Before anything, I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. I had the opportunity to enjoy several firework shows at the home of one of our affiliates on the hills in San Clemente. The view was exceptional, the BBQ was great, and the people were friendly and welcoming.
We decided that on Saturday (the day after July 4th) we were going Canyoneering in Mt Baldy, CA. We met up with our guides near the canyon at 9:00am sharp, at which time we geared up our backpacks with rope, harnesses, helmets, jackets, camera, lunch, and lots of water. The guides (Chase, Gavin, and James) gave us a quick run-down of what we were to expect and how to use all of our gear.
To start, we did a 30 minute hike up the canyon taking a couple of quick breaks. The open, endless views were breathtaking. It was amazing to think that an hour earlier we were in the middle of the city.
At the end of our hike up the canyon we came to a dead-end. One with a beautiful river leading to a waterfall and more incredible views. The guides started to set up the ropes and showed us what we were going to be doing: hanging sideways at a 90 degree angle with the wall of the canyon. That’s right, we were going to use the rope and our harness to walk backwards on the waterfall.
I was actually able to stop half way down and take a photo looking up. Take a look:
We did this through three different drops until we reached one that needed some extra guidance. We were going to go through a waterfall this time. Until now we were stepping on water, but never really got too wet. Our videographer, Dain, decided he wanted to go first so he could film us on the way down, I went second, and my wife came after me. Dain was pretty much finished after this one, I was ok, and my wife… well, she had a harder time getting down this one. The water kept hitting her so hard, she lost her balance and had to make it down the hard way, being lowered and bouncing around the walls. She made it safely, but it was a scary moment (see photo below). Everyone else made it just fine.
After the big waterfall, we had two more drops and made it to the bottom and hiked back to our cars and checked in our gear. We invited our guides out to dinner and enjoyed some fine Italian cuisine.
Bottom line, if you like to be active, Canyoneering is most definitely an activity you can’t miss. Check out CalActive.com to book your Canyoneering adventure; it’s well worth it.
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