In December 2022, I did a backpacking trip up Cone Peak in Big Sur with four friends from Stanford. We drove up on a Friday night and camped at a reserved drive-in campsite. The next morning, we drove to the start of the hike and began the ascent. It was a quite rainy trip, offering few views. The trail was also pretty steep, and we had to hike fast due to limited daylight in the winter. The second day, we finished the hike up to the top and then went back down to the car. The highway section that we were parked on was closed due to rock fall from the heavy rain, but we were able to safely drive out, stopping for nachos and Denny’s on the way back. This trip probably wasn’t worth the drive with so many backpacking options closer to Palo Alto, but my opinion might’ve been different with clearer weather and longer daylight hours. It was still fun but definitely less relaxing and rejuvenating than the other backpacking trips I’ve done.