Last year I hiked El Picacho and this year wanted to have a bigger adventure while down in the peninsula. Citlali used to be a guide in these mountains and suggested the “sea to sea” hike which is usually just from a ranch to a ranch, about 30 miles, over the mountains. I figured we could start with our feet in the Pacific Ocean and then just hike up the dry arroyo, connect it to the mountain trails, then out another arroyo to the sea, how much harder could that be?
Day 3 - La Ventana Campsite to the Eastern edge of Rancho De La Leguna - 10.0 Miles
Today was a much more normal hiking day with getting on trail before 8a.m. and finishing the rest of the ascent. We stopped for second breakfast at Valle Uno, which has a nice fresh stream snaking through it and it was where I camped last year. We decided not to take the side trail to the El Pichacho overlook since we had both been there before and we were behind schedule. So back to uncharted territory! We continued on to Valle Dos which was much larger and had a few huts built up over the years. They even have Starlink now.
After chatting with Edwardo, a ranchero friend Citlali knew, we went a little further to the spur trail to see the Cascadas de Laguna (waterfalls) We dropped our packs and followed the long rock-hoppy trail down the stream to get to the impressive falls. I flew the drone a bit and we had lots of snacks. Citlali said she had probably been here a dozen times, back in her guiding days, and had never seen the falls flowing this much.
Back on the trail we kept hustling as the sunlight waned. We got to the edge of the ranch and could see the lights of the coastal towns along the Gulf of California. I bet it looked better with daylight but we decided to night hike a bit and hope to find a camp spot where it would be a little warmer at night. Valle Dos was suppose to get down to nearly 0°C. We found a nice spot next to the trail and had another small campfire.
Day 4 - Camp to Poza Obscura - 13.8 Miles
We had a quick breakfast and then hiked down the rest of the big descent to Poza de Pepe, an excellent swimming hole with a cliff jump, a waterfall, and a kitchen area set up with a campfire grate and pots and pans. We cooked a delicious mac-n-cheese with extra fresh cheese and salsa and then made a couple of cliff jumps into the water.
The trail had a few more ups and downs and I took another dip at a gorgeous little pond with some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen. We kept trucking, knowing that every mile we don’t make today is one more mile on our final day and we hoped to finish before dark. The forest trees began to share space with cacti again and we could see the sea getting closer. We made it to San Dionisio Road and began the only stretch of a monotonous road walk. Citlali had a college friend, Regalio, whose family owns Rancho Refugio which was up ahead so she wanted to stop in and say hello. Little did we know that it was Regalio’s mother’s birthday and they were having a party! Live music and delicious tacos and beer were all in abundance and the were happy to see us.
Regalio asked about our route and I showed him the plan, to get down to Poza Obscura and then find the way to the flat sandy arroyo. He said that will not work, there is another section of impassable waterfalls just downstream from Poza Obscura. I am so glad we met him and did not have a repeat of night #1! He then decided “I have no plans tomorrow, I’ll hike with you and show you my secret path” Score! Citlali and I departed and hiked a few more miles to set camp next to the road.