February 2013. I am freediving in water the color of the Ring Nebula. My body slinks through a labyrinth of boulders. My mind is lost among a mosaic of algae, sponges, limpets and barnacles. It is seeking, seeking, seeking jade’s smooth and lustrous wink.
It’s a beautiful Christmas morning. At roughly 8:30 am, I park my car across Highway 1 from the Kirk Creek Campground, 45 miles south of Big Sur Valley. High overhead lurks the hidden marble summit of Cone Peak.
Caring for The Ventana Wilderness It’s no mystery why visitors travel from all over the globe to enjoy the views in Big Sur and the Santa Lucia Range. The jagged coastline, steep mountains and breathtaking scale have the power to inspire awestruck wonder.