Manresa State Beach
The first time I ever went backpacking in my life was more than 10 years ago, when I went to Sky Camp at Point Reyes National Seashore. I remember the car camping equipment comically overfilling both of my arms on a hot summer day. I must have awkwardly carried 50+ pounds of gear while stopping every few hundred feet to take a breather. I swore that I would never go backpacking again. Until a few weeks ago, anyways.
Manresa State Beach has 64 campsites that are hike-in. These sites are far from “roughing it”, given that the parking lot is less than half a mile from the campsite (some are only a few feet). Given that this was a practice run, I chose the one furthest away from the parking lot. My total pack weight for this one night trip was less than 25 pounds.
Once I got to my site, I setup my tent and went for a stroll on the beach. Then, after dinner, I caught the sunset on a small bluff by myself.
Once the sun went down, as is customary on my camping trips, I snuggled into my tent and watched a movie. When I woke up the next morning, I packed up everything after a quick breakfast and took off towards Point Lobos. This backpacking trip definitely got me excited for future trips!
What I Learned:
I have to screw the isobutane bottles upright. If I twist it on while holding the bottle sideways, the precious fuel will leak out prodigiously.
The Walmart tent doesn’t have the greatest airflow and so gathers lots of condensation. When using this tent, I should only use the vestibule if it’s raining. I ended up leaving one vestibule open half of the night.
Mummy bags are a bit uncomfortable for how I sleep. I mean, I can adapt, but I don’t think it’ll be as comfy as a sleeping quilt.
Sleeping mat isn’t as comfortable as my bed (obviously), but it’s fine.
The nonstick pan was really a non-stick-pan. It worked well.
The dehydrated egg, once hydrated and cooked, was delicious! What a surprise that something like this exists and that it tastes so good!
The neighbors were a bit annoying as they walked across my campsite repeatedly. I can’t wait until I’m actually in the wilderness, where I can be alone.
Camp Review:
Site 35 is actually really close to 37, so it’s not the greatest site (it also has no natural barriers with sites 32, 33, and 34).
Manresa Beach itself was beautiful. There are private homes if you head south from Manresa, so pictures of the beach weren’t very natural looking.
The site came with a bear locker (there are no bears near here though) and a picnic table. The site was clean enough, but not pristine.
I’d visit again, but it’s busy, so I’d rather find more remote places.