Hiking Cold Spring Trail

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On Sunday, DS and I decided to take advantage of the rains on Saturday, and went to see a waterfall.  Living 4 miles from the mountains means we have lots of waterfalls, but living in an arid climate means they only show their faces in "winter".  Our plan did not disappoint.

We hiked around 3 miles round trip, much of it up steep hills and over boulders.  But it was totally worth it.  At the end, we were right under a magnificent waterfall with a view of Montecito below, then ocean, and finally, the Channel Islands.  We ate our lunch there, attempted to take photos without tumbling down the mountain (no joke, that was a serious possibility; it was slippery and steep).

The whole trail was nice though, crossing the creek several times, with lots of little waterfalls along the way.  We saw lots of cool wildflowers, and a patch of clover full of yellow flowers being harvest by bees.  DS didn't stick around for that part, being allergic and all, but I enjoyed photographing them and watching. Some of them had fat little sacks of honey on their hind legs, and many of them looked clumsy trying to get deep into the flower, their little legs flailing all over the place.

As this website will tell you, the hike is not for the faint of heart.  But some good shoes that can get wet, and a willingness to scramble, and you can see some amazing stuff.  You don't even have to hike the creek like last time. ;)