Story by Trevor,
Fun by all!
CLICK ON THE PHOTOS FOR BIGGER VIEW
There are fun times to be had, on land…yes it’s true!
I sometimes forget that, seeing as my favorite five hours of recreation a week are Saturday morning on the waves, and to me, that is the sacred time of pure fun, riding the God sent swells of Southern California, hanging with some good friends. But, recently, an epic hike into the San Gabriel Mountains, reminded me, fun can be found on land. Sometimes it’s hard to break routine, to escape the rut, even a fantastically fun rut like surfing.
It’s so easy to do the usual, stay on the same trail, run the same course, but, I believe, we always need to be aware, of an adventure waiting to happen, and although we can’t do them all, we should keep our eyes open, for that adventure, opportunity to serve, job opening, or relationship, that we are tempted to turn down, because they don’t fit the comfortableness of the mindset we’re in at the time. So this is one time, I broke the surf routine, and did something different, and I’m thankful for it. But, having said that…I can’t wait to get back in that water!!!!!!!!
Well, I was in the water, but no waves to surf!
The second profound lesson I learned on the trip…I need some good hiking boots. Trekking across boulders large and small for seven hours can be hard on the feet when wearing trail runners. So although I may only need them a few times a year, I’m picking up some quality, hiking boots soon. The folks at REI have been very helpful, saving me the other day from picking up some heavy duty, snowshoe/hiker boots…lol…they were on sale, so I thought, it’s cheap, I’ll take ‘em…but I’ve been persuaded, to wait for the right boot for me.
Jeff, who is a caver, canyon explorer, and pretty much a wilderness expert, advised the same. Hiking foot wear, is not something to go cheap on. So get some advice, if, like me, you decide you need some boots.
Now to the hike; it was a Father’s day hike of sorts, on the Sat. before the 07 dad’s day, a group of us decided to hike to the famous Bridge to Nowhere. The team included my dad, MegaMel (64), me (Trevor); Terry (64, Jeff’s dad), Jeff, Stephan, Connor (7, Stephan’s son), and Roger with his camera. All of these great photos are his. Hopefully, next year, Roger and I will have our boys with us as well.
We hit the trail at 7 a.m. and scrambled our way across the stream more times than needed, up and down the mountain (once again more times than needed), and along ravines. The morning hours were crisp and clear, the shadow of the hills gave us an extended dawn, and it was a perfect temperature for hiking. Later, as we baked in the sun on the return, we would remember it fondly.
Hey Connor, don't show this one to your mom.
The hike to the bridge itself, took a little over 2.5 hours, and we were not disappointed on arrival. The bridge, on first approach, doesn’t look like much, but once on it, looking over its side, and seeing it from the different angles, it’s awesome. A product of post world war funding, the bridge was part of a failed attempt at building a road to connect the Los Angeles Basin, to the High Desert beyond…basically, they wanted a quicker route to Vegas.
But a one hundred year rain, washed out all the roads, and put a stop to the project, but not before the bridge was complete. So now this wondrous piece of architecture stands as a perfect destination for day hikers and bungee jumpers.
But just reaching the Bridge to Nowhere was not enough for this band of adventure seekers, and we charged on after a short snack time on the bridge. And we were glad we did; massive walls, crystal clear swimming holes (which we took advantage of), and prospectors seeking nuggets of gold were there waiting for those willing to go the extra mile (or two, or three...).
It’s quite amazing to see what these men of old do to find their gold. Some use their old fashioned pans, others pick at crevices, and others painstakingly dig out boulders, granite, and slate, to depths of over ten feet, attempting to reach bedrock, and find gold that was missed by the 3,000 miners that once filled the canyon in the late 1800’s. Once bedrock is reached, the miners run their piles through a slulce. This separates the gold, which drops into the bottom, while the rock and sand flows back into the stream. Some of these men stay up in the mountains, for weeks at a time, living on minimal supplies and sleeping under the stars. But if you see the Ranger, you didn’t see them.;)
It is a throwback to a different time, and many know their history, and are proud caretakers of the heritage they follow.
Our final destination, turn around point, and great place to take a power nap, was an old settlement called Stone Table. A family lived there for 30 years. We explored a bit, sat at the tables of stone, and Jeff, placed a geocache, for some other hiker to find in the future. He had also found one himself near the Bridge to Nowhere.
You would think, the youngest hiker on our trip, Connor, at eight years old, would be complaining after eight miles of rugged hiking, but he is no ordinary young man, he has some kind of mutant gene, that allows him to cover miles like a wolf, charging up mountains sides with ease. By the end of the hike, my feet were hurting, and I know his must have been as well, but I never heard a complaint, and he was as positive about the hike after, as he was before.
Of course, we all know that 40 is the new 17, and 50 is the new 30, but Mega Mel, and Terry showed, that 64 is the new “ageless”, and tackled the 16 mile hike with ease.
We finished the day up with a nice little dinner at a Tai restaurant, a well deserved shared meal.
I love my surfing, but after this hike, I guess, I’ll sacrifice a couple surf sessions a year for some inland adventures…but only a couple. ☺
By
Trevor Downs
