Ojai, It’s Me...
By Grace Carballo ‘17
…I’m in California dreaming about where we’ll go next week.
Might I suggest a quick road trip out of the city and into the great outdoors?
You don’t even need a long weekend for this adventure- which is good because the next day off is spring break, March 12. Two of my most cherished friends, who lived on my floor freshman year, suggested we make this trek when I visited a few weekends ago and we absolutely made the most of our time, however short it may have been. To accommodate Friday classes for them and a long brunch for me, we didn’t hit the road until about 2:30, arrived before sundown, set up our tent in Los Padres National Forest, headed into town for some top-quality burritos, and were tucked into our sleeping bags with heavy eyelids and happy hearts by 9:00 PM. Depending on how long you plan to hike the next day you could be back by Saturday evening, leaving all of Sunday for homework and groceries and other unfortunate necessities.
So allow me to lay out your next weekends’ plans-
1) Acquire your gear
No matter how much you think you sleep better in chilly temperatures, you will absolutely want a sleeping bag as temperatures could easily drop to 40 or below during the night. You and your friends will also want to make sure you have a tent to protect you from the elements. Both can be rented from the Lyon’s Center through Outdoor Adventure Rentals:(https://sait.usc.edu/recsports/fitness-and-recreation/oar/)
2) Set the mood
A road trip is nothing without a properly crafted playlist. I’ve made a few good ones in my day and I’ve made a few bad ones, too. The lesson I’ve learned is your playlist should be heavy on the throwbacks and reminiscing; there’s nothing like jamming to your 8th grade favorite tune and reliving the glory days with relatively new friends.
3) Life is a highway
And LA traffic might make you start to interpret this literally. Grab some snacks, fill up the tank, and hit the road as early as possible for several reasons- beat the traffic, set up camp before darkness falls, and more time to explore Ojai. The drive, like all things in life, is fun if you make it fun.
4) Set up camp
Have some cash on hand because you do have to pay for your space. We paid $24 for one night and if you go soon, since it’s the off-season, you’ll be able to get the same (normally there’s a 2-night minimum). You may want to call ahead and make sure there are spaces but there are plenty of sites in the Ojai Ranger district to choose from. We camped about 20 minutes from downtown Ojai to be closer to where we wanted to hike- Sespe Creek. (http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/lpnf/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=11020&actid=29)
5) Explore Ojai
It’s a very picturesque place and I would’ve loved to have more time there. We got groceries, water for the hike, and then only had time for dinner. But the Mexican restaurant we found was a gem and worth the drive in and of itself.
6) Go To Bag
It’s like going to bed, but you don’t have a bed-you have the earth beneath your spine and a bag to sleep in. There’s really no need to linger awake; I’m a firm believer that nothing good ever happens after 9:30 PM.
7) Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints
Mother Nature is not your mother and you can’t expect her to clean up after you. Also you shouldn’t expect anyone to clean up after you, least of all your mother after all she’s already done for you. The ranger at our campsite told us a lot of people leave their trash in the fire pits which is taking rude to a whole-nothah-level. There are trash cans for that; let’s leave nature as beautiful as we found it.
8) Take A Hike!
There are so many beautiful hikes to choose from but given our time crunch we were not able to make it all the way to the hot springs. Still the views were worth it and we hiked happily for a good four hours, finding a friendly photographer to take this glam sweaty shot along the way.
If you’re up for the full hike to the hot springs (fair warning- they do smell kinda funky on account of the sulfur) check out this link- http://www.hikespeak.com/trails/sespe-creek-willett-hot-springs-padres/
I hope your weekend getaway is as relaxing and rejuvenating as ours was. There’s nothing like a sunny day, fresh air, and good company.
And if you don’t have a car on campus (I feel ya) or friends willing or able to drive you, but are really looking to explore and get outdoors you should look into Peaks & Professors and SCOutfitters, two amazing, outdoorsy organizations that have brought me a lot of joy and new friendships in my day.
http://peaksandprofessors.org/
Hike On and Fight On,
Grace Carballo ‘17
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