A Journey Down Big Sur

Big Sur (Big South) is a stunning 90 mile section of California's Central Coast bracketed by the towns of Carmel to the north and San Simeon to the south. A vast tract of ranchland, 5,000ft mountains and deep valleys that plunge seawards, Big Sur provides a significant challenge to sea kayakers wishing to embark on a multi-day traverse of this magnificent shoreline.

Highway 1 defies the laws of gravity and the erosive power of the Pacific swells, winding its way along the entire length of Big Sur, clinging precipitously to the cliffs, occasionally and briefly retreating inland before re-emerging and triumphantly spanning a deep ravine by way of one of many magnificent bridges. The proximity of the road does little to spoil the remote feeling one gets whilst paddling Big Sur because much of the time the road is absolutely inaccessible, several hundred feet above sea level.

There are several aspects to the challenge Big Sur presents to the sea kayaker: The lack of suitable and legal campsites, lack of access to fresh water during summer months, few landing opportunities for long periods, especially during big swell conditions and the omnipresent fog during spring and summer. All this seems formidable to even a seasoned expedition sea kayaker but for one of our crew this would be her first multi-day sea kayak adventure. Tiffany not only chose this journey for her inaugural trip, she embraced the challenge by formulating a cunning plan that included the necessary shuttle logistics, a water drop and negotiating secure parking for my truck - thank you Tiffany & Doug!

John Bonaventure is a living legend, and I do not use that characterization lightly. He is one of the world's best surf kayakers and guides for Central Coast Kayaks taking complete novices into the caves that adorn the popular Shell Beach region. He was the only member of our team that had previously paddled Big Sur, his group taking out short of our ultimate goal. John was able to help Tiffany produce a plan that we were able to execute almost flawlessly.

MaryAnn Clark is resident of South Lake Tahoe where she teaches kayaking to her local paddling group and to college students, that is when she is not snow shoeing or paddling up in the San Juan's or British Columbia. MaryAnn is not only a talented paddler but also has the voice of a nightingale and she will often sing to entertain her passengers in her other life as a flight attendant.

I felt very much like a passenger on this trip having contributed very little to the planning and felt a little unprepared as I practiced loading my Jackson Kayak Journey 14. I needn't have worried. I was able to fit in all my food and gear with room to spare and Tiff and John seemed to have thought of everything in terms of a plan. Even the weather looked like it was going to co-operate. We met down at San Simeon, left a couple of vehicles down there and then Tiff's husband, Doug drove us north up Highway 1 to our put-in at Monastery Beach. It was a wonderful start to the trip with tantalizing views of the coastline we were about to see up close and personal.

We launched as planned at 5pm with enough time to paddle around Point Lobos, a State Marine Reserve, and get a few miles south before darkness set in prematurely due to the fog. Point Lobos is well known among the local sea kayak community as a wonderful rock gardening park and play destination. With a just a gentle swell rolling in we were able to explore every nook and cranny and this set the tone for the rest of the trip. We tried to find every cave, every arch, and every pour-over along the Big Sur coast, often going out of our way to paddle inside of the kelp or through it to explore the shoreline in detail. My somewhat irrational fear of sharks born out of a scary encounter whilst paddling between the Channel Islands two years previously has caused me to adopt this style of paddling where I try to stay inside of the kelp whenever possible. I would much rather take my chances with the long period south swell that would periodically rear up to produce a breaking wave much larger than the rest. John and MaryAnn seemed very comfortable adopting this tactic and Tiffany joined us whenever it was prudent to do so since she was the only one of us paddling a composite kayak.

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of paddling the Big Sur coast for me was how varied the views were. From sculpted granite, to ragged lava, to complex sedimentary folds, to indefatigable basalt, to delicate sand dunes. Each point we paddled past presented a new vista, and every so often the fog would lift sufficiently for us to admire the mountain peaks that literally towered above us and the fog high into the deep blue sky.

We expected to find some caves but I was blown away by the formation just north of Bixby Landing which is as complex as it is grand, with a cavern as large as a multiplex theatre with a sound system to match. Several other smaller caverns linked by tunnels competed for our attention with natural light displays as marvelous as any computer generated imagery. It was tempting to hang out in this audio-visual wonder but the south swell reminded us of the forces that have carved out these extraordinary features and we left the caves to the harbor seals that call them home.

Weaving through rock gardens, timing the swell to nip through gaps and knock off pour-over moves without barely missing a stroke was very entertaining and the Jackson Kayak Journey proved to be a very capable kayak; playful even when fully loaded and with an admirable cruising speed for its relatively short length. Every so often a pour-over move demanded more attention and I lost two hats before accepting that it really would be a good idea if I wore my Gath helmet for the more aggressive moves.

Camping under the radar so-to-speak is not ideal but really the only option as the various park infrastructures do not cater to the sea kayaker. We waited until dusk to pitch our tents which gave me time to fish. Knowing how to fish is an occupational necessity for a Jackson Kayak rep and I was surprised and stoked to catch one, a small surf perch, probably my first fish for going on 40 years! Now I just need to learn how to cook!

The weather and swell remained perfectly consistent for the five days. The North West wind that can be so persistent in summer never materialized thanks to the fog which hung around us like a comfort blanket, never obscuring the shore and reflecting back the majority of the sun's powerful UV rays. The fog really is such a blessing in disguise, ensuring that much of the California coast remains unspoiled by over development. I'll take fog and calm over sun and wind any day.

We were lucky. A couple of weeks earlier a friend of mine's group had to abandon their attempt to do the same journey due to large swell and an unseasonal south wind. Late summer into fall is probably the best time to attempt this journey which ranks high on my list of memorable trips. I'd be happy to share what we learned with anyone thinking about doing it. Hopefully you too will be able to stay inside of the kelp.