LAST CHANCE
Today (Saturday) was probably the last day of the year that you will be able to get into most of the High Country until spring. We have had record rainfall this October in northern California, I think it may end up being the most rain we have had for October in over 66 years, dating back to 1950 and beyond, but most of that has come down as rain in the mountains, not snow. So that means the waterfalls are all flowing very well for now, but we need that snow pack. Tomorrow we are finally getting snow in the mountains, and that means most of the roads will be snowed in and no longer accessible. I tried to take advantage of this final day.
Unfortunately, my Plan A backfired, because although there was not any snow, there were huge mud puddle pits, due to all the rain. I kinda suspected this might be the case, and I did not want to drive through them and risk getting stuck in the mud. So onto Plan B.
The Plan B hike was not a particularly difficult hike, and yet no one has probably ever been to this waterfall before, or even knows about it. I did not see any evidence that anyone had ever been down here before, though it is illogical that no one has seen it. In any case, mine is the first documentation of this magnificent waterfall. It is 122 ft. high, and it is a spectacular cascade.
I initially hoped to get down to the bottom of it, but it was very steep, and worse than that, it was extremely brushy. The rocks were wet and slick as ice. I was soaking wet from trampling through the brush and swamps thus far, and going any further down would have been very bad. I decided to attempt to find a view from the top of the ridge instead. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to find one, but I got lucky. I worked my way down through the brush, and towards the end of the ridge, and I found a superb view of the falls. I dared not go any further to the end, that would have been extremely stupid. The rock sloped down from here and over a 200 or so ft. cliff. Being that it was so slick, I would have certainly slid right off and over the cliff. I have no doubt about that. So obviously, I stayed safe. Good idea, madman.
Well the hike back up to the car was all right, but my back was hurting by the end of it. It has not been hurting in a long while, so I don’t know what is up with it. Same pack weight as last week, and an easier hike to boot. Ugh. I did not have any rain all day long, and the weather was good, but I was still wet and cold from trampling through the brush and swamps. It was a very good day.