nature | Matt He Wanders On

San Luis Obispo is a beautiful town surrounded by beautiful terrain. Hiking trails are everywhere, and people love to use them. One wet morning in January, Kayla and I tried out a new trail we hadn’t previously hiked. I’d read about Reservoir Canyon being beautiful, and someone also mentioned a waterfall…

Waterfall you say? Sign us up!

If you look close you can see the beginning of a long man-made tunnel that comes out in the waterfall! We were lacking in spelunking equipment, so we opted to stay out of the tunnel for now.

The days preceding this hike adventure were rain-soaked and gloomy. This made us excited to get outside. This also made the trails muddy. Like suck-your-shoe-off-your-feet muddy. Not being the types to be turned around by a little mud (good thing we didn’t encounter the spiders mentioned here), we trudged on through and up.

Apparently this is a good place to hunt for Chanterelle mushrooms… Whether the mushrooms in this photo are delicious or deadly, I do not know. I didn’t eat them. Maybe you should come try some?

Alright, this place is starting to seem a little strange. Mud everywhere, waterfalls concealing tunnels, big ‘ole mushrooms, and big ‘ole… Leaves?

Um, that’s a big friggin leaf. If comparing it to Kayla’s head isn’t enough perspective, perhaps this next image will also help…

We’re never going to get anywhere if we just sit here and stare at the leaves! Time to press on and get going with this hike…

Look at that beautiful wooded area! What a majestic feeling place. As we kept going up, the larger trees started to thin out and make way for some beautiful views of the surrounding hills. Another pleasant surprise was a little hangout area complete with a swing in a clearing! We stopped for some swinging, investigating of tee-pees, and other miscellaneous mischief.

And then the hike got hard! We couldn’t decide if it was because of the length, elevation gain, or the mud grabbing our feet, but Kayla and I got wiped out before getting to the top. That’s not typical behavior for us, so it was a little disappointing to leave without being conquerers. Perhaps we will have to attempt this one again soon, even though there are too many other places we’ve never been.

If you enjoy being in nature and getting some exercise, this is a hike you need to check out. Its an extremely unique place with plenty of opportunities to do what we all need more of… PLAY!

Where is your favorite place to explore and play? Feel free to leave a comment!

Inquiries for print purchases should be addressed to: matt@matthewandersonphotography.com

I would follow Kellen Milad into a flaming building if he said it was good for me.

The man knows what’s what in the world of self-improvement. His journey has been something fascinating to witness, and it only has great things in store for the future.

Knowing his passion for wellness, Kellen was naturally my first stop when I finally made the decision to get my life on track in the realm of fitness, nutrition, and well-being.

In April of 2011, feeling sluggish and in a rut, I made a commitment to myself that I would be in the best shape of my life by the time I turned 30. That gave me 16 months to get my act together and reverse 11 years of self neglect and abuse.

Luckily, I had a master of fitness and the human mind on my side.

Kellen helped align me with ways to eat and be active that worked for me, and that I’d continue to do. What a novel idea! Eat and exercise in a way you enjoy… and you’ll keep doing it! Well before my 30th birthday, I shed about 40 pounds and felt amazing.

The most important lesson for me has been that nutrition and exercise should be an integral part of my life, not just something I do for an hour every day. It’s not always easy, especially when the weather starts to turn and the days get shorter, but I hope it’s something I’ll continue to work on for the rest of my life. Before and near-current photos are in the gallery below.

The latest introduction in this journey has been the concepts of Movnat, an interesting fitness practice that encourages people to move naturally and efficiently in their own environment (http://movnat.com). Witnessing Kellen’s teaching prowess during this two-day seminar was awesome. I took away tons of information and skills to practice, I met lots of great people interested in improving their lives, and I was sore for about three days.

If you’re interested in getting in touch with Kellen, you can email him at: kellen@movnat.com

I highly recommend reaching out to him if you’re looking to make serious improvements in the quality of your life. Tell him I sent you.

See images from both days in the gallery below…