On July 15th I ran 47 miles through the Santa Cruz Mountains of CA linking two Nav-X courses: Big Basin (2016) and Arastradero 2-hour. The primary trails used were the Skyline-to-Sea and Bay-to-Ridge. Unlike the tour de tanZ, this route was point-to-point and the controls were virtual.
On a scenic drive to the start, coastal fog lifted to reveal a mangled landscape. Trails were the way to go, but I found several to be completely destroyed, or marked as closed. I was forced to stick to roads. Some were nearly destroyed and overgrown as well. It was slow going and I changed plans.
There were uncharted challenges in Big Basin following the 2020 CZU lightning fire. I didn't come close to clearing it due to dense undergrowth and off-limit areas. I also fell short of clearing Arastradero due to time constraints (sunset) and exhaustion. Nonetheless, it was a good 13.5 hour workout!
Thank you to my mom, dad and Andy for transportation to/from Big Basin and Palo Alto Cal Train station. Thanks also to Bill of Nav-X for his help setting up the courses. Preliminary route details along with some photos and a write-up are posted below.
Preliminary route description:
00.0 - Start Big Basin Nav-X Course (28 controls)
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| Tracking: https://caltopo.com/m/5T5PU49 |
Preliminary route description:
00.0 - Start Big Basin Nav-X Course (28 controls)
13.0 - Finish course, exit park via S2S Trail
17.0 - Bull Spring (WATER?)
21.6 - Waterman Gap Camp (WATER?)
27.9 - Cal Fire Summit Station (WATER?)
35.5 - Stevens Creek (WATER?)
42.2 - Orchard Glen, Foothills Park (WATER?)
43.1 - Start Arastradero Nav-X Course (27 controls)
48.8 - Finish course, exit park to Palo Alto
53.8 - Palo Alto Cal Train Station
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| Preliminary: ~10.5K climb, 50-60 miles |
I wanted to do something like the tour de tanZ while on a trip to visit family in CA. Due to a lack of permanent courses, virtual was the way to go and Nav-X offered the most options. A primary goal for this adventure was to keep it close to the Bay Area, otherwise the Tahoe NF trek might've made sense.
The redwood forests were preferred to sun-drenched Mt. Diablo. But Big Basin got severely burnt by wildfire in 2020, rendering a historical 2016 course and map inaccurate. I admit that I might've thrown caution to the wind, driven by fond memories from a 2009 Skyline-to-Sea trek with Lily.
Rather than spend 4 hours in this mess, I decided to cut my losses and head for the yellower pastures of Arastradero. In the 2 hours that I bumbled about in Big Basin, I only got to visit 7 controls. Hoping to get into a better groove, I picked up my pace through the partially forested, sun-drenched landscape.
At about 20 miles and 5.5 hours in, I came to my 3L water drop. I was feeling a bit rough. My stomach wasn't eager to take in calories and I was falling behind with hydration. The weather and scenery were fantastic. I refused to squander this unique opportunity, so I sucked it up and kept trucking.
At about 38 miles and 10.5 hours in, I reached the southernmost control of Arastradero, which just so happened to be up a steep slope covered in poison oak. But I was happy to be here. My water bottles had just been refilled in Foothills Nature Preserve and I had just under 2 hours of daylight left.
Any residual aspirations for clearing this course evaporated as I navigated off-trail on tired legs across prickly chaparral gone to seed. I felt like that banana slug I'd run across in Big Basin. I was happy to visit 13 controls before sunset. I followed roads and greenways the rest of the way to Palo Alto in the dark.
One of the establishments still open en route to the train station didn't like my looks and refused to sell me an overpriced boba tea (I was desperate for liquid calories). The 2025 "ultra nav" series continues this fall: see Fall Frenzy 40. Other training adventures will appear on this blog as they're brainstormed.
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