Camping in Malibu

"The Mountains are calling, and I must go."

- John Muir

(One of Laura's favorite quotes).

This Christmas my brother, Sean, and sister-in-law, Laura, gave mike and me an amazing gift that ended up being more of an amazing adventure. They rented and bought gear, packed up the car and took us camping in Malibu the day after Christmas. Sure beats a sweater from The Gap! It was wonderful because it gave us the opportunity to spend quality time with them and it meant the world to us, especially since we live on the other side of the country and don't get to be together as much as we would like.

It also gave Laura the opportunity to test out some of her new camping/hiking gear she got for Christmas. Sean and Laura inspire me so much. They are adventurous, brave, and athletic and I could sit for hours looking through photos of them conquering Spartan Races and traveling the country. In fact, they are huge motivation for me as I try to jump into a healthier lifestyle and say yes to the adventures I wildly want to go on this year.  And even more inspiring is Laura's adventure for the year. She is planning on hiking the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) from Yosemite to the summit of Mt. Whitney this August. You might recognize the name of the PCT from the book/movie Wild. Yup. Laura is that much of a boss.

Luckily we were able to drive to the campsite. Sean OR Laura left the car keys on the roof (although both vehemently deny touching them last). Sean slammed on the breaks, Mike and I scoffed at a car that cut us off, and Laura gasped and yelled, "THE KEYS". Laura's finger shot out in front of her and pointed out the window. It took everyone a moment to realize that we were driving down the highway with the car keys blissfully riding on roof of the car.  They had apparently fallen to the hood when Sean hit the breaks to avoid a mini-van. We were able to pull over and grab the keys- and in that moment, that mini-van seemed fateful. It was AMAZING. I knew the weekend was going to be fantastic. And it was.

We got to the camp site, built a fire, pitched the tents, and were able to hike to the beach just as the sun was setting. This part of the world is filled with magic and makes me homesick for California. The sunset behind the Pacific was gorgeous. I like to think about our sunset turning into Asia's sunrise. 

By the time we made our way back to the campsite, it was pretty much dark with only the lantern lighting the way. 

We made it back to camp fairly quickly. The night was filled with delicious food over the fire, ghost stories, s'mores, and a hysterical match of Heads Up. No one had cell service and it was absolutely lovely. 

Call me crazy, but I actually really enjoy sleeping in a tent. It's a childhood nostalgia that brings me back to nights camping in the redwoods and sleepovers in the backyard. I just love it. In fact, there are times that I want to pitch a tent in our apartment. And being as crazy as I am, I probably would too. Luckily for Mike, a tent is too large to fit in any room of our New York City apartment. 

The next morning we woke up and made a feast of a breakfast: bacon, sausage, eggs, beans, and coffee. We sat around the fire warming up before heading out to hike into the Santa Monica Mountains. 

The hike was filled with breathtaking views of the ocean and some really steep climbing. But it felt good to be in nature, hiking and challenging myself. By the time we got back it was time to finish packing up. I wish it could have lasted a week, but it was two really wonderful days. 

Thank you to some of my favorite people for a special weekend camping along the ocean. Next adventure? I'm thinking a National Park. 

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