Questing for the OC Night Hike

I’ll admit, I was once a stickler for the rules. But if there’s one thing I learned in college, it is to always take the opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone. And what better day is there to break a few of those rules than on Friday the 13th?

Finding places to hike at night is not an easy task. Parks lock their gates, trails close, and people tell you to leave. Unfortunately, this past Friday night was no different, and consisted of visiting a series of places, each offering us its own unique experience. You may want to check ‘em out one day.

Blackstar Canyon

A Short Run-in With the Cops

Do I condone defying police authority? Definitely not. I’m not that risky. The original plan was to explore Blackstar Canyon, located in the Santa Ana Mountains — a popular location for cyclists, but probably better known for its urban legends and for being one of the most haunted places in Orange County. Sadly, this was FAILED attempt #2 for us.

Driving up to the gate that prohibits all motor vehicle traffic, we parked the car ready to disembark and make our way into the darkness. Being Friday the 13th, it wasn’t strange to see a couple cars already parked. What did catch us by surprise was the bright light that shined directly on us as we got ready to head out. “You can’t be here. You need to leave.” Said a voice from behind the light. I really couldn’t see anything. Was it a cop? Or was it one of the residents here to harass us for being in the area? As I pulled away, and the spotlight waned, I saw the Orange County Sheriff markings on the car. Good thing I didn’t put up a fight. Expect to see a post on this place in the future when we finally get a chance to run around.

Holy Jim Falls

Off-Road Mini-Vanning

Yeah, that’s right. Off-Road Mini-Vanning. Okay, well we read about the dirt road prior to heading out there, but we figured if other cars can make it, why not US?

A four-mile dirt road leads to the Holy Jim Falls in the middle of the Cleveland National Forest, not far from Trabuco Canyon. And this road is definitely not pretty. The only other cars around were all 4-wheel drive vehicles. Turn around? Or push on forward? Forward! Over the running water, and through the rocky, bumpy path. After realizing that driving the road at 4 mph would take an entire hour to reach the end, then another hour to return, we decided it’d probably be best to return in one of the 4-wheel drive vehicles accessible to us, not a Chevy Astro. Expect another post on this place soon, too!

Bell View Trail

Mountain lions, Bobcats, and Rattlesnakes. Oh My!

Finally, after two failed hiking attempts (yet most definitely not failed adventures), we found ourselves at the Bell View Trail, just a few miles from the dirt road. Parking the van on the side of the road, we made our way into the darkness behind a small grass park with a single picnic table. The sign said the trail closed at 6 PM. It was already ten. The old me would have said, “Sorry guys, let’s go home.” But there was no cop this time stopping me now!

Oh, and of course the other sign warns of mountain lions, bobcats, and rattlesnakes. Great.

We trekked out onto the dark trail, unknowing of how long the trail actually was, or if it looped or not, yet constantly on the lookout for those dastard mountain lions and bobcats. Every rustle in the shrubbery was a cause for a short startle.

Frogs and Millipedes

Hiking uphill, we quickly reach the first plateau where the sound of an army of frogs storm through the otherwise quiet night. Curious, we ventured slightly off the trail toward a small pond; the croaking stopped, yet there hiding in a small hole (which may have been built by a spider?) was a small frog. We came upon several of these throughout the hike, and I nearly stepped on one. That would have not been pretty.

We reach a point where it looks like a loop began. And decided to try a direction. An hour later, we begin to wonder if the trail really did loop, or if we were heading deeper and deeper into the trees and hills. Yet, still we pushed forward. Finally, another sign pointing the trail direction actually had a trail map! Yes, we were right! It was a loop, and a few minutes later, we were back to where we began. But not before coming upon some interesting finds.

A rather nasty looking millipede was spotted by Patrick just before the end of the loop. My awesome partner, Justin Duer (yes, we have the same name), snapped some pretty snazzy shots of it. A few glowing eyes were spotted. And we enjoyed some awesome views of the mountains (and at some points the houses). Definitely a great hike!

Check ‘Em Out or Join Us!

You know you wanna…

If you’re interested in visiting these places on your own, check out these sites for more information:

Blackstar Canyon BlackstarAdventures.com
Holy Jim Falls LocalHikes.com
Bell View Trail OCMTBguide