Santa Cruz Island w/ Delia & Pedro, July 17, 2022

One of the best parts of trail running is that you can spend your whole life finding new places to explore, never come close to seeing them all, and gain some of the best views, surprises, and experiences we can get in this life.

Friends and teammates who share a love for hiking and trail running have always pointed me in great directions for new challenges. Living at the time we do when it comes to technology and gear, combined with the privileges I fully recognize and appreciate every day, opens up a wellspring of opportunities to be nourished and grow in the beautiful outdoors, which I take on with gratitude and enthusiasm whenever possible.

Santa Cruz Island came on my radar a short time ago, and reviews and different segments on @alltrails moved me to aim at making an out-and-back 12.5 segment on the Del Norte and Montanon trail to Scorpion Campground into a 25-mile loop with under 5,000 feet of vertical gain on Sunday, July 17th, 2022.

My friends Delia and Pedro were down for what sounded like doable mission within the 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. time window we had via ferries to and from Ventura. We didn’t find much in the way of pictures, and the descriptions we found described this terrain as difficult, which sounded very on-brand for all of us.

We packed accordingly, I felt great going in, and we were quickly impressed by how technical the terrain was, ascents and descents that asked and kept asking for more of us, and temperatures that never got dangerous but certainly pulled a lot of moisture out of us.

With that, we set the 25-mile challenge aside (I will come back some day to do it, camping will definitely be in order to take the time crunch off the table) and opted for catching as much mileage and climb as possible (17.84 miles and 3,408 feet of climb, according to Garmin) while taking in some of the best views I’ve ever been lucky enough to see.

We saw more than a couple baby foxes, which are common on the island, plenty of dolphins on the way home, and enjoyed a Sunday that has been one of a few highlights of my year so far.

This also marked the last long run I have before Jack and Jill downhill marathon on July 30, 8 days away as I write this, and left me feeling strong and ready to deliver my best on game day.

Thanks again to Delia and Pedro for sharing this adventure with me, I hope everyone is in a healthy and positive place today, stay up and seize the weekend, everybody!