Latest Post:

2024: Ojai Swimming Holes

Day 1: Our trip started off strong. We had made good time to the main punchbowl area and had passed quite a few hikers along the way. Thus, some of my friends decided to have a little smoke break. I cautioned them due to the intense mountain we would scale ahead, but alas, they did not listen. We ate some food, and before long, we were back on the trail.



We passed a small campsite that we could have stayed at, but we had bigger goals in mind. The trail quickly became overgrown and dilapidated, making it difficult for us to follow. The path was clearly not well used, and we had been some of the few to use it recently. The views were incredible, and the mountains really humbled us.



It is hard to describe the level of bushwacking required to get back there. It is tolerable, but only for those who really want it. It did not help that it was about 90 degrees out and many of my friends were quite buzzed. After many hours of walking through the bush and almost running out of water, we made it to our campsite.



It was calm, empty, and beautiful. A small stream oozed out of the mountain, creating beautiful ponds that fed right into the basin of an empty waterfall. The rocks of the basin were incredible, clearly formed through years of constant flows. After realizing the lack of water up-trail and the trail's difficulty becoming much more extreme, we decided to head back to camp and relax. That night we all slept well, aside from an allergic reaction I experienced and the eerie feeling of blackfly larvae being on our legs earlier.



Day 2: We opted to head out the following morning, as we couldn’t continue and weren’t sure what caused my allergic reaction. The hike back was difficult, but we were mentally prepared and knew what we had gotten into. Overall, the hike was great, and I was glad I went, as it's clear that few people go there nowadays.