Your post made me miss backpacking...how I fondly remember those times in spite of carrying way more than I should and all the maurading critters. There is something so cleansing in having only what you can carry and simplifying, even if it's just for a weekend.

I grew up in your neck of the woods and spent a lot of time in the forest there. Not familiar with Manzana. Is it near the Big Sur River? Is that the river you swam in? I always remember that river being super cold. Or were you inland, near Pozo? The LP is a funny forest, all broken up into pieces.

Glad you had a good time.