My left side, particularly my arm, ached for several days after my fall hiking to Holy Jim Falls on the 17th of this month. The left knee pain seemed minor, and the arm wasn’t getting worse. In fact, after a couple tough days with some wearing a sling, I felt that I was on the road to recovery. When I woke on the 21st, I noticed an extremely tight calf on my left side but overall felt that I could hike. So, about 6 am on the 21st I drove out to met my friend Kelly at the mouth of Trabuco Canyon. I felt confident I could put in some miles.
We took my truck in, headed for Holy Jim Falls once again. About a mile and half before the Holy Jim lot, I parked along the fern wall of Trabuco canyon and we slid down the slope to the creek in search of Falls Canyon. It has been many years since I’ve travelled to these falls (in fact, I believe that I’ve only been there twice). It’s not a canyon one often ventures alone (though I did once, and it was lovely with no incidence). Anyway, Falls Canyon trail had changed a great deal, with much of it re-routed across the creek and then blocked by downed trees. The hike was tough, so tough that we eventually turned around a short ways before the falls (I thought that I could hear it). No problem. The trail had really done its toll on me anyway. It was time to head back to the truck in search of easier falls up Holy Jim Canyon.
Falls Canyon:
Scaling the creek wall to get back was much easier than sliding down it earlier. However, I struggled some because of my left side. Back in the truck and driving over Trabuco Creek a couple more times, we arrived to a crowded Holy Jim lot. We saw no other people, just a lot of trucks. Kelly was as pleased as I was upon returning to Trabuco Canyon after so many years away. We have had many adventures in these canyons together. Before heading up Holy Jim, we hiked Trabuco to the closed portion about a half mile up. A few specific cabins that I remembered had disappeared, absolutely nothing remained of them. Other cabins left behind stone chimneys and walls as remnants. If I recall correctly 13 to 15 cabins burned to the ground during the #HolyFire. The story is terribly sad. Arson from a maniac who couldn’t control his anger.
Trabuco Canyon:
We spotted a couple of guys wearing bright orange shirts drive up into the lot as we headed up Holy Jim Trail. (Kelly thought they might be hunters). Despite a lot full of trucks, we didn’t see anyone the entire hike to the falls. This of course meant that several people were hiking, running, or biking past the falls turnoff, closed territory. Good for us because we had the falls to ourselves for quite a while. Eventually, three gentlemen with hiking poles came up, and we chatted a bit about the trails. The mood was festive with laughter and lots of chatter. As we prepared to leave, the two guys wearing orange shirts hiked up. Kelly told them that she thought they were hunters to which the leader exclaimed, “And we are, hunting souls for the Lord!”
Holy Jim Falls:
The ladybugs were again out in abundance. They absolutely amaze me, so much so that I snapped away with the camera and didn’t realize that my injuries were taking some hits from this short hike. What a beautiful trip this was and the company made it even more special. I think it wasn’t until that night back at home when I realized that I had put a lot of pressure on my injuries, especially my calf and knee. It seemed inconceivable that such a wonderful, short hike would cause so much trouble. Time for ibuprofen, ice and rest.
About 5.5 miles in total.
Ladybugs!:
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