DAY 118: THE GROTTO
Date: Saturday March 12, 2011
Miles: 3.25
Elevation Gain: 600 Feet
Time: 2 Hours
Difficulty: Easy, until you reach the Grotto. Children under 7 will have to stop. You are not supposed to bring your dogs beyond this point...
Reward: The Grotto; Cave & Waterfalls
Description: Hiking down on an easy trail past a couple of waterfalls. Once you reach the Grotto, you will need body control to reach the cool spot.
Where: Malibu/Ventura County, CA
Directions: From Ventura, jump on the PCH out of Camarillo. I usually take Rice Road. Just before you reach Neptunes Net and the county Line, turn left on Yerba Buena Road. Drive up the road for 5.5 miles and park at the Circle X Ranch on the right.
The Grotto
From the parking lot at Circle X Ranch, Boney Mountain rises above:
From the parking lot, hike down the gravel road to the campgrounds. The gravel is loose and my kids fell. I slipped a couple times myself. There was a car parked down here so it's drivable but I'm not sure you are supposed to. after .25, the trail begins:
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| First Waterfall |
When you finally get to the field, look back!
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| 2nd Waterfall |
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| Entering the difficult part |
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| Time to repel |
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| The Grotto |
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| The water is freezing! Only way to take this picture was to get in! |
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| Beyond the Grotto, still cool but difficult to reach |
The one exercise that I need to work on is Dips. Relying on your triceps is essential for minor rock climbing. Otherwise, you'll put too much pressure on your knees. Honestly, I'm blowing this out of proportion. You can be 50 pounds overweight and still be able to achieve the Grotto. The trail was shaded and easy. You are heading down nearly the entire time to the spot and then up to get out. The up is not that difficult so bring your lunch and make a picnic out of it.
*****Rewind, Day 117: 2 Miles + 125 Feet more door to door donation in Ventura. No Park involved but the off road scenery brought me back the the thick I trekked on day 114. This time I covered the area closest to foothill and then hiked the creek until I hit a 25 foot wall of earth.
**Double rewind, a few pics of Day 112 in Ventura:
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