DAY 20: A DAY IN PASADENA
6 Miles +400 Feet
20 Day Summary: 77 Miles +14,850 Feet
EATON CANYON FALLS
In the morning, we took the dogs to the local dog park. There must have been at least 30 dogs roaming about without a leash. Sammi had a blast. Domino on the other hand is another story. At nearly 12 years old, the old lady is not only retired from long hikes, but she is definitely retired from the social scene. I kept her on a short leash and just wandered around the trails (not included in my mileage summary).
After breakfast, I drove the family out to Pasadena. The drive took just under 90 minutes from Ventura. We hung out with Wally, who flew in from Cleveland and was in town to attend a wedding. I only saw him for about an hour in his hotel lobby and probably won't see him again for at least another year. I flew back to Cleveland last year and went to the Thursday Night Football Game (Browns vs. Steelers) with him and my family. The wind chills that night reach minus 20 degrees, it was great! Even though the Browns had an awful season, they won that game and sacked Big Ben 8 times! It was our playoff game and it knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs! The most memorable part was when Browns player Nick Sorensen gave Ayden his football glove when the game was over!
After Wally, our adventure in Pasadena was over. From the 210 Freeway, we exited at Lake Ave and drove toward the mountains. Before you know it, you're in Alta Dena. I searched Google for local trails in Pasadena and found this one. I didn't take too much time to really digest what I was reading but the summary was 1.5 miles, 400 feet elevation gain and waterfalls, perfect for the family, right? If you want to attempt this trail, Mapquest the address 1342 Pleasant Ridge Drive. I guess this is Rubio Canyon but after glancing at the web page, I think I did something wrong. The area is neat and I think there is much more mystery to discover out there: http://www.altadenatrails.org/hikes.html
RUBIO CANYON?
Trail head
Danger?!
Take the family thru that?
The trail!
The trail!
A rock!
The family gave up!
An old dried up waterfall
Heading Back!
This in and out was less than a mile total. Walking along the trail was completely insane and I did not let go of Ayden's hand. The trail was less than a foot wide in most places and dropped off 100+ feet without any forgiveness. When I reached the point to where I had to climb over rocks, etc, the family stopped! I wouldn't have them go thru that part. For Ayden and Alyssa, it would have been near impossible. I don't think the Sammi would have made it either. Really, there was only one terrible spot and then after that, the trail looked to continue. Nevertheless, we were done and I assumed today was just going to be a dud.
We went back to the car and drove a different way out of the neighborhood. I suppose we were headed east and then we saw a public spot to park across from this intersection:
I convinced the family to hike to the bridge!
There will be no wet feet today!
So we are hiking Eaton Canyon
My wife's distant cousin
Almost to the bridge, and then we'll turn around!
Water Falls! Well, let's check it out. We go under the bridge...
Are these the falls?
This is them, right?
Looks like this canyon is soon to end. Let's keep going!
At the end of the gorge, it's a waterfall!
On the way back, a mule!
...and a horse!
This trail was a great random find. Each kid slipped at least once. Clumsy! It was nearly dark. Do we drive back to Ventura now, or to we go to the mall and buy new shoes for the kids...
SANTA ANITA MALL
My new hiking shoes (+$16 for a thicker in-soul)
Refreshing!
At the pet store; that's just silly!
The Mall
Snowing on the Promenade!
...It wasn't real. It's a fugazi!
At the toy store!
Merry X-Mas!
The mile hike thru the mall may have been more exhausting than the previous 5 miles thru the wild. Finally, the adventurous day came to an end. I was too tired when I came home to write this up yesterday so now that I am done writing about Day 20, what am I going to do today? It's Sunday, it's Football... I'll think about hiking later...
I found your post on Craigslist and I thought I would check your blog out. I'm in the Dallas area and a good place to go is Cedar Ridge Preserve.
ReplyDeletehttp://audubondallas.org/cedarridge.html
.. great blog as well :)
I appreciate your support and kind words. I've never been to Dallas but have always wanted to visit. Something tells me that before these 1000 days complete, I will be there. I'll be sure to save your suggestion and check Cedar Ridge Preserve out.
ReplyDelete~JJ :)
Great to see i was a part of the blog. Thanks for taking the time out to come see me.
ReplyDeleteJason
Well, that was quite an adventure!
ReplyDeleteYes, the first hike you were on was Rubio Canyon. Here's my write-up of that trail. It was from last winter, when the water was running. :D
The place where your wife and kids turned around probably is the toughest spot between the lower falls and the trailhead. It's where a platform used to be. A trolley car used to be pulled right up that incline to Echo Mountain, probably 800 feet or so above you. There's a very rough trail that goes up that grade. Here's my write-up of that trail.
If you stay at the bottom of the canyon like you did, then it's just some boulder hopping to get to the lowest of the series of falls in Rubio Canyon. There are a number higher up, but it takes some scrambling to get there, and I suspect the water would have been low or non-existent there, too. The Rubio Canyon drainage is pretty small.
Come back after some rain and it's a lot more impressive.