Salmon Creek Trail. Los Padres National Forest. Seventeen miles of trail with coastal fog embracing every one of them. It was my first backpacking trip in California’s Big Sur region. I'm more of a Sierra Nevada Range junkie—no shade to those who prefer staying under 6,000 feet, it’s just that the provocations of the scree and talus textures found in high alpine regions bring a strange comfort to my masochistic heart.
And yet, I couldn’t help but notice the vibrancy of the lupine and bright red Indian paintbrush speckling the coastal mountains; it was stunning. Still, they had nothing on the little crimson device dangling from my pack's chest strap, Garmin’s inReach Mini. A must for solo adventurers and families alike looking to stay in touch with the modern world while adventuring beyond the reach of cell service.