Why We Wait With Waterfalls
Plus, the importance of low-cost ski lessons, an inspiring trash pickup project, the re-opening of one of the world's great backpacking canyons, and lots more
howdy
It has been rainy lately. Like, really, REALLY rainy. In California – and especially Southern California – I always looked at that as a nice excuse to stay inside, keep the coffee brewing, and make my way through a stack of books or movies. L.A. gets 275 days of sunshine per year, so why not take advantage of the handful of days it actually rains, right?
I’m spending most of my time up in the Pacific Northwest these days, and if all you know about this region is how it’s portrayed on TV and in film, you know it’s a bit wetter for a much longer amount of time. Last year’s rainy “winter” dragged all the well into the late spring, basically pushing all the seasons a good month and a half later. We also got an ice storm in mid-April that dropped an old redbud tree into my native plant garden. Really made me miss hiking in the sunny San Gabriels around then, I’ll tell you what.
Having lived in Southern California for almost 20 years, I’ll freely admit the adjustment to more days of rain has not been easy. My Angeleno instinct to cower from even the slightest drizzle beneath layers of cozy blankets is a powerful demotivational force … and I’m definitely starting to regret giving away so many pieces of raingear. I’ve also heeded the standard northwestern advice for winter survival – buy a SAD lamp, build a reading list, and take up a winter sport (please keep me in your skiing prayers). My native plant garden also keeps me busy and muddy.
In Southern California, there’s also a prescription for the rainy season: Feel free to take it easy when it’s raining (this is as close as Angelenos get to snow days), but make sure you plan to get outside a day or two after it’s done raining. I’ve written a lot about how this time is the absolute best time to be hiking in Southern California – clear skies, green hills as our plants start to wake up, and morning temperatures that still let you justify hanging onto that puffy in the back of your gear closet.
The trick here is the whole “wait a day or two after it’s done raining,” thing, which almost always gets glossed over when people ask me for recommendations or hit up one of our post-rain hike guides. There are a few reasons for this caveat – first, the saturated ground is already prone to mudslides and sinkholes. Add a whole bunch of boots stomping into mud and cutting areas to avoid deep pools, and you get a whole bunch of user-created damage to trails.
The second reason is your own safety, because a lot of these easy, gentle trails make a huge transformation when canyons and arroyos swell up with water. Back in 2017, L.A. got a nice series of storms in February, providing a brief respite in our ongoing megadrought. I was able to spend a few days mid-week trekking to the waterfalls around L.A., including many that I had never seen with actual water in them!
It was honestly such an incredible thing to see, especially in a landscape that had been so parched for so long. But on the hike back from Switzer Falls, I had to stop to help a family navigate a section of trail that had basically turned into the new channel of the Arroyo Seco – and this was four days after the rain had stopped!
It does seem the rain is about to calm down in SoCal for a bit. Here’s hoping it returns before the end of the rainy season, and when it does it does so gently.
Now … who’s getting excited for wildflowers?
The Big Story
Something to talk about
Affordable Skiing is Important
Last year was really my first “full” season of skiing … and hey, did you know skiing is, like, REALLY expensive? Yikes! As a hiker, my outdoor costs are usually one solid pair of boots and some durable outdoor layers, most of which can last for many, many years with proper care (my favorite merino wool hiking shirt just celebrated its 17th birthday). So when I started skiing and had to drop hundreds of dollars on gear just to get started, then an additional $100+ each time I skied, plus costs for lessons so I didn’t go flying off the mountain, (plus the $15 boozy hot chocolates at the lodge I use as a reward / nerve-calmer), there was quite a bit of sticker shock. In Outside magazine, my friend Heather Balogh-Rochfort talks about the cost-barriers for new skiers and highlights several nonprofits around the country and their importance in helping new young people learn the sport and care for the mountains they will grow to love.
Modern Hiking
Good stuff from the Modern Hiker site
Hey we’ve got a new writer on board! Please welcome Andrew James Shults, whose first trail guide tackles a beautiful coastal loop in Orange County. Andrew is excited to join the team and share more of his favorite hikes in Southern California with us soon. And I’m pretty excited to have someone on the site who’s shooting their hiking photos on film! Check out his first trail guide and follow him on Instagram for more great images, too.
