The Legend of Alamere Falls

Let me just start off by saying, this hike was no easy task...

The original hike for the search of Alamere Falls run about 8.4 miles round trip...if you start from Palomarin Trailhead. Unfortunately, on the day my wife and five year old daughter decided to venture out to the trail, the Palomarin Trailhead was blocked off, due to the amount of people who had the same idea that day.  So instead of a 8.4 mile hike, we were rerouted to the Five Brooks Trailhead, which added a few more miles to the journey...now a 12.8 mile (roundtrip) hike. 

We started off strong, as we were following behind a few people on horseback and a lovely family of 3 (a mother and 2 teenage daughters). The trail was wide and easy to walk. 

After about a mile of hiking, the family in front of us sat down for a quick snack break.  As we pass by, we look over and say in a joking manner, "Only 5 and a half miles to go before we make it to the falls!" The look on their faces? Priceless!  At that point I realized, this family had no idea the commitment needed for this journey...and there was a good chance that this was the last we'd see of them.

My wife, my daughter, and myself carried on a bit further. At about 1.5 miles, the trail split off into a much smaller, more remote area of the woods. The forest was dense and the terrain was a bit less friendly. There were rocks to navigate, as well as, poison ivy and thick mud. At about the 2.5 mile marker, my wife and I looked at each other and had to make a decision. We were already a little tired...and we were ill prepared. In addition to being rerouted and adding miles to our journey, we also got a late start and were concerned that nightfall would come before we were able to make it back to the trailhead.

We only had 2 bottles of water, half a bag of chips, half a brownie (all of which the 5 year old packed), and zero extra clothes as the temperature dropped. At that moment, we decided it would be wiser to head back to the car and plan the hike a little better next time. It was also that moment...where the look of disappointment in my daughters eyes shattered my heart.  She didn't even know what a mile was...she didn't know how far we really had to go...time and distance we irrelevant matters to her heart and determination.

I again looked at my wife and asked, "Should we do it?" 

Despite every piece of wisdom telling me to turn back and head to the car...the disappointment in my daughters eyes was more powerful than logic. And against all my better judgement, we headed toward Alamere Falls...

For the most part, this hike was simply...long. No real obstruction or challenges, other than a few areas of "swamp-like" terrain. The paths turned and circles and turned again. We passed a few groups who were lost and we tried to direct them to the best of our ability, but we didn't really know which direction we were heading either. 

A couple hours later, we made it to the last half mile...the secret path that lead down toward the waterfall. 

As we stood above the falls and admired the beauty, we also knew that this wasn't the final destination...and this is where the real challenge laid. There were steep, rocky cliff areas that need to be navigated, expertly, in order to make it down to the bottom. I asked my wife to stay where she was (due to her fear of heights) and we'd be back shortly.

Ever so carefully, I climbed my way down the cliff side. As I made it to each "safe zone", I would have my daughter jump for the ledge above, into my arms. Before we knew it, we made it to the bottom!  So much joy! So much gratitude! Exhausted, thirsty, sore, and bruised...I sat down by the falls and watched my daughter take off her shoes and play in the beach sand.  The ultimate free spirit was released! She was so proud of what she had just accomplished!

I looked up to the ledge of the cliff at the top of the waterfall...and there was my wife! Looking over the ledge waving to us down at the bottom.

At this point, I gathered my daughters belongings and we started to make our climb back to the top of the falls. As I looked up, I saw my wife trying to come down...tears running down her face...shaking from fear...but knowing that she wanted to be with my daughter and I more than anything else in the world.  We climbed quickly to her and there was an intense embrace. We helped each other back to the top of the falls and we started to make our way back toward the path for the 6.4 mile hike back to the car. 

My wife is in pain, as she took a spill on the climb down to the waterfall. My daughter is exhausted, as she's only five years old and has already hiked 6.4 miles to get to the waterfall. We only have a couple chips left, a couple bites of brownie, and a single bottle of water. The sun is now starting to set and there's a chill in the air...

Unknown to my wife and daughter, I'm afraid we won't make it back in time and we'll have to figure out how to survive the night in the woods. Not even a 1/4 mile has passed on the walk back when my daughter decides she can no longer walk. I pick her up and throw her onto my shoulders. My wife is limping but forces herself to continue despite the significant amount of suffering she is going though. She asks me if she can lead the way because it feels more motivating than falling behind. Of course I say yes, but in my heart, I knew we weren't moving fast enough...

I see the sun starting to set, I feel my daughters head become heavy as she falls asleep on my shoulders, and my wife, due to insurmountable pain, must take regular breaks to rest...

The sun has now gone down, my daughter starts to shiver, and we're still 3 miles from the car. My wife and I both take off our shirts to keep the little one warm. We turn on the cell phone light to use as a flashlight to navigate through the dense forest...and we continue on...

There were times of hopelessness. There were times of weakness. There were times of fear. There was even a chance of giving up.

But at every turn of difficulty, we inspired one another to keep moving forward. "Just 2 more miles", we would say. "That's like 8 more laps around the track."  "Just 1 more mile, we can do it!"

Cold, beaten, muddy, exhausted, and hungry...we start to cheer!  "I can see the car! There's the car! We made it!  We made it together! We didn't give up!"

There was such a powerful sense of unity, connection, and gratitude for each other, for nature, for life. We laid the little one in the car seat, turned on the heater, and made our 1 hour drive back to our hotel. 

Safely, we crawled into bed and held each other tight.

This is not a journey we will soon forget...

...but we're looking forward to the next adventure, as well.

And we hope you'll join us for that one as well.