Matilija Creek - Nice Swimming Hole 

Dry Falls, Big Falls, Little Falls, and Surprise Falls...

About Falls...

Some Falls that should be falls are not; as was the
case with the Lion Creek Falls....

Last weekend after escaping the sweltering heat of
South Georgia earlier in the week, I was happy to be
back at home and able spend time in Ventura's
mountains.

Java and I went for a hike that Sunday in the Los
Padres National Forest, North of Ojai, adjacent to the
westernmost boundary of the Sespe Wilderness. The
purpose of our hike was to visit some waterfalls south
of the West Fork Lion Campsite. The hike was short
but surprisingly rewarding.

The trail was made up of a footpath that crossed the
creek at the trail-head and then went 2.5 miles up the
canyon, to the falls and my turnaround spot at 3600
ft. When I got to the falls all I found were stagnant
pools and an abundance of mosquitos which quickly
chased java and I back on the trail home.

This weekend I was determined to find some falls, so I
set off on an overnight hike to the Matilija
Wilderness area up the Matilija Creek. Regrettably I
found some falls, but not the kind I was looking for.

The first third of the hike was on an easy wide dirt
road, which eventually turned into a bushwhacking
event, and then into an inevitable rock scramble,
boulder hoping, creek jumping and tree ducking affair.
Right after my third creek crossing I was off to a
bad start - Mother nature it seems can have a bit of a
temper and she let me know it this weekend.

The whole area is criss-crossed with numerous trails,
some leading no where, i.e. off cliffs, and others are
circular leading you right back to where you started!
While traveling up a trail of the former kind, I had
my first encounter with a Big Fall - Literally. I
stepped down on a nice sized rock that was initially
stable, but once I put my full weight on it it rolled
over. After which, I came down hard, with all my
weight, plus my pack on the up turned, sharp edge of
the rock onto my upper right thigh. As a result, I am
presently the unhappy recipient of a black, blue,
purple, and red, nasty looking knotted mass of bruised
muscle attached to my thigh the size of my fist -
Ouch!

After composing myself and verifying I hadn't broken
anything I pressed on, and made a looong stop at the
first meaningful swimming pool we found, see pictures.
Since the temperatures were in the mid-90's; taking a
dip, and swim hit the spot. After our rest we moved
further up creek passing one gorgeous swimming hole
and little cascading falls after another. One
swimming spot in particular was immense about 80 ft
long, 30 ft wide and easily 25 feet deep - The waster
was azure and perfectly clear - A very beautiful spot
.

I should have taken better advantage of the spot, but
we pressed on to yet another kind of fall, a surprise
one, again a literal one. Java I were scrambling over
fallen trees and jumbled rock, when both my feet fell
away from underneath me. I banged and scrapped my
shins, hit my already bruised thigh and in a final
insult, I did a firm butt-plant on the upturned edge
of another rock - Double ouch!

Another half hour up the creek I found a nice spot and
decided to setup camp as it was getting later in the
day. When I retrieved my stove I immediately noticed
a problem, and turned to Java to ask, "Where the hell
is the lighter!?! Apparently in his zeal to pack the
night before, Java have forgotten to throw the lighter
in our pack - Damn that dog. I especially resented
him as he enjoyed his dinner that night while I went
to sleep without any :-(

After I set up camp I pressed further up creek and ran
into a gentleman that talked me out reaching the
nearby Matilija Falls I had originally come to see.
He was apparently concerned about the bloody mess I
had become - Perhaps I looked bad, although I was
fine. Nevertheless, I took his advice, and instead we
chatted for a while about his camp a backpacking gear.
He was in fact very proud to show me his alcohol
stove he made himself; it was a very nice piece of
gear.

Although I didn't think I would sleep well last night
I did. On the various nature calls I made during the
night I at first enjoyed a starry night, and then
later a moon-lit sky.

This morning we broke camp relatively early in an
attempt to to beat the heat getting back to the
trailhead - Fortunately we did not experience any
other falls, at least not any that involved me.

Trip Summary: ~8 miles; max elevation 2200 ft., one
badly bruised body, and one slightly bruised ego.

I'm glad to be alive and hope you are too! Take care.

-Manny

Above Santa Barbara - Looing South Past City from 3500 ft, at Top of Santa Cruz Island 

Punchbowls, Flying Objects, Unintended Consequences, and More...

Hi everyone.

Although quiet for the last several weeks things have
been as busy as ever.

Two weekends ago I did and overnight trip to the
Punchbowls, some nearby swimming holes located in
Santa Paula Canyon. The Punchbowls are a popular
destination, perhaps too much so, but if you haven't
been back to visit since this year's storms you
wouldn't recognize the creek or the trail. Mostly
because the trail no longer exists. All that is left
is rock hopping, boulder jumping and scrambling up the
creek to the bowls. Given that the temperatures were
94 deg. F and hotter, taking frequent dips in the many
pools, was absolutely awesome. Regrettably Java
didn't make it the last 1/4 mile to the main
punchbowls - The going got a little too tough for him
:-( Note: A running creek, a mild breeze, and
moderate temperatures are the best sleeping aids ever
invented - I slept great that night.

The next day I picked up camp early, headed home and
introduced Julio to the nerve racking, but fun sport
of Rock Climbing. After several hours of instruction,
with a heavy emphasis on safety, Julio was tapping the
anchor after having successfully top-roped a 5.5 route
at the Sespe Gorge. He also managed to safely rappel
back to ground. Not bad for his first time out - Way
to go Julio!

Last weekend was spent admiring the beautiful
California countryside, as Michael slept, as we made
our way to Fairfield to celebrate, again, Patti's
graduation from USC (severely biting tongue to avoid
smart-alec remark). Actually the party may have been
the most dangerous thing I've done in a long, long
time... There was flying food, flying utensils,
falling umbrella's, severe sun exposure, ear rattleing
live music... jeez, Patti, you sure do know how to
throw a party! :-) I had a great time - Thanks for
the invite.

So what of my unintended consequences? Well If I
believe my podiatrist, only grudingly so, I've somehow
manged to fracture a bone in my left foot called the
Oysamotices (sp?). He showed me the X-ray and
everything, and told he me to stay away from heavy
foot related sports and other activities that will
place stress on my foot - What!!!?????!!!! The guy
must be smoking crack! I originally developed the
problem about six weeks ago, although it was the
Punchbowls hike that chewed up my feet. Since then my
once-a-day running was forced into my current,
every-other-day schedule, for the last two weeks. :-(

Although I understand the advice, I can't imagine
myself sitting still for too long. A nice four mile
hike, and regular 5K run these past two days tells me
I should back to full speed soon; so long as I do take
it a bit easy over the next couple of weeks. :-)

Earlier today I was exploring Santa Barbara's
backcountry, and I've attached some pix of some great
views The first is looking South past Santa Barbara,
across the SB channel to the top of Santa Cruz island,
visible, floating above the marine layer. The other
is looking North across the Southern end of the Santa
Ynez River Valley into the San Rafael Wilderness.
Both are from different locations between 2500 - 3500
ft.

I'm glad to be alive and hope you are too! Take care.

-Manny