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!
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Matt He Wanders On 