@vegannomad in PDX My friend Samantha and I, both from New York but live in San Diego now, decided this summer to start taking serious advantage of the California coastline. We did several trips up and down the coast. One trip we found a deal for a backpacking excursion in Big Sur. We drove all night to get to the area after work on a Friday and stayed in the backyard of a house that was a cross between a tree house and a pirate ship. It was like waking up in Neverland. The next morning we headed to meet our group in Big Sur. It was our first backpacking experience, so we didn’t really know how to pack our bags (clearly, from the picture). We spent two days in the incredible woods, around the fire making friends with strangers. It was a trip I’ll remember forever.