Mysto Soup - Prologue

Surfer Bob at Nanawani, 2 years ago, on the trip that sparked this one.

Mysto Hype

The email was running fast and heavy. A new set of Southern Hemi swells was forecast to land, and we were taking advantage of the long-range forecasts now freely available on the web to finalize plans for a four-day trip.

After everyone amped up for the trip and then backed out at the last minute, it was just Surfer Bob and I who were still good-to-go. Surfer Bob was the reason this trip was even happening, having Nanawani head high and fun once two years ago, and was the major motivating force on getting together all the travel and camping connections.

We would have four days, arriving potentially in time to catch the last and largest swell pulse on our first day through its peak to its eventual declination on the last day. Towards the weekend as our departure approached, things were looking good; the early swells began to fill in with occasional shoulder-to-head-high sets at Secos.

This was not to be the typical yuppie Southern California surf experience, with a 2-hour journey followed by a 1/4-mile hike to get to the base camp. Pack in all water, supplies, and food; pack out trash. From there, access to the surf was a definite issue. From our base camp we were anticipating an overland hike of over an hour to get to Nanawani, and with that in mind Surfer Bob swiped the straps off his roof racks to put on external-frame backpacks.

Board protection was key; we engineered a few different variations on a foam-and-cardboard theme for fin protection, then wrapped everything in insulite foam pads, wetsuits, towels, sleeping bags, quilts, air mattresses, anything goes. Robert stuffed his into some large canvas board bags, while I splurged and got one of those new reflective ones for $100 at the local shop. Single-board but long enough (7'6") to hold both my 7'2" and my 6'6" at once; for this trip only the 6'6" was going. Worked up a real sweat stuffing everything in and then getting it zipped up.

Good food would be a must with all this exertion piled atop hopes for multiple long uncrowded sessions. Pasta, tortillas and a tupperware container of burrito "mix" (beans, rice, chilis, all kinds of sauteed vegies and the occasional addition from unfinished Tio Alberto's burritos), joined alongside standard backpacking fare of nuts, dried fruit, berries, and a few packets of freeze-dried "mysto soup" that Surfer Bob was curious about. And of course a good helping of bottles of Rolling Rock.

We were stoked, packed, and amping. We were about to get in a bit over our heads while searching for mysto south swell souplines pouring into mysto spots.

Santa Barbara Surfing -- Last updated 8/27/97.