We researched several destinations and decided on a trip to Cedar Creek Falls, tucked back in a tributary of the upper San Diego River, just outside of Julian. With backpacks, lots of water and two very eager Labradors, we set off for our day of adventure and scenic views.
The drive there was incredible. Mountains, trees, and wildlife surrounded us. Once we arrived at the main road leading to the falls (a dirt road with hair-pin turns) we became party to a caravan of about eight other vehicles.
"Ok," we said, "They can't all be going to the same place."
WRONG!!! The parking lots (there were two) were packed. The hike to the falls was a breeze. Rated a three (which is moderate), it seemed more like a walk in the park to us aside from the dogs practically pulled us down the trail.
A couple of hours late, we made it to the falls... SOOOOOO disappointing!!! It would've been great, but there were hundreds of college kids boozing it up, cliff jumping, and engaging in the typical college kid rigamarole. We couldn't even get through to the actual falls. At that point we didn't really want to anyways.
So, we made the trek back up to our car (about 3 miles completely up hill). Ok, so at this point we definitely began to reconsider our previous "Ho-hum" attitude about the "three" rating... More like a 10...
The 100 degree heat, relentless sun and the altitude began to take its toll. Believe it or not, our lazy labs seemed to take it much worse than we were. They were both trying to escape the sun by making a b-line to any scrub brush or bolder they could find. My biggest problem was my ill-fitting boots. I took them off about half way back. Honestly, it was way more comfortable than wearing them.
So lesson learned... Don't hike to a popular destination on a holiday weekend!!! All in all, we had a great time getting out. Plus, it's getting us geared up for the more strenuous hikes (hopefully with new boots).
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