities but really for this trip, it was only needed as a cooler and a seat.

The Coolest cooler and the plastic bin were strapped down to make sure they won't be flung about in case of emergency braking, quick turns, or rough roads.  I bought a tarp which I hoped would be useful both as a clean camp floor as well as to help keep the sleeping platform clean.  Bungee cords keep the tarp (folded in half) in place.

Meal Plan
Due to fire restrictions, but mainly due to trying to keep everything as simple as possible, I did not plan on bringing a stove or having any kind of fire.  Therefore, food was going to be extremely simple as well.  The meal plan:
Day 1 Breakfast: a Power Bar Crunch bar.  We ate plenty of these when we were training hard for triathlons and other athletic events, so I knew this would do the trick.
Day 1 Lunch: Mixed nuts.  A mix of almonds, walnuts, cashews and peanuts.
Day 1 Snacks: Beef jerky; apple; Goldfish
Day 1 Dinner: MRE (meal, ready to eat)
Day 2 Breakfast: a Power Bar Crunch bar.

By lunchtime on Day 2, I expected to be back in civilization.

Day 1
The first day started as planned. Up bright and early, both the dog and I enjoy a quick and early breakfast.  Load up the 4Runner and off we go.  This happens to be the first time any real mileage is being put on the new KO2's, both on- and off-pavement.

After arriving at Marian Campground, the dog and I took a break to stretch out our legs and have a snack.  Then it was off to Brush Mountain, where we hit a steep hill with deep ruts that gave us a bit of trouble. It was a great picture taking opportunity though!

With a bit of fun in the dirt under our belt, the dog and I went out for a hike to explore Brush Mountain.  After we were done hiking around Brush Mountain, it was already a bit past noon.  We then headed east toward San Emigdio Mountain.  Along the route one of the maps showed an old quarry, which was our next stop.  We would have rested for a while longer after our hike of Brush Mountain, but there were a lot of buzzing insects flying around.  Though nothing stung us, it was rather annoying.  At the quarry, there were far fewer insects, so we spent a bit more time there just soaking in the view and enjoying the quiet.

The quarry had clearly become an off-road funpark, but after reading horror stories of sharp rocks piercing tires, I was a bit hesitant to spend too much time frolicking in the loose rocks.  However, we did drive down through the quarry, and at one point a rock's size surprised me when it lodged itself under the driver's side running board, pushing the board upwards.  I reversed off of the rock and the running board popped itself back into shape, but I think this is a sign that rock sliders are needed!

After the break at the quarry, we headed east on the dirt trail along the ridge again. This trail would take us up to the summit of San Emigdio and down it too.  By mid-late afternoon, we found a very nice ledge to camp, tucked a bit away from the trail.  Here we settled in for the evening.

I was very glad to have packed a plastic folding table.  Originally I wasn't sure if it would be necessary, but it was certainly a good idea.  There is a surprising amount of dust on everything and having the table meant one more platform to keep items off of the dirt.  It's also good for eating, reading and writing.

Day 2
I knew this day would be short because I had a flight to catch in the evening, so I had to get home, clean up and pack too.  The plan was to hit one more trail and then head on home.

Lessons Learned
 - Strap the Coolest on one side and the storage bin on another without criss-crossing straps.  It was a pain to undo both in order to get into one of them.
- Paper bag is not sturdy enough.
- Need easier access to snacks!
- It gets cold in the night.  No need to keep a window slightly open (in fact, I've been told I should get some Reflectix for the windows, especially in the winter).
- Dog needs to have his own water bottle for hiking.
- Coolest is just slightly too tall to be able to open inside the 4Runner.
- Get rock sliders.
- I really like eating jerky.
- Dust and dirt everywhere. Seriously, everywhere.