Lizard's Mouth and Los Prietos - Climb and Camp
Recently, we found a moment to get off campus and try a quick climb and camp overnight. The original plan was to head out Friday evening, but by that afternoon we were both so tired and the Santa Ana's were kicking up, we decided to wait a night.
It was the right call. After a pizza dinner and a good night's sleep, we rallied in the morning to pack up the van June and head out. We stopped at the grocery store and gas station and then used Red Kettle Coffee as a pit-stop (always looking for an excuse to stop at a coffee shop).
We arrived to the Lizard's Mouth hiking area around noon, got all of our things together, and headed up the trail. H brought the climbing bag in on his back and A in on his shoulders. I had the boulder pad and A's sand toys. Once you have a kiddo, you'll do whatever you need to get some outdoor climbing in.
We climbed at the mouth of the lizard mostly and explored around some as well. The main traverse route is in the shade for a while, but it was hot and buggy, and the the wall is overhanging, so we didn't last super long. I hardly climb anymore, and this type of bouldering would've been tough for me when I was in my best climbing shape. (To prove this, my forearms began locking up and "charlie-horsing" all the next day. I could've even unscrew my water bottle).
Hiked out, got settled in the van, and drove less than a half hour to Los Prietos camp ground (Los Padres National Forest).
We found a few sites open and had our pick. We chose one with a huge flat area, but the van stayed in the parking spot. The open space was great for A to run around and for us to have privacy. We were near bathrooms and a water spigot without having to look at anyone else's situation, of which there were many.
It was a holiday weekend and mostly car campers, so the campground was loud with music, dogs, and people partying until almost midnight. We, on the other hand, ate dinner at 4pm and were all ready to go to sleep by 7pm. Camping always reminds me how much my body is happy to follow the natural rhythm of the seasons. Sunsets at 5:30pm, let's go to sleep around 6pm.
Taking a toddler camping is way, way, way more work than we'd like, but if we don't do it, then we don't get to go at all. A skipped her nap that afternoon because of the climbing, so she was restless, exhausted, and wound-up all together. She wanted to go to bed as early as I did, but she spent over two hours rolling around in the van bed, fixing her sleeping bag and playing. We finally all slept despite the noise, chillier weather than we planned for, and family bed.
The next morning I snagged some solo time to journal and sit in the shade at the picnic table while H and A hung out in the van. We packed up after a breakfast of oatmeal and peanut butter sandwiches, and headed into Santa Barbara to hang out a bit more before making our way home to Ojai.
The trip itself was pretty tiring for what we got to do, but I'm glad we went. Now we know both the climbing area and the campground, and how close everything is to home. My hope is H and I can get out there again without the kiddo or maybe that's where my next solo camping trip will be.
I'm also hoping that the more we do these types of things, the easier it will get. A will only become more familiar with camping and be more mature as she gets older. And until then, I'll take a drive up the coast in the van for a coffee and some bouldering anytime if it means time off campus, outside, together as a family.