early 1976, recalled 25 nov. '99 journal entry excerpted and/ or modified.

...i'm pretty sure that i made it all the way to san francisco. now, this was epic; alone, eighteen years old, dropped off in the middle of the city, totally clueless.

i realised that i was never going to get out of town before dark. luckily, i got dropped off by golden gate park and i found a large clump of bushes that could afford some cover for the night. it was dark at this point, so i could slip under the bushes, get out my sleeping bag, and crash unseen. i was gripped; not knowing if i'd get arrested, assaulted, or what. but i'd chosen a good spot and slept undisturbed all night. i woke up early and got my stuff together before anybody saw me. 

the weather was clearing up. it was sunny and i felt good, but i was anxious to find my way out to the coast and the highway south. it was quite a ways to the highway, and i remember getting on a city bus to expedite the process. i think i got off the bus when the ocean came into view. i simply turned left and started walking south. i remember passing some basketball courts. nobody was playing; it was early and i seemed to have the place to myself. i felt alone but confident and happy. i was learning to calmly navigate the unfamiliar; to let the world go by for a few moments while you do what needs to be done- a skill i would later hone to perfection in australia. it was still the middle of town and i must have stuck out my thumb, lacking any other options, and got out of town with relative ease. 

the weather was fine. at last, the rainy weather was behind me for a while. i don't recall specific rides, but i remember standing by the side of the road in watsonville ( castroville? )- artichoke capitol of the world, and then cruising through the town of carmel.

 my destination was drawing near. i got picked up by two pretty girls in a mustang convertible.i could not believe my luck.  they were mid-20's and very friendly. my hair was getting blown around wildly so they gave me a rubber band to tie it back with. they were rock climbers and they described their hobby to me. we smoked one as we cruised south on the highway, and they dropped me off right at the trail head. it was one of my best rides of the entire trip.

so there i was. i got my things in order and headed up the trail, stopping to smell some wildflowers on the way. it was about mid-day and i was feeling great. i wound my way up the canyon of the big sur river...