I have visited Whitewater Preserve many times over the years, and have posted about it here twice.
https://steemit.com/photography/@creationofcare/the-wildlands-conservancy-pt-2-whitewater-preserve
https://steemit.com/photography/@creationofcare/my-heart-belongs-to-whitewater
But I had never before taken the trace of a trail leading to Rainbow Rock Canyon Falls. Why not make a #socalsteemit hiking meetup out of it?
Enter @derekrichardson and his two dogs, Pup and Skinny.
Bones in the grass remind us: Life is too short to put off a good hike!
Laughing at the people who worried about bad weather, we followed the little trail into the clear blue sky.
Sunny and 75F means Brisket needs a moment to cool off in the damp grass.
Early wildflowers are blooming. Here are some Wild Hyacinth:
As we steadily gained elevation, the canyon continued to narrow and the vegetation became more lush. Soon, we found ourselves amongst the Sycamore trees, flagships of riparian habitat.
At last, the water coming off the high mountain surfaced as a tinkling brook. All three dogs piled in for a cooling dip.
Sycamores loop and bow, one forming a natural arbor for us to pass under.
The temperature seemed to drop about ten degrees in the deep shade and flourescent green tree tunnel.
@derekrichardson signals his approval.
The canyon begins to pinch into a slot when a lone fir tree appears, towering above us.
Spent grapevines festoon the rock walls.
There is only room for a footpath and the creek...
And then, the waterfall!
Some intrepid soul carried this ladder up here. There were also some metal handholds and ropes for climbers.
@Derekrichardson scaled them and gives us a wave.
I was content to sit by the pool with the pups, gazing out the way we came.
That spot just below us soon filled with Canadians who sipped white wine from real glasses. They were a jovial lot. The only photo I took of them was on their own camera.
After lunch, we headed back down towards the valley floor. For our descent, we followed game trails instead of the footpath.
A Bighorn met its fate here.
Unsurprisingly, the game trail was also marked by many piles of Mountain Lion scat. We felt a little creeped out, just knowing our progress was likely being monitored by the sleek hunter under cover.
On our rush up to the waterfall, we barely even noticed the boulders that give it its name: Rainbow Rock.
Photos can't do the dimensional crystalline inclusions justice.
I also took a little more time to notice the flora as we traveled down the rough drainage.
Ephemeral daisies lift their golden heads from threadlike stalks.
Clematis sprawls all over shrubs and rocks.
The ground was carpeted with tiny white flowers.
Even the Mormon Tea (Ephedra) was blistered with its weird orange blossoms.
It is really fun to hike with someone else who enjoys leaving the established trails and just orients according to the flow of land and water. Rejoining the PCT seemed like getting back on the highway. However, it takes us to Red Dome where the main flow of the Whitewater River crosses.
Brisket's unbridled enthusiasm for wading never fails.
A bunch of PCT thru-hikers also enjoyed getting nice and wet in the middle of the desert.
From here, we stayed in the river bed, following its many tendrils and washouts back down to the Preserve.
A dome of red rock in the middle of white sand.
San Jacinto peak in the distance.
Looking back at Rainbow Rock Canyon from across the floodplain, it doesn't reveal itself as auspicious at all.
Who would guess a magical oasis hides back there?
We do, and now so do you!
Thank you so much for coming along for this #socalsteemit #walkwithme. Happy hiking!
The details in these pics were amazing. I especially liked the rocks and flower petals. So intricate.
Thanks! Gotta shove my camera phone right in those shy violet faces and grab a macro hehe
That was a really fun hike. You got some great pictures!
Thanks! As per usual, I can't wait for more.
What a beautiful walk! You know I love those rocks :-)
That rainbow one is very cool looking! Nice to see
wildflowers. Now I know the name of those pretty
purple wildflowers use to see when I lived in northern
California, the wild Hyacinth!
The red dome rock sure is striking! That valley looks
like it can rip roar when it rains a lot!
Awesome walk & photographs @creationofcare!! ❤
Those rainbow rocks were very striking indeed! And @derekrichardson kept spotting and picking up other interesting specimen.
The Hyacinths are so pretty, I don't know why they have the ugly common name "Blue Dicks" lolz!!! Their bulbs are supposed to be delicious, too.
Indeed, flashflooding is listed on all the signage along with rattlers, cougars, and bears. It is especially gorgeous dripping with rain, but people should be mindful of the hazards and not climb slot canyons in wet weather hehe
What a cool rainbow rock. I am gonna ask a geologist friend of mine how that happens.
Awesome! I am dying to know!
looks like we missed another amazing hike! i want to climb the ladder - kudos to whoever carried it all the way out there!
I am looking forward to our adventure tomorrow! Xoxo
Amazing! So what are the rainbow rocks? Was there a lot of it? Really cool stuff.
I don't know why those rocks formed such pretty stripes. There was a small interval of the trail where they seemed to be breaking off the mountain and tumbling down the scree slides. There were rocks with druzy crystals and solid flakes of mica laying around, too.
Woah @creationofcare that trail seems amazing! And that rainbow rock was pretty cool too. I gotta check that place out sometime. You got some pretty cool photos here!
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks for your comment. I always have plans for MOAR socal hikes!