I love summer. It was another fun-packed weekend for me. I discovered a beautiful new hike and spent time by the river. I did things that you are supposed to do when it is summer. My weekend began with a hike with a couple friends of mine. I had heard of Alamere Falls before and have been wanting to go there for a long time. I found hiking maps and driving maps and printed them out in color. I traced with a highlighter the path.

We met at my house and filled a back pack with Cliff Bars and Coconut Water. For those who do not know about coconut water, look it up. It is better for you than a sports drink and totally natural. When buying a coconut water make sure you look at the ingredients. Make sure the only ingredient is coconut water. No sugar or water added. Coconut water is naturally isotonic so it absorbs into your body faster than regular water. Coconut water is low in fat, low in carbs and low in sugar but it contains more electrolytes than most sports drinks and more potassium than a banana. It is excellent at re-hydrating the body and at helping the body maintain a cool temperature. It also boosts your immune system, raises your metabolism, cleanses your digestive tract, detoxifies your body and it even treats kidney stones! I love it so much that I buy it by the case when I find it at a reasonable price which is around $1.75 for a 17.5 ounce can. A few of my favorite brands are Amy & Brian's because they have ones with coconut pulp in it, C2O because it is pure and can be found for cheap and VitaCoco because they come in smaller containers.

I digress....so we packed our stuff and headed to Whole Foods for some sandwiches and the BIGGEST breakfast burrito you have ever seen. It was at this point that I realized I left all my fancy maps at home. We decided to wing it, a decision that would come back to haunt us even to this day, three days later.

A good omen for the start of our hike.

After a couple wrong turns we found the trail head. The parking lot was full, an indication that we were not the only people who have heard of this hike. We set out along the trail and after about 5 minutes we came to a split in the trail. We decided to veer off the trail towards the ocean because it said it was only a 0.6 mile path. We ended up at the ocean on a secluded rocky beach. We walked along the shore until we were no longer able to do so due to lack of beach. We were the only ones out there. It was very nice. The waves were crashing. The air had the sting of salt in it. We found all kinds of shells and we found whole crabs, starfish and jellyfish washed ashore dead. After we had some fun at the beach, we backtracked up to the main trail. Now with 1.5 miles under our belts.

We hiked along the coast line on a beautiful trail that led us across a couple bridges and near the coastal cliffs. The fog had not lifted yet and made for a beautiful misty feel.

Fog burning off along the trail

Even though it was foggy I was glad I wore shorts. We traveled for another 2.2 miles before we got to another intersection in the trail. I thought back to the map and remembered we needed to stay on the Palomarin trail. The sign pointed us to the right so we took that route. We hiked for perhaps an hour or so along this trail, not seeing any other people. "Where are all those people who belong to the cars we saw in the parking lot?", I asked. "Why are we moving away from the ocean?" was also asked. We hiked so far inland that we were out of the fog and getting pretty warm. It was a lovely sunny day and I was sweating, looking like I had just stepped out of the shower, save for the dust and mud on my legs. Finally, after about three or so miles into the new trail we happened upon some horseback riders who, over their laughter, told us we were WAY far away from where we were trying to be. They wished us "good luck". Not in a nice way, but in that sarcastic way, and rode off, horses pooping in mockery of us as they went.

Mist around a mossy tree along the wrong trail.

We backtracked to the fork in the trail. By this point we had trekked 9.7 miles but have gotten nowhere and were still 2.5 miles from our car. Of course, we couldnt give up and go back so we trekked on along the PROPER trail. Now, in my defense, the trail sign at the fork was bent and twisted so the trail I thought I was following was actually the trail we had just come from from the parking lot. So, it wasn't REALLY my fault, right? The sign was pointing the wrong way!

We are not quitters so we moved along the trail towards Alamere Falls. We came to Bass Lake next. Bass Lake is wonderful. It is a big, clear, fresh lake that you can swim in. We were back into the fog by this point and with how wet I had gotten from the wrong turn hike, I was cold but the boys stripped down and were in the lake before I could blink. I sat and held their clothes and cameras while they swam out to the middle. It looked lovely. There is even a giant rope swing that can carry you out practically to the center of the lake.

The boys swimming in the lake

We played around the lake for a while and ate lunch. Then we had to make the decision: do we continue on to the falls or head back? We looked at the fact that we had no idea how much farther the falls would be, the fact that it was nearly 5pm, the fact that we were exhausted and the fact that we still had several miles to go even if we turned around right then. We decided unanimously to turn and head back to the car. By the time we reached the car we had logged 14 miles onto our bodies and we felt every inch of it.

I guess we will have to take the hike again only this time, we will have to actually see the falls. Until then, here is a picture from someone who actually made it there:

The next day I was up early and very sore. I got ready for another adventure. My friend picked me up and we headed out to the Russian River for some laying out. I was in need of a good laying out because my body was broken from the day before. We rented an umbrella and made a large laying out area with blankets. We drank wine and beer and gabbed like girls do. When it got too warm, we dipped into the river. It was a perfect way to relax after a crazy hike.

Our view at the Russian River

It feels good to actually act like it is summer.