Ravine Falls

Well friends, today I learned that I’m spoiled and I’m not super excited about it. And also, our devices listen to us. I’m pretty sure we all have thought this for years, but that doesn’t seem to stop me from being surprised when something happens to remind me about it. So, here’s what happened…

I started doing research on hikes in the local area. Now, for most things I ask my trusty friend, Google. For road trips, I always consult with California Through My Lens (no affiliation, and I think this guy and I could be friends). When it comes to hiking, AllTrails is my go-to. Never, ever, do I search on social media for anything. And yet, after searching for trails in the area, this one popped up on my feed as one of the best hikes to go on to see a waterfall. If you have been here before, you know that I’m drawn to water, and I’m always down to see a waterfall (except when I have to walk next to active railroad tracks, but I might actually reconsider that one…stick around to find out). A short drive out of the area to go on a hike to see an amazing waterfall. Yes, please!

The drive to the trailhead was interesting. When I got off the highway I found myself on a nicely paved country road surrounded by fields and cows and horses and sheep in a valley between beautiful green hills. There really was nothing for miles, until I came to a roundabout where there was a gas station and, surprisingly, a massive college. Farther along I made a couple of turns and headed up a windy mountain road lined with green bushes and old oak trees arching above and black and orange cliffs in the distance. And then, out of nowhere, at the top of this windy mountain road, there were a bunch of houses. Most of them seemed to have a lot of land, one had an electric fence and a very long driveway, but most of them had seen better days with dilapidated fencing and sagging porches and crumbling foundations. It makes me wonder why people built homes at the top of this windy road in the first place. What was the draw? Do they drive down that hill every day to go to work? How often do they have to go get groceries? Anyways, I passed through their little town and their signs for goat and turkey crossing and headed farther up the mountain to the North Table Ecological Reserve.

Listed as a moderate hike, the reviews were mixed, and my takeaway was that it might be tough for a newbie like me, take water, and go early because it can get busy on a weekend. Got it, check, and check!

The parking lot opened at sunrise, I arrived just an hour later, and to my great surprise, the parking lot was already a third full. I had literally seen one vehicle on my drive, so I was kind of surprised. No problem, I call myself The Slow Hiker for a reason, most of these people will pass me and I’ll get some alone time. Every other time reviews warned of trails being busy, I might have been passed by a dozen or so people. Believe me when I tell you that I was passed by many dozens of people on this hike; a group of elderly women, young adults, people my age, children, parents, couples, a pack of male humans running shirtless and glistening in the sun, (this improved the view a bit…hehehe), large dogs, small dogs, medium dogs, people in hiking boots, tennis shoes, sandals, with and without backpacks, with and without hats, and some were not even carrying a bottle of water. All the people came to this trail today. That post must be right, this hike is going to be amazing!

This is an out and back trail and the first and last mile of this 2.6-mile hike was through a cow pasture. I kid you not. That is not to say that the views weren’t beautiful, they definitely were, and I bet the fields are spectacular when the flowers are in bloom, but they weren’t. So, I meandered up and down the hills of the pasture, along the dusty trail, over rocky terrain that prevented mud puddles, past a few cow pies, and ended on a rocky cliff above a deep ravine. Somehow, even in a wide-open cattle field, I had missed the turn. I don’t know why I’m surprised, we all know missing a turn is my normal part of hiking.

Backtracking a few feet, I found the trail leading through a metal gate where I had to step over a pole and down the hill where a tree had fallen across the path. It was clear that the tree had been down for quite some time because there was another little trail on the steep side of the hill below. There were a few people in front of me, some climbed over the tree, others shimmied under and when it was my turn, I got down on my hands and knees and crawled like a baby. Then, like the Queen that I am, I stopped and pulled out my wet wipes to clean my hands because I was NOT going to continue with sweaty, dirt-covered hands. I also pulled out my hiking poles, a recommendation of a woman who passed me going the other way, because the trail was going to become steep and rocky. Friends, believe me when I tell you that these knees were so glad to get that recommendation.

Even with all of the people passing me, this part of the hike was gorgeous. Dense trees from the top of the hill down to the bottom of the ravine. I had entered a forest with all of the layers of nature that I love. And shade. This part of the trail had nice, cool shade. As I acknowledged the lower temperature and admired the rocky ledge and hollowed out tree trunks and all of the surrounding shades of green, I turned the corner and was greeted by a spectacular waterfall. The water didn’t fall away from the cliff, it cascaded down the moss covered wall before it fell in front of a shallow cave and into a rocky pool below. The group of shirtless men stood under the water to cool off, dogs swam in the pool below, people were taking off their shoes to wade in the water, and there was a line of people waiting to take pictures as if they were in front of Cinderella’s Castle at Disneyland (of course I was in that line, you will also find me in the castle line at Disney).

I had brought my morning coffee with me to savor at what I thought was going to be a serene setting in front of a waterfall. Beautiful, yes. Serene and calm, no. Still, I found a rock to sit on, put my poles down, sipped my delicious coffee, watched the people, offered to take some pictures, and tried to enjoy this beautiful setting that Mother Nature had created.

After taking up the spot for a while, I decided to head back up the hill. Poles in hand, the trek back up to the meadow was steep so I stopped to let a bunch of people pass. When I got to the fallen tree, I put my poles away and walked around that puppy. There was no way I was going to crawl on my hands and knees with people watching. It was bad enough that I was downhill from the metal pole, so my foot got caught as I tried to climb over it. I got to the other side and looked around – nobody saw. Maybe it didn’t even happen. Hmmm…

Back in the cow pasture, I was hot and tired and could not believe how many people were heading toward me on the trail and who would have to climb back out in the midday sun. I also had not realized that the entire path toward the falls was slightly downhill. That means the entire way back was uphill. And I had to go to the bathroom. (TMI??) With one mile to go, I took it step by step. Slower than normal, greeting fur babies and their owners, stopping to breathe and to see if I missed any photo opportunities, and passing uncomfortably close to a few cows (no, there was no fence between me and the cows…this was literally a cow pasture), I made it back to the parking lot with a long row of freshly restocked port-a-potties and my trusty Jetta, Sapphire. Turning on the engine, and blasting the air, I traded my boots for my Burks, nibbled on a Cliff Bar, sucked down some ice water, and thought about the hundreds of people that visit this place on the weekends. And then I thanked the Universe for allowing me to live at the base of a majestic volcano where I can drive half an hour and find dozens of trails that, even on a busy day, lead to beautiful and serene waterfalls. No cows allowed. Maybe I do like being spoiled.