In the Los Padres there always seems to be something new to
uncover. Maybe it's a unexplored creek, or a mysterious cave that has
eluded discovery. There's always a new adventure waiting for you. But
there are also hikes that are enjoyable no
matter how many times you do them. Matilija is one of those hikes. It's
the comfort food of Ventura Los Padres hikes. Like a bowl of Mac n'
Cheese Matilija is always simple, straight forward, satisfying, and it's
good warm or cold.
In order to get to the trailhead early enough to be one of the
first on the trail I decided I had to wake up at 4:30. I was out of the
house at 5:30. And the drive from Thousand Oaks got me to the trailhead
at 6:40.
Some things have changed since the last time I hiked Matilija.
There’s been a lot of development to the area right next to the parking
area. Walls have been put up and new buildings have been constructed.
The first crossing
Immediately after that area was the first water crossing. This
proved to be the most challenging crossing of the day. I did not want
to start out my hike with wet socks so I had to figure out a dry way
across. Usually there’s a rock bridge
or fallen tree branch to cross, but today there were none. I went up
creek a few hundred feet but was rebuffed by even deeper water. So I
went back to the trail and down creek maybe fifty feet and found a spot
I could just barely leap across.
From there it was easy going. I didn't see anyone else on the
trail. It was very pleasant. Somehow I missed the trail split that takes
you down to the creek and past the big boulder camp. I ended up taking
the trail that switchbacks up the side
of the canyon. At just about two hours after leaving the trailhead I
got to West Falls. It was flowing well and the high winds were blowing a
fine mist all about.
West Falls
Twenty or so minutes after West Falls, I came to the little spring
that trickles out of the canyon wall right before you reach the main
falls. I thought that would be good spot to sit down and make a cup of
tea and eat some breakfast. While
I was boiling up some water on my little wood burning stove a couple of
people passed by. After two cups of tea and some Pop-Tarts I packed up
and went over the main falls.
The Main Falls
There's a nice series of 13mm static ropes set up to assist the climb up the wedge to the second waterfall.On the hike back down the creek I of course saw more people. None
of them had never been on the hike before. And they all asked me for
directions. "Keep going up stream" was the best advice I could really
give them.
Once I made it back to the car I checked my phone, 20,600 steps for the 9.0 mile round trip.
On the drive home a semi-truck had one of its
tires delaminate right in front of me providing one last bit of
excitement for the day.
