My new Hiking boots that are officially broken in!
My oh my, it has been a long week! Ever since my SO and I have set goals to hike Big Sur and Havasu, I have been really trying to stay dedicated to training for it. Even with these goals in mind, it was really hard for me to do anything this week because I have been working both of my jobs almost every day since last Thursday. I just put in just under 100 hours between both jobs. I am excruciatingly exhausted, but I feel proud of myself for getting through it without any meltdowns —Okay, maybe there was one meltdown.
Luckily, on Wednesday of this week I only had to work one 4 hour shift, so I got to go on a little hike in the morning! I have been fortunate enough to reconnect with one of my old friends recently, so when I told her I wanted to go hiking, she was all in! We have been friends for about 8 years; and while we have never not been friends, we both have been hustlin’ in life and have been on different paths during the past year or so.
I am so excited we are finally getting into a rhythm where we have time to actually see each other on a semi-regular basis.–It’s almost as if we are adults or something! — One of the things I love about this girl is that no matter what is going on in life (or how busy we get), when we do have time to catch up, it’s like no time passed at all.
THAT my dears, is a sign you have found yourself a true friend. I only have a couple people (that I have known long enough) where I can comfortably say they are true friends. Those people are quite valuable to me.
Anyways….Wednesday morning rolls around, and by 9am we are on the road –after a coffee stop of course! The trail is about a 30 minute drive from my house, and while I call this trail the waterfall hike, it’s actually a hike that leads up to the back of the North Fork Dam in Auburn, Ca. (and I think it’s official name is the Lake Clementine Trail) In my defense, technically water falls from the dam, so therefore it is a waterfall (just not a natural one)!
Because it was a Wednesday, the trail was not busy, and there was only one group of people at the waterfall when we got there. We took turns using our phones for music, and just walked and talked and enjoyed the scenery.
The nice thing about this hike, is that any skill level can do it. The terrain is even for the most part, and while you do get a workout going uphill on the way to the falls, it’s not overwhelming. The Scenery is amazing! The trail is up above the river, so you get a really nice view as you are walking. The water was so clear we could even see fish! You also get to pass under the Foresthill Bridge which is a pretty spectacular view in its own right.
We hiked around for a good two hours. The total hike (according to my GPS tracker) was 5.5 miles. Mind you it’s already 90° when we start hiking, so by the time we are done, we are all sweaty and hungry.
So what’s a couple of girls to do?
Yup, we went to our local mimosa house and had a nice little friend-date! -I know… nothing says ‘adult’ like two twenty-something-year-olds drinking on a Wednesday afternoon!–
I have been spending a lot of times with friends lately, and I am starting to see what a positive impact it has on my mood. Last semester all I did was work, go to school, and spend time with my SO. –And let’s be real here, if I didn’t live with him, I’m not sure how often I would have even seen him!– After moving around my work schedule, and taking the summer off to have some ‘me time’ I have realized that spending time with friends is me time. When school starts I won’t be working crazy hours like I did this week, and I will be making it a priority to maintain my friendships, because that helps maintain my sanity. 🙂
Stay sane in the brain,
A rad shot I got of my bestie and the waterfall 🙂
Falling To Wonderland 