Basil is headed back to California tomorrow. I got off of work at 2:15pm and decided to take a hike to Waimano Falls in Pacific Palisades. Beginner hike? Fuck no. We got to the trailhead a little before 3pm. This hike has a hill aptly named "cardiac hill," and consists of a shitload of roots and colored with red dirt. I couldn't believe the descent of this hill to the stream. It was steep and long, and even after that descent, there was still more descending, this time on a trail made of rocks and dirt. The trail started off on a paved road and then eventually became dirt. Then came the hills, then the rock descents, and then came a fork to two trails. I didn't follow the directions in the hiking guide too well. We ended up taking a right side trail off the fork and was on an overgrown trail. As the trail ended we ended up in an eerie camping site with a tarp set up and two fire pits. The camp was situated under a pretty large tree. There were no trails anywhere beyond this point so we turned around and decided to just hike back to the trailhead. It was 4:15pm, and we rested just below a rock cliff. After resting we immediately changed our minds and took back to the trail, this time taking the left fork. We reached the end of the trail at Waimano Falls, but the stream and waterfall were dried up. I'll remember to check this place out after a nice rainfall. I've seen pictures of this place, and it looks unreal when the waterfall is gushing. The trip back up was the most tiring part of the hike. "Cardiac hill" is the perfect name for the rooty red-dirt hill that we had to scale. There is no way in hell someone can hike up the hill if they are out-of-shape or obese. After reaching the top my tanktop was completely soaked. We got to our car around 5:15pm. Lesson learned: Wait for rain next time and be prepared to fucking sweat cause cardiac hill will decrease your waistline by two sizes. This hike ain't beginner; it's more of an intermediate hike. Basil took some pictures.
The trailhead.
Walking the initial stretch.
Big landslide on the left. See a face in the dirt?
This is the top of "cardiac hill." I'm descending on the
bottom right.
This is me descending cardiac hill. I wonder if the name
represents the veiny roots on the ground or how hellish
the descent and ascent is?
At the bottom of the red dirt section.
Thumbs up, thinking it was over. We were only halfway
down the hill. The rocks were next.
Level section before the rocky portion of
the hill.
Start of the next descent of the hill.
Ducking.
Rope at a steep section.
This is the side trail we took to the
makeshift camp. It got completely
overgrown after this part
for a little while.
The campsite.
Firepit at the campsite.
Waimano Falls is in there.
The water tank on the walk back to our car.