The hiking, climbing, and rock-hopping was all right, but the best part of the day was sliding down the 30-foot waterfall, a natural waterslide. We started by rappelling down, which wasn't all that enjoyable. There was a lot of water when we went, which is good for pictures and waterslides, but not good for rappelling. Imagine trying to lower yourself down a rope in a controlled manner while water pounds down at you from above. One guy said he didn't like drowning above water. Everyone but I complained about the water being so cold. It helped me a lot when my hand got caught in the belay device. My hand was numb, otherwise I might have screamed from the pain and let go of the rope (someone was safety at the bottom), but I remained calm and was able to climb up a little and get my hand out. The cold might have also helped me while rappelling down the second waterfall when I slipped on moss and got slammed into the rock wall, but I think the helmet and adrenaline are mostly responsible for me not hurting.
So, back to the first waterfall, the natural waterslide. I'm afraid of heights and free-falling, but I figured, I was there, I might as well seize the moment. The water in the pool was deep and I had watched my friend do it earlier. When we were above the fall, this big guy sat at the top, in position to go, but he sat there for 20+ minutes, unable to make the leap. Later, he went up again and froze again. I guess it doesn't get easier with practice. It reminds me of when I was a kid taking swim lessons and the instructor had the students jump off the high diving board. I walked to the edge and stood there for a while as my instructor kept telling me to jump. Once you jump, it's over in a second, but the anticipation can be paralyzing. I'm happy to say that today I had no problems pushing off the edge this time. Maybe rock-climbing has made me more reckless as well :P.
eaton canyon, alta dena
eaton canyon second waterfall
i might have enjoyed rappelling more if i wasn't looking up at . . .
this!
photos courtesy of jduke
2 comments:
wow! amy ur so brave! we went on a recent hike called "the three sisters waterfall" and similar to ur hike, it was a lot of hiking, climbing and boulder hopping and ultimately at the end u had the option to slide down the 30-40 feet waterfall-slide. i watched many do it but i was too afraid of the potential injuries. i think being a chiro has made me much more cautious and mindful of potential recreational risks.
yes, what we did was potentially dangerous, but we took all the proper precautions. mostly the damage is cosmetic. i won't be wearing shorts until my bruises heal, but i figure, if i don't do this now (while i'm in decent shape, when someone capable is willing to lead us, when i'm available), when this opportunity come again?
also, i feel that climbing and rappelling with the right people is a lot safer than snowboarding, skiing, even basketball and soccer.
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