The Obligatory

Well, I'm leaving for Tokyo in a few hours, but I'm all packed up and ready to go - or at least I think so - so I figured I'd recount my last hiking trip before I boarded a plane for the other side of the world.

Fellow Japan-travelers and now Second-Time-Hikers Kevin and Luis wanted to hit the trails again before we took off, and I wanted to take advantage of the still-warm temperatures to check out some new waterfalls. Will, who, sadly, couldn't make it because of work, recommended Hermit Falls as a possible journey.

In my downtime at work - when I'm not doodling, that is - I'm often thumbing through maps to look for new trails to tackle. So when Will pointed us in the direction of Hermit Falls, I noticed a few other nearby trails for possible loops. And thus, Sunday morning, we headed out to Chantry Flats ... after spending an extra 40 minutes weaving through a triathalon route that nearly surrounded my apartment.

At just after 9AM, the Chantry Flat parking lot was already packed full. There was a small general store (also one of the nation's last - if not only - remaining mule packing stations) on the grounds with its own lot, though. And while I wasn't too keen on paying for parking when I had a National Forest Adventure Pass already, the people running the store were nice ... oh, and Luis coughed up the cash. Thanks, Luis!

We started down the winding asphalt road to the bottom of the canyon, when we spotted a small sign pointing toward Hermit Falls. As I was checking my map to see where this would actually take us, an older man emerged from the brush.

"That road's a bitch," he said. He then informed us the trail we were looking at would get us down just as fast, but it'd get us hiking right away, instead of walking on roads, which is Lame. We took his advice and headed down the trail to the Santa Anita River, under the cover of shade and away from the harshness of blacktop.

Someday, I, too hope to emerge from the forest, swearing about a road to some young hikers.

We got to the river and came upon a containment dam - the first of many. While I'm sure these were pretty damn intrusive on the river when they were first built, now most of them are so covered in moss and trees that you don't even notice they're there. They also help form shallow pools along the river, which are nice to look at while you're hopping across boulders.



The trail was well-graded and not too difficult on the way to Hermit. We were almost always under a thick canopy of green, and river-crossings were always fun. Now that I actually have decent hiking boots, I'm fairly fond of running across a river, tip-toeing on the rocks and logs that litter the streams. I'm rarely even worried about twisting an ankle or falling in. And for me not to be worried says a lot about how much I dig river crossing.

There was one section of the trail that particularly struck me, though - for some reason, a small group of trees had all turned their leaves to bright orange and dropped them on the forest floor. If I didn't know any better, I'd guess I was in New England.



But man, I can't wait to go hiking there for real in October...

Hermit Falls itself was quite the sight, too. The wide river condensed into a small, swift-flowing stream, wedged between a few giant sheets of water-polished rock. The stream cascaded into a small pool before cascading down again into a much larger, much deeper pool, directly under a cliff wall.



Will said he'd jumped off said cliff into the pool below, but damn, I wasn't gonna do it. I didn't even see an easy way up anywhere.

And then, as if on cue, a group of middle school-aged kids dragging a cooler arrived and promptly plunged off the side of the cliff, the splash echoing off the canyon walls until it sounded like a gunshot.

Oh, to be young.

We took the kids' arrival as our cue to move on, and made our way to the Sturtevant Falls Trail. Along the way, we passed several small, green cabins lining the river on either side.



Further upstream, the cabins became somewhat more elaborate. A few had gardens enclosed behind rock walls. Some had decks, stone staircases, patios and picnic areas. They all looked very inviting. Upon further investigation, we found out that people buy these cabins from the Forest Service to live in, maintain, and upkeep. The General Store we passed in the parking lot is pretty much the only connection with the outside world.



Anyone want to go in on one of these with me?

How about a rental?

We kept hiking until we reached the pool at the bottom of Sturtevant Falls. I have seen a few waterfalls in the Angeles National Forest. I've seen bigger. I've seen faster. I've seen wider. But I think this one was, by far, the most tranquil of them. Even with our fellow hikers lining the edges.



I took off my shoes with the intention of sitting on a boulder with my feet in the pool. Then I found myself further in. Then further still. Then, before I knew it, I was underwater. Like the other swimming areas in the Forest, the water was absolutely freezing and totally refreshing. I was the only one swimming that day, but it is highly recommended.



After chatting with some friendly lady-hikers (and waiting for me to partially dry), we scrambled up the side of the falls and followed the river through more rocky cascades, eventually reaching a long section where almost everything was completely covered in ivy. The few patches of sun that did manage to break through the cover bathed everything in a warm green light.



We climbed up the canyon walls and eventually reached our entry trail, stopping occasionally to discourage Kevin from scrambling up random mountainside washes. He asked me to make sure to mention that he registered his displeasure by pouting, but he was hiking ahead of me, so I can't confirm that.



Hey, I'm just glad I haven't scared off those guys from hiking yet.


Of course, pictures up on Flickr, including some nice canyon views.

Because he's good at it, Kevin made himself a video version of the hike. You can swing by his site to check it out, or just click down there on the YouTube Video.



And now, it's off to bed, and Japan in the morning. I will have a laptop for work, so I might even be able to blog once or twice. But believe me, I ain't stayin' in to blog when there's crazy Japanese shit to be seen!

See y'all in a few weeks!

Labels: hiking