Sleeping Under the Manzanitas at Casa de Luna

Mile 471 – 7 Pacific Crest Trail miles, 4.5 wandering milesIt was a lazy morning and we did not start hiking until 9am! We had seven miles to Casa de Luna another couple who are known in the PCT hiking community as epic trail angels.

As we were hiking down the highway towards the Anderson’s a local pulled over and gave us directions… “You can’t miss it… It’s the house with couches in the front yard” was probably the best part of the description. We arrived at a corner store and gas station and of course immediately bought snacks, soda, and beer.

While eating outside the store we met up with a few hikers who gave us additional directions to Casa de Luna. Ten minutes later Joe Anderson walked up and asked if we wanted a ride! Of course we said yes and received the basic tour as Terrie was out shuttling hikers.

A cleared manzanita forest with at least 50 level tent or bivy sites cut in around the trees were waiting for us to explore in their backyard. We hiked in, picked a site, and laid out our packs and sleeping bags for the night.

Interestingly enough The Anderson’s have both a crazy fun and party atmosphere at the front of the house and a quiet, relaxed, and peaceful atmosphere in the back yard. It’s a perfect sanctuary for all hikers both the crazy loud types and the ones just looking for a early night with solid sleep.

I do have to mention the taco salad Terrie severs for dinner is amazing and pancakes in the morning are just about perfect before moving along. The Anderson’s also have a great rock painting table setup in case you need to express your creativity.

Despite threatening clouds rolling in we cowboy camped and slept blissfully under the manzanitas. Thank you Terrie and Joe!