Hi-
I'm planning ahead to do an inn-to-inn walk somewhere on the southern or central Calif coast on MLK weekend a year from now. I'm wondering if there are outfits that run support - in other words, that take our gear from stop to stop so we don't have to carry it? We'll be a group of maybe 6 people, experienced hikers but new to inn-to-inn.
If anyone has a favorite route to recommend I'd be interested in that too (two nights up to 35 miles total), but I thought I'd start by finding out about anyone who does this in a tour type capacity.
Thanks!
Replies
Charis,
As far as we know, there are no companies that offer support services for distance hiking along the Southern and Central California Coast. Some people have been using ride hailing services like Uber of Lyft. They will happily transport your luggage. You will just need to coordinate with your innkeeper to expect the luggage to arrive before you. I would give the Lyft driver a nice tip in cash on the front end and ask him or her to take the luggage into the lobby and find out from the innkeeper where to store it until you arrive. Give them a good rating if it goes well. This seems like a safe and reliable method.
The whole 200 mile stretch of coast in "Walkabout Malibu to Mexico: Hiking Inn to Inn" is pretty great. Most of the hiking days in the book range from 5-13 miles. It sounds like your group might like to hike longer. You can combine days and do two hiking days in one. For instance, the hike from Newport Beach to San Clemente is a 3-4 day, 27 mile walkabout and probably the most popular hike in the book. You could do it in two.
Let us know how it goes. Have a great Walkabout.
Tom Courtney