Ramona Falls loop, Apr 16th

With Val traveling over the weekend, I decided to join Steve on his hike with the group to Ramona Falls. Not only it had been a long time but also, the previous time we went, the logs were still icy and not very safe from crossing over the Sandy River. Once at the trailhead, Steve decided to do the hike in reverse. Part of it was because he wanted to see if we could find a guard station that is supposed to be near the PCT after it leaves from the Ramon Falls trail. The hike ion the shady side of this loop was delightful as it always is. AS you hike and meander thru the forest, you are welcomed with multiple forest displays that include small creeks and waterfalls, mushrooms, rock walls. A little bit of everything. One of the unexpected things was that, as we got closer to the waterfall, temperature started dropping quite fast to the point of requiring an extra layer to keep warm. The waterfall was, as expected, magical. So we stayed there for a while grabbing a quick bite and taking multiple pictures. At some point I was taking pictures from a small slope on the side of the creek just under a bridge when I felt the peering eyes of something behind me. When I turned around I was surprised to see a raven standing over some logs watching me. I can say it was probably 3 or 4 feet away so it did look gigantic. I tried to get closer for a better picture but it took off. Thinking I had missed the opportunity, I started walking back when I heard the raven come back and land on the same spot. So I turned around and quietly turn the camera on and approached sideways as without interest. I was able to get to just a couple of feet away and take a picture before it left again. It was quite an imposing creature. After that, we grabbed our gear and started walking fast to regain some warmth until we got to the fork with the PCT. We hiked up the PCT for a while looking for signs that would indicate a foot path towards the guard station but didn’t find anything. We got as far as to the point where the PCT crosses the Sandy River before heading back down and resuming our loop towards he parking lot. ON the way back we found tons of people near the crossing area trying to get to the other side and further down, in the parking lot it looked like a circus. I guess it’s becoming common to find so many people on the trail these days




Interactive map

To see the full map, click here