Backpacking in Henry Coe
For 2007, Antony (“Bullit”) and I were back for the Henry Coe Backcountry Weekend for the third consecutive year. In 2005, a group of us had mountain biked 20 miles around the backcountry on Saturday. In 2006, we camped on the small hill overlooking Orestimba Corral and hiked to Mississippi Lake on Saturday, and then hiked to the top of Mustang Peak on Sunday. This year we backpacked to Mississippi Lake on Saturday, and hoped to reach the peak of Bear Mountain but it was not to be.
We ended up backpacking fifteen miles in a day and a half, with a cumulative elevation gain of around 2,300′ if memory serves. We carried 35-pound packs of gear and have taken a keen interest in acquiring lightweight gear as appropriate for next time! Still, because it was a short hike we had a couple of bottles of beer and a bottle of wine along as luxuries.