One of the drawbacks of spending so much time out hiking in Anza-Borrego is the long drive to get there. Recently I purchased a Luno Air Mattress for my Subaru Outback. This kit comes with two inflatable cushions that fill the rear footwells and a mattress specifically designed to fit the rear of the car. This seemed like a great solution to make overnighting a bit more comfortable. My test run was out at Agua Caliente County Park. I was meeting Greg Gerlach the next morning to go climb Stage Benchmark and rather than waking up early like I normally would, I would just camp out instead. The mattress inflated quickly and once I figured out the custom sheet I was set up in under 10 minutes. This will be nice over the summer when I hope to explore more of the eastern Sierras and points beyond.
Since I wanted to make I got everything set up while there was still light, I had some time to kill before I cooked dinner. I headed down to the trails near the ranger station and set off. The first trail I took was up to the Desert Overlook. A nice little climb for a good view of the campground. Store Benchmark stood above me, but that is for another day. Returning to a junction I wandered down to the Marsh Trail. A mortero was near the marsh, reminding us that there were those before us.
Retracing my path up from the marsh, I turned on to the Ocotillo Ridge trail. This followed a ridge to the south and back down to a trail that could take you to the store, which was closed today.
As I made my way back to the ranger station, I spotted a bobcat dart off the trail. I circled around where it fled and spotted it sitting on a rock. Nice! I left it alone and returned to my camp to prep my dinner. Sadly, the skies are overcast so no star gazing for me.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. In 2019, I became the third person to complete the San Diego 100 Peak Challenge. Not stopping with that accomplishment, I set my sights on the harder San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list, which I completed in 2021. In addition, I have conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and Arizona-Winter). Beyond attempting the San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list a second time, I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.