Cataract Falls

Tamara and I went hiking today! She is such a great wife. She's getting really pregnant, so I wasn't sure if she'd want to, but when I suggested we go for a short, easy hike to get out and get some exercise on a Saturday morning, I didn't get the reaction I expected -- she actually sounded interested! I'd heard that there were some pretty neat waterfall hikes not too far from where we live, so we went and checked out Cataract Falls. It was about half an hour's drive from our apartment on the North side of Mount Tamalpais. It was amazing!

The trail just went straight up this high, narrow ravine, but the place was a rainforest! We've been having a lot of rain, so the ground was wet but not muddy. The air was moist and full of that earthy smell that comes from leaves rotting, it was dark at ground level because of the towering old-growth redwoods, and ferns were everywhere. It was really, really pretty. The waterfalls were really cool, falling in a series from one pool to the next. The best was boulder-hopping to get as close to the waterfalls as we could and position ourselves for the best pictures.

This bridge was really narrow!

Tamara wants to save this tree, since (as quoted to me by a concerned citizen of California) we are in imminent "danger of cutting down all the trees on our planet. Uh huh....

Boulder jumping! I am in this picture. Can you find me?

Purty.