Family Adventure Day

Yesterday, we got to see something few ever see or would even imagine exists in Orange County...a waterfall. It was such a beautiful day here in sunny, southern California, we just had to go outside & enjoy it.

"It is so beautiful, we just have to be outside. Let's go on a hike today," said my wonderful husband. "I have heard about one near Santiago Canyon that has a waterfall at the end of it. It is called Holy Jim Trail."

"Sounds great, honey," I said

"Let's take the dogs too."

"Okay, they will love it"

It sounded like the perfect way to spend our Saturday afternoon. What I didn't know was that there was a 4.45 mile dirt road that you turn into & have to drive over to get to the Holy Jim parking area. That was an adventure in itself. At each turn, I was wondering if our car would make it over the rocks, through the mud, over the washboards...& I wondered if we would make it out of the park, if we made it there. We bounced around so much while driving over the rocks, it actually rocked Riley to sleep.

Once we had arrived (we, meaning: Aaron, Riley, my mother-in-law Rebecca, our dogs Pheobe & Bailey & I with our friends Brian, Tay & Logan), we set out on the 2.8 mile (round trip) trail to see the 20 foot Holy Jim Falls.

A little background on Holy Jim Trail

This may be Orange County's most popular family hike despite the washboarded road leading to it. Nature was profaned here by the swear words flooding from the mouth of "Cussin' Jim" Smith or "Holy Jim" as he was renamed by tightlaced government surveyors who mapped the canyon in the early 1900s. Another bit of history marks the place: the last wild California Grizzly -- an old bear named "the honey thief" -- was killed at the mouth of Trabuco Canyon after robbing beehives here in 1907.Heavy winter rains are essential to a pleasant journey. Along the way, you will see many small cascades and cross the stream several times before you reach the split where the main trail ascends to the Main Divide Road to the left and the trail to the waterfall shoots off to the right. (http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/HolyJimFalls_4472.asp)

The toughest part was driving the road coming into the Cleveland National Forest. After that, we experienced a beautiful hike. What a great way to spend a Saturday with the family.