Fall Creek - Henry Cowell State Park

1/20/08
Anniversary Stroll
Fall Creek
To the Limekilns and back
2.4 miles
Hiking time: 1 hour
Julie and Bill



Bill suggested we hike Fall Creek for our anniversary. He loves it because it's so close. What's not to love about a place so beautiful and only 15 minutes away?

We thought we would go early - first thing in the morning - but what with this and that we didn't get there until almost 11:00 a.m. The parking lot already had lots of cars, surprising for a rainy Sunday morning, I thought.

Bill wanted to head straight for the Limekilns. He doesn't like the Barrel Mill Loop. We were curious to see how high the creek would be after the storm - but it was flowing as usual. It would have been fun to see it during the big storm - but judging from all the debris on the trail - it probably wouldn't have been safe to be there.

At the bridge we forked to the left. Coming down the trail you don't notice the grade - but coming this way it's all uphill. It smelt fresh from the rain and all the branches on the trail. We saw a few people on the main trail - but then didn't see anyone the rest of the hike. At the Lime Kilns we took a few pictures with Bill's camera (none of which came out) and then headed back to the car.

It was a great way to spend our five year anniversary - quality time in the redwoods, sharing what we love.

Lessons Learned: Bill's infamous saying works for hikes too: "Short visits make long friends."