Your Parks
Your Places
21 year old cleans up Eaton Canyon one day at a time
Earlier this month, The Cool Down profiled a 21-year-old Climatology student at San Jose State University named Edgar McGregor, who noticed trash on some of his favorite hiking trails in 2019 and decided he would take a bucket with him to help clean up on his hikes. The trail that got him started was Eaton Canyon in Pasadena, which is one of the most accessible waterfall hikes in the L.A. region (and home to a terrific nature center). This trail gets a lot of use, which means it also gets a lot of litter. McGregor documented the pickups on Twitter, and has now logged well over 1000 days of cleanups. He estimates he’s picked up around 15,000 pounds of trash in total, and he’s still going. That’s one small effort multiplied into a magnificent result. Even if you just haul one bag out on your next hike, you’ll be helping.
Havasu Permits open Feb 1
If hiking to Havasu Falls is on your hiking bucket list (and honestly, it should be), there’s good news for you – the area will be opening up again to hikers on February 1. The Supai Campground has been closed to visitors since March 2020 to protect the tribal community that lives in the canyon during the Coronavirus pandemic, and during the last rainy season much of the trail was damaged in flooding. As of now, it is not possible to get a new reservation for 2023 – the Havasupai Tribe is honoring reservations made over the past few years first – but you may be able to transfer a permit from someone directly via the Tribe’s new Reservations Service Site. The tribe also launched a long-overdue official tourism page on Facebook, which should help avoid communications confusion moving forward. The trek into Havasu Canyon is an incredible, tough, and rewarding hiking experience, and one that is well worth navigating all the red tape for.
Tech Talk
Gadgets, Technology, and Hype
Do You Really Need All That Protein?
Sometimes walking through the grocery store aisle of “nutrition bars” makes me think of a classic Onion headline – except this time it’s “U.S. athletes can’t eat any more damn protein.” If you’re downing a protein bar on the trail, far from prepared meals and in the middle of a long, tough workout, you probably don’t have to worry too much. But for many others, these protein bars are more like candy bars that happen to have protein in them, and folks can probably cool it. As a doctor interviewed for the piece says, “People just need to relax about protein intake.”
Leafing Out
Plants!
TPF Native Garden Tour
Before I moved out of my apartment in Thai Town, it was a dream of mine to be on the Theodore Payne Foundation’s Native Garden Tour. Well, even though my landlord killed my black sages and coyote bush and replaced them with jade plants and gravel (siiiiigh), you can still join the Native Garden Tour to get inspired by nearly 40 native public and private gardens all across the L.A. area. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, want to talk plants with fellow plant nerds, or just see some truly beautiful gardens, the two-day self-guided event is not to be missed. The tour will be held April 15-16 this year, and tickets are on sale now. You can get more info and check out previous tours here.
One More Thing
Oh yeah, before I go …
If you’ve been watching all this rain fall and turn into rivers in the streets while also continuing to read stories about the West’s megadrought, you might be wondering, “hey – couldn’t we save some of this rainwater?” You are not alone. While reservoirs in Northern California are slowly refilling, L.A.’s channelized rivers are designed to move water quickly into the Pacific Ocean … and they are very, very good at that. In 2018, voters approved a measure that would improve and expand the city’s stormwater capture system. In an LA Times piece, writer Hayley Smith notes the measure is working – over 100 projects have received grant money since then. But L.A. still is only able to capture 20% of rainfall. How long will it take to get to our full stormwater capture potential? County officials estimate between 3 to 5 decades.
At this point I’ll just remind you that in the original proposition for California’s High Speed Rail, we were supposed to be able to ride the full route from San Francisco to Los Angeles by 2029 … so we’ll see about that rainwater capture project.
Until next time, Happy Trails,
For someone as outdoorsy and in shape as you I recommend cross-country skiing rather than downhill. Much cheaper and better for you.