Matilija Canyon

Last Weekend I went to visit family Near Ventura. My plan was also to hike saturday in the Los Padres National Forest somewhere. I decided on Matilija Canyon. It's been a year and a half since I've hiked this area. I've hiked the upper north fork once before and the main fork once before. I started at the trailhead at 8:30 am. It was pretty brisk at 40 some degrees but the temps were rising quickly with the morning sun and not a cloud in the sky. I was peeling off my layers after about a mile and a half. The fall colors were really nice. The creek was flowing with plenty of water. I hiked fast all morning with stops at several pools and viewpoints. The mountains in this area are all twisted around and tilted up, Pretty mindblowing. I hiked all the way in to West Falls and took a short break there. Then I made my way up to the other waterfalls further up the other tributary. What a beautiful little paradise up at those falls! I still had not seen anyone all day. I had Matilija all to myself. I stayed at the falls for a while, eating a nice lunch, laying in the sun on a warm rock next to the falls, and exploring a photographing the area. I took my time a little more hiking back out of the canyon. About halfway back I decided to take a break and kick off the boots for a bit. I did finally see a few people hiking in. I actually sat and chatted with a guy named Thomas for a bit. He told me a bit of history of the area from the sixties. Anyway, what a great hike it was. I got pretty sore for a couple day from this one.