HIDDEN
It has been a full month since I have been hiking. I have not been hiking at all since my big epic backpacking trip in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. I guess I was all hiked out after that trip, and I needed a big break to recover. I suppose I have been busy with other stuff as well and not had a chance to hike. Regardless, this past weekend I decided that the break was over and it was time to get back out there. I was a determined man. Well, since we were going up north for my mother-in-law’s birthday, I figured I would try to get up in the Burney area to see some fall colors, and try to find a couple new waterfalls.
I heard about this one particular waterfall just earlier this year. I had no idea it existed before this time. And it is so close to Burney Falls, where I have been far too many times. What the hey? It seems like it is a fairly popular one as well, among locals and cliff jumpers. Well folks, you cannot hide these little gems from the Waterfall Madman forever. You ought to know that by now.
Nonetheless, I did not know how to get to the waterfall. I knew where it was, but access seemed to be a big issue. There is a lot of private property in the area, and I surely did not want to be walking through someone’s back yard to the waterfall. How do the locals get here? You will not find directions to it anywhere (except now – on my website!). Anyway, I mapped out a couple possible routes and set out, but which route was the correct one? Would I choose wisely?
I did choose wisely, I think. Or semi-wisely, anyway. There was a clear path going down to the falls, obviously people had been this way before, but even so, the route was quite overgrown. I worried about poison oak. It seemed to be prime area for the nasty stuff, but at this time of year, you cannot see it. That does not mean it is not there, however! As I approached the creek, I could see no waterfall. I could hear no waterfall. Indeed, the drainage seemed very flat. Too flat. Huh? I was certain I was in the right spot. Where is this secret waterfall? I got closer to the creek. Now I could finally see where the drop was located, and it was very well hidden. If you did not know it was here, you would surely miss it. Despite the flat drainage, it was cliffy around the waterfall. How would I get down? I found a very steep path down to the bottom, and no doubt a lot of poison oak that I could not see, but I made it down without incident. To photograph it, I would need to cross the creek. There was a big huge log that seemed very unstable and rolling all over the place as the waves from the waterfall crashed up against it. I tested it, however, and it seemed solidly in place. I crossed on the log, carefully. On the other side, I took my photos and enjoyed the view. It was a bit smaller than I expected, 33 ft. high, but it is certainly very pretty. The pool seemed very shallow, however, and I don’t think I would want to be jumping off this waterfall. Actually, I would not do that anyway, but if you are the kind of person who would, I think you would be crazy to do it here. But what do I know. I’m just a crazy hiker.