Want to experience true bliss? How about meeting up with Steemians and hiking to a waterfall!
Ready for action: @CSUSBgeochem, 
The river had a good flow after a bit of rain. This route upstream to the falls and back includes 16 crossings!
Our path wound 5 miles along the rocky sides of the river, surrounded by the biggest yucca specimen I have seen.
Stone staircases assist us to climb upstream.
The strong current and over-the-knee depth makes river crossing exciting! For this first one, Brisket required a little extra shove from @CSUSBgeochem to launch. After that, he forded like an old hand.
I am very pleased with how my trail runners and pricey "Darn Tough" socks handle hiking in wet conditions. The sole protection is absolutely necessary going over rough river cobblestones, yet the mesh uppers drain quickly, and quality socks prevent blisters.
Giant Live Oaks punctuate the scenery. This one must be a couple hundred years old!
We also saw a number of very rustic folks prospecting for gold. They rough it out here in the wilderness with primitive tents and their gold digging and panning gear. My phone camera was tucked away for most of the hike, though, so no portraits of their grizzly mugs.
As the canyon narrowed, our guide directed us into a tributary tumbling over large boulders. We scrambled up to paradise!
Devil's Gulch Falls...are HEAVENLY!
We pulled up a seat at the falls and scarfed down our lunches.
Gazing out in the distance, my soul fills with peace and a quiet joy.
Soon enough, it is time to descend from this gorgeous grotto.
Visitors to East Fork like to drag out a bunch of gear, and then drop it in the wilderness rather than leaving no trace.
Luckily, good people like
My bagful was small, but as heavy and awkward to haul as a toddler.
Together, we summoned every reserve of strength and hauled out a significant amount of unsightly trash.
Along the way, the residents of Sheep Mountain Wilderness showed their gratitude with a photo op.
There is nothing like the happy exhaustion of a day spent doing good in nature. Good company, good deeds, and good memories!
Although my friend Gulay declares that she will never accept another hiking invitation from me after getting this wet and sore, I know she enjoyed her day in the wild with #socalsteemit. I wonder if we managed to convince her to join the blockchain?
Thank you so much for joining us on our heavy duty #Walkwithme! To me, this was an epic meetup. I really had a great time getting to know Derek and Larry better, and it was very rewarding to introduce another member of my #burnerfam to Steemit, not by spamming her online, but by literally getting her feet wet.
I look forward to the next #socalsteemit hiking meetup in two weeks! Maybe I will see you there!
