Sempervirens Falls

DATE: Monday, April 15, 2019
DISTANCE: 6.9km / 4.3 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 184m / 603 feet
TIME TAKEN: 3 hours
BIG BASIN REDWOODS  SP
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Thergothon: Everlasting
















Sempervirens is an easy destination hike in Big Basin, too easy for me actually, so we turned it into a larger loop. This was only my second visit to Big Basin, the first one being a rather disorganized, poorly documented late start hike with the Owl brothers.

This hike began at the visitor center, and looped counterclockwise through the park, through the spectacular old growth redwoods of the Sequoia Trail, and on to Sempervirens Falls, which is not the largest waterfall in the park, but still well worth a visit! Then it was north-west, over slippery rock, to the Skyline-To-Sea Trail, and back down south along Opal Creek for most of the wat back to the visitor center. A very satisfying little hike through California’s first state park.

West Wadell Creek State Wilderness

DATE: Friday, January 4, 2019
DISTANCE: 4.7 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 800 feet
TIME TAKEN: 3.5 hours
BIG BASIN REDWOODS SP
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA












I took Amber out to breakfast in San Jose that morning, and when she went to the bathroom, I furtively picked up my phone and began looking up trails we could do that would be not too long, but scenic and rewarding, and I somehow stumbled upon the idea of checking out West Waddell Creek State Wilderness, which is where the famous "Skyline To Sea" trail dumps you at the sea. So we would do some little hike around there and there would be some beach, and some nice trees, and maybe if I was lucky I would get up Chalk Mountain. You can't really go wrong with any coastline North of Santa Cruz. Amber still didn't have a decent pair of hiking boots yet, so we didn't make it very far up the Westridge Trail. Not even close to Chalk Mountain. But we we drank a nice bottle of wine, and watched the clouds go by, and saw the golden sunset hour upon the hills, and saw some really cool trees and rocks, and even a jackrabbit. And then the sunset at the beach. I have to always remember to appreciate living in a place where I can have an experience like this, in JANUARY.