Rockgarden Slight Return

The Gaviota - Refugio Ridge Rock Gardens are so sprawling and complex it will take many days to explore just the eastern half, especially given the time to hike the 7 miles in. We made some interesting discoveries along the northern rim after finding the mystical Indian rock and an old Chouinard piton at Alisal Lookout on the western side. This time we were intent on reaching some landmark weathered pinnacles on the far eastern side after my telescope survey from Alisal Road revealed some bizarre patterns eroded in the rocks exposed to strong winds along the edge. 
There's also an aerial photo on the web by John Wiley of the pillar and rim formation behind we hoped to reach.

These Rock Gardens are not easy to traverse, unlike the better known one above Mission Pine Ridge or the Playground at Santa Barbara. So I pored over satellite images and photographs to work out a route avoiding the worst of the thick brush that impedes most exploration and soon decided on an approach north over an open rock apron after leaving the road. A plan was made.

We woke early Sunday morning to a thick fog in the Valley but were confident this would burn off in a few hours. However the ocean side of the Santa Ynez Mountains was not clear either and a persistent marine layer hugged the coast. The weather this Summer has been most unusual with lower temperatures and a June gloom persisting into July and August.

We figured on breaking out into clear sunshine above 2,000’ so pressed on with our plan even though the hike started in a total whiteout. The trees were dripping condensed moisture and soon our shoes and pants were soaked from the wet grass. Things did not improve with altitude and it became obvious this marine layer was here to stay as it was pushed up and over the ridge by a prevailing wind from the south.

No worries I thought as the forecast was for clear sunshine so surely it would all disperse in an hour or two. From time to time there were tantalizing patches of blue and rare glimpses over the SY Valley side showed it was clearing up nicely, unlike the ridge that was still blanketed in a thick marine layer. We reached the rock apron in just over two hours with no improvement in the weather. Bummer.

Chel was eager as ever so I decided a tentative probe north off trail would be OK as long as we could remember enough landmarks to return with visibility limited to 50 yards or so. We were encouraged by occasional clear patches above but thick fog would swirl in again to dampen our enthusiasm.

The first unusual finding was an ordinary house brick next to a 1993 survey bolt drilled into the rock slab. Little to survey out here I thought. Our rock apron was a pleasant highway that ended all too soon at a hollow boulder with several windows eroded through the side. Then we had to cut across some scrub to another line of rocks heading north. Next we came across two rusted fence stakes and a weathered wooden gate in the middle of nowhere with no-man’s-land beyond; curiouser and curiouser.

Here were few appealing options so we dove into the manzanitas and forged across to the next big rock island north. I climbed up and at last caught glimpses of our destination rocks close by. Unfortunately no clear path over presented itself and we were slowed to a crawl, still under dense fog that obscured any likely route forward. The final straw was impaling my hand on a manzanita stake after a foothold broke.

We dressed the wound as best we could then decided a retreat would be wise given the late hour, poor visibility and need for better wound management. I wrapped my hand in a large bandage that stemmed the dripping blood and we reluctantly turned back. It took a while to find our trail back where we crossed over several scrubby gullies thanks to the fog but finally we emerged on the friendly rock apron. Now we could cruise down to the road in comfort knowing our whereabouts and even stop to relax with a vegemite sandwich.

Of course as we trudged back along the road the marine layer started creeping back down and out over the ocean and we were mocked by brilliant sunshine and clear view of the Rockgarden several miles back. We had come to within a hundred yards of our destination, discovered more curious formations, learned secrets to navigate the labyrinth and got some foggy pictures. As Arnold said, ve'll be bek!