Skinny dippin' in a sea of Lee, er, sulfur-water

"Let's go backpacking next weekend in Big Sur. We can do Syke's Trail," Ed and Jack said.

"Sounds good," I said.

"The weather's going to suck on the way in: thunderstorms and maybe even hail," they warned.

"We can handle a little weather on the hike in, as long as it's just the first day," I thought outloud.

It snowed. And then it continued to rain into the next morning.

We day hiked from our camp to the hot springs. Nothing makes you feel more alive than skinny dipping in natural hot springs with a bunch of people you've only just met. Well, maybe not, but soaking in the hot springs was really nice, albeit a touch cramped.

In the end, we all ached to some degree and good times were had by all. We met some cool people up there and hung out for the weekend with our new friends. I got my camera out on the last day and chronicled our hike out (you too can revel in the natural beauty that is Big Sur country here). And now it's back to your regularly scheduled life in civilization. It sure is nice to get out once in a while.

UPDATE: John's account and photos of the festivities can be found on his website.