The last time I hiked out to Chiquito Falls I said that the next
time I visited they’d be falling. AND THEY WERE. Monday (Martin Luther King,
Jr. Holiday) I was off from work, so I drove up Ortega Highway and into Blue
Jay Campgrounds. Due to the government shutdown, the campgrounds (and all the
bathrooms) were locked (because you know, the peasants might go out and play on
the king’s land).
I parked outside of the campgrounds on Long Canyon Road and
trekked through the grounds to see at least 3 people camping. They parked
outside too and hiked in their gear. I mean, who was going to enforce the
closing if the government was closed? Nobody, that’s who, and good for the
campers too who made the trip all the way up the mountain to find it closed. I
do not believe that the actual trails were closed (that would be absolutely
unenforceable), but all the campgrounds were for sure.
Despite the government locking us out from the people’s land,
the trails were gorgeous on Monday, and they were empty too (until I reached
the falls). I took Old San Juan Trail to San Juan Trail. And then, instead of
getting right onto Chiquita Trail like I usually do, I opted for The Viejo Tie,
which takes a bit longer. I was missing the tie, it had been years. And The
Viejo Tie did not disappoint. It was just how I remembered – single track
winding between giant boulders arranged on sandy desert-like dirt and then
shady, lush areas with moss and shrooms.
It got even better – Chiquita Trail was lush and green from all
of our rains, and the creek was full. The trail was like an enchanted forest
with green moss covering the rocks, and a lace like canopy meeting above. At
one point, I noticed an animal running toward me on Chiquita, and as usual, it
took a couple of seconds before I could determine the animal. It’s a strange
thing that when I see an animal coming toward me my sight and thought are not
synced. It takes a few seconds for my brain to register what type of animal I’m
looking at. My brain registers the picture, but naming it comes a few seconds
later. On Monday, it was a gorgeous gray fox. At first, after registering the
longish snout and the big pointy ears, I thought coyote. But then my brain
settled down and I registered its short legs and the creature’s closeness to
the ground. Definitely a fox, and unfortunately, by the time I got my camera
out, the fox realized that he was running straight toward a human, turned
around and darted off the other way. I do not believe that I have ever caught a
picture of a fox. I have perhaps seen a half dozen on the trails, some in
California, others in Texas.
The falls were falling, and they were crowded with people who
had hiked up from The Candy Store on Ortega Highway. There must have been a
half dozen hikers laughing and having a good old time as they feasted on fruit
at the top of the falls. There another guy playing a ukulele in the high grass
right next to the pool, and a male/female couple sitting on the rocks a little
further down. After about 15 minutes though, everyone left, and except for the
water, it was silent. I had the falls completely to myself. (I posted a 50 second video
of the falls here)
I loved this hike. It totaled 9.82 miles with 1,654‘ elevation
gain (though that gain was really over about half of that, 1,654' feet in about 4 or 5 miles). I also ran a bit
because I was falling behind on time. I took San Juan Trail all the way to the
end (or beginning) which I haven’t done in years. It was delightful. It felt
good to have dirt beneath my feet. And I didn’t even feel clumsy along that
pretty technical trail.
