Early start from the Piedra Blanca Trailhead. Very cold start, truck thermometer reading 27 degrees! Started out with headlamp and Patagonia windbreaker but warmed up pretty quickly once running. Plenty of water flowing in Sespe but able to pick my way through the river crossings without getting wet. Worked my way up Pine mountain and ran into some snow which made route finding a bit slow and difficult especially since I had never been on this trail before. After that the trail got super fast down into Cedar creek area. Plenty of water! I packed my filter so was able to have plenty of water the whole trip this early in the season. I took all my own food with me and ran it solo the whole time.
After cedar creek I made my way up to Thorn Point and back down. Grade valley road to Mutau flats was definitely a mental grind due to the heat, tired legs after Thorn point, and the relatively boring road run. My knee at this point was also hurting and starting to swell so I took some Ibuprofen. Johnston ridge smooth down into Hot Springs Canyon, trail is a little overgrown in parts but manageable. Sespe trail back out to Piedra Blanca was awesome. Creek crossings slowed down my time but what a refreshing break!!
Took a ton of food and ate most of it. Big Sur bars are the best out there!