Chantry Flats, one of the coolest spots for hiking located not too far away from Los Angeles that I've been to...and I've been to a lot.
I think it was my buddy Steven that introduced me to the place for one of our Hiking Stoners bits. He said he knew a place with a cool waterfall and some chill forests. Since then I've been there at least half a dozen times and several different hikes. Alone, with friends, it's always amazing.
Located north of Monrovia, a city to the East of LA, the park is up in the hills. And when I say up, I really mean up. The trip up is quite intense, at least for the passengers. The driver's going to be way more focused on the actual driving. I remember the first time we made it around that initial bend and the view out on to the city with LA in the distance left me quite breathless. And that was just the beginning of the drive into the hills. Higher and higher, deeper and deeper.
Today was my escape from everything.
I'd been thinking about a hike for weeks. My normal routine with my buddy had been disrupted and it was beginning to show. At least for me, I need to 'bathe' in nature on a regular basis otherwise my entire mental balance gets out of whack.
The weather was chilly, but sunny. Not optimal, but when you gotta go, you gotta go.
Parking, for some reason got confusing.
I decided to read the sign above the place where you put you money and that was a bad idea. Me, and several other people wasted a bunch of time trying to decipher the mystery. In the end I said 'screw it,' put my money in the slot, and got on with things. No ticket, if you're wondering...
Like I said, it was chilly. Three layers of warmth helped, but moving made the temperature perfect. From the lot you could tell the park was pretty empty. It was also getting late into the afternoon with the sun setting on the horizon. It still struck a lot of the hills with its warm gaze, but more like an afterthought at this hour.
I tried to let my mind relax, wander through the path like I was, but there was so much noise that refused o be drowned out. So, I decided to revel in it and just do the things I wanted. Which was to create the story that I'm writing now.
My head was in first person so...
The air was brisk, but not cold enough to see my own breath. My pack was light, just a camera and some water. Not like the one I normally took to the coffee shop. My heart rate was still pretty high, more due to stress of life than my ambling pace. The trees around me whispered their calming song as the wind swept through the wide canyon. Deep breath after deep breath as I traversed downwards brought upon this unexpected calm. The scenes before me like some storybook pop outs. Happiness, in some small part, crept up into my face with a smile.
...was kind of the stuff going through my head
As I headed to the bottom and my destination of Hermit Falls. A 3mi round trip from the lot, it was nothing extreme, but enough to remind me that I'd been chair-bound too long. Steep inclines, rocky paths, streams to cross, forests to pass through, there was a lot of eye candy and fun physical challenge.
There was a couple chilling at the falls. We'd met up at the top during the whole parking confusion. From my perch up above I could see exactly what they were doing. Which, aligned quite well with what I was doing. Enjoying nature... I took some time to enjoy me and that moment but one thing led to another and soon the three of us were having some truly amazing conversations. Waving and smiling probably has something to do with it.
I've probably said it before
But the people you meet on your adventures outside your comfort zone are some of the most amazing. You might not ever talk to each other again, or you might become lifelong friends, it's a toss up, but no matter what it's worth the effort. I would try and take you along the twisted roads of all the different stuff we talked about...but, that would be a post in itself. Sum it up with, life, the universe, and everything in between. The usual stuff strangers with no reason to have secrets talk about.
The hike up was a bit of a blur. My shoulders had finally relaxed and my mind was at a good degree of peace. If only for a moment I had reconnected with nature and charged my batteries a bit. Mission accomplished. It was definitely an intense hike up with stops for water and to catch our breath, invigorating in it's own way. Knowing I was going to be heading home soon to chill I reveled in the physical effort. I had no idea but my evening was going to take an unexpected turn. All thanks to my phone which was about to die.
