Down the mountain

The weavy road down the north west side of the mountain has a few streams that meet and then bump their way down through the rocks.

With all the rain in the middle of the week bits of the waterfall that could be seen from the road were raging... Today they seemed to have died down a lot again but today was the day I could get out. At the bottom of the mountain is an odd little state/county park the trails arent yet open-there are chains across the entrance. Well... I say entrance. The "parking lot" is a bit of dirt a couple of cars long at the side of the main road. The "entrance" is then between a couple of posts that currently have a chain 1ft above the ground across them.

I took a walk in today to go find a way of getting back up the mountain to the larger part of the little waterfalls that tumble down the mountain. Folllowing the trail takes you up the side of the mountain to way above the waterfall and then back down. Its a bit odd in places as where it borders private land people have nailed no tresspassing signs everywhere at these points you often have to turn at right angles to follow the trail markers on the trees and walk along a whole row of trees with bright yellow Private Property keep out signs. This happenes a couple of times along the way. I havent been up there before but I had a rough idea of where I wanted to end up as I could still see/hear the road through the trees and obviously the stream was down below where you could hear the water flowing.

After I got to the area above the falls I made my way down the mountain, the trails markers were no longer visble to me so I just made my own way down the mudding rocky leaf and branch covered slope. Having not got out much this winter by the time I got to the bottom I knew my legs were not going to manage to take me all the way back up the mountain slope to the trail and along and back down the slope at the bottom again. So after taking photos on the side of the stream I was on I found a fallen tree to balance across the stream on. Bit slippery but I made it without falling in... Just :-)

I took a load more photos that side I am quite happy with the shots I have got. There are way too many fallen branches and leafless bushes and trees all over the place though. Many of the pics, including todays blip, would have looked much better if I could have trimmed them all back first... Vegetation really can get in the way of your photography at times cant it. I dont think this will be a good spot to get more shots in the summer as the vegetation when it comes back will probably block out pretty much all the waterfalls... I'm sure I'll go take a look at some point though...

Then I knew I had to find a way home that was easier than the way I came, I needed to get back quicker too, I needed to get home to take the kids out. In the end I clambered up the very slippery and steep slope that led up to the road nearer the top of the mountain, after this was done and I had managed to climb over the crash barrier that goes the full length of the road down (it would be a long drop for a car down to the stream and there are many trees on the way down too!) I then had to walk all the way down the mountain road to get to the car at the bottom.

By the time I got back to the car my legs were letting me know that I had been working them a little hard. I need to get fit again now the weather is better... getting rid of all this extra weight winter has seemed have stuck on me needs to be a priority too...