A Day Hike Along the Big Sur Coastline

Drove out to the coast on March 22, 2014. The plan was just to hike for the day. The cliffs drop right into the ocean here, steep and covered in green scrub and brush.

The sky was partly cloudy when I started, which gave the water a darker, more muted color. As I followed the trail along the bluffs, the sun started to break through, and the whole scene brightened up considerably. The water turned a clearer blue-green near the shore.

I found a good spot on a grassy hill to just stop for a while and look out at the Pacific. It’s the kind of vast view that makes everything else feel pretty small. Just the wind and the horizon.

The path eventually led away from the immediate coastline and deeper into a canyon. Suddenly, the view wasn't of the ocean anymore, but of a mountain valley filled with tall pines. A completely different world just a short walk from the sea.