Saturday's Walk in the Woods

My thanks to all of you for your concern about my aching back...I'm happy to report it bounced back quickly and so we were able to go walking in the woods on Saturday with some friends who had taken this walk before and wanted to share it with us.

We drove north to the Angeles National Forest,

to the Switzer Falls area in Bear Canyon.

And, may I say, I am sooooo glad I did not know about the bears

until after our hike over the creek and through the woods

was finished and we were back at the parking area

ready to pack up and head home.

I'm not afraid of snakes,

but bears scare me!

I'm not really sure why I put hearts, boots and shoes into one collage!

I brought the littlest heart home with me.

You can tell the hiking pros from the amateurs

with a quick glance at the footwear.

The hikers had hiking boots, one pair pristine,

the other comfortably worn in.

The latter have even visited as far away as Cambodia.

The blue and white sneakers belong to the Musician.

My black leather walking shoes served me well.

The last time they did so much walking was

three years ago in England.

Our friends were last here around Thanksgiving

and told us the fall leaves were gorgeous;

on this trip the leaves were long gone

and the gray and tan shades predominated

along with lots of bare, skeletal branches.

There were several shades of green, too, of course.

We hiked along a small creek winding through the canyon.

Dead leaves, twigs, acorn caps, a bit of everything...

...a glimpse of the creek, which we crossed three or four times...

The sound of running water was delightful,

as was the fresh, clean air, smelling of camp fires

and fragrant forest scents.

Gnarly old tree roots gripped the rocky ground 

along bluffs overlooking the creek below.

Sloping banks led down to the rocky creekbed,

trees tilting at odd angles everywhere.

As we climbed up a hill (me huffing and puffing),

the sun began to break through.

Up here above the canyon, now a hundred feet or more below us on the left,

the vistas are to ragged hills dotted with scrubby bushes and grasses.

 There were glimpses of color...some red berries...

 ...I love the structure of this plant...

...and its blue-gray-green color...

 ...some touches of orange along the path..

...and a few scattered yellow flowers,

each one crowning a very tall, graceful stem.
With a bit of searching, I've identified this as

dendromecon rigida (bush poppy, sometimes called tree poppy).
Supposedly it flowers March to June...I guess it's a bit early this year.

Another view of the rocky path through these dry hills.

 We have turned back now, returning the way we came.

There were plenty of other hikers out enjoying the day

and some of them were taking photos too, as you can see.

 

When we reached the canyon bottom again

we stopped along the creek to eat our lunch

and there was a large autumn leaf, or two, caught in the water...

...as if to say...

"Won't you come again, next fall, and see us in all our glory?"

Yes, I think I will, 

God willing.