Maple Falls
Hike Review
I’ve hiked here before and have nothing to add about the hike. It was just as wonderous and enchanting as the first time.
What I Learned
Because of an illness, I’ve been off my feet for a few weeks and while it hasn’t been good for my overall fitness, it’s been great for healing my long-term injuries. My ankle felt fantastic today and my wrist felt much better.
It started raining pretty hard in the last quarter mile of the hike and while my sweater was supposed to be water-resistant, it was no match for the rain. I had my packable rain jacket with me in my backpack, but I was too lazy to put it on—I should have as the rain soaked through my sweater and got my t-shirt dangerously damp.
Friends
Cassie accompanied me on this hike and I had so much fun talking to her about life. I knew her as my best friend’s sister before, but I feel like I got to know her in a three-dimensional sense today. I had such a good time chatting with her that the 10-mile hike felt like a 1-mile stroll... like hours passed by as minutes usually do. It was a good day.
What Happened?
10.3 miles, 5 hrs 8 mins, 1327 ft of ascent
I was chatting with Cassie a few weeks ago and she mentioned how much she loved the outdoors and how she wanted to explore more of it. Based on that conversation, we decided to go hiking on a rainy day and Maple Falls was chosen as our destination.
As we started our hike, it was really fun to see the Forest of Nisene Marks through the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time. Cassie had an infectious and exuberant energy about nature about her and it made me even more excited about nature than I usually am. As we made our way to Maple Falls, we saw gorgeous redwoods, listened to the chatter of birds, and smelled the earthy tones of a damp forest. We also added extra fun to the hike by finding and walking on log bridges.
We arrived at Maple Falls and she was just as I remembered her, though with a bit less water than last time. We had lunch and appreciated the contentment that comes with sitting near a small waterfall like this with no one else around. I’m not sure exactly how long we sat there, but after a good amount of time, we noticed the sky getting darker, so we headed back with our full hearts and stuffed bellies.
The walk back went just as quickly as the walk to the waterfall and was equally lovely (with a notable banana slug sighting). As we got closer to the car, the heavens started to trickle and then really opened up—by the time we got to Ramona, we were both soaked. This meant that the first place we went to was a cafe (11th Hour Coffee), with the standout order being the staff-recommended Golden Milk Chai. The tea was sublime (with a nice kick to it).
Thanks to Cassie for the four photos above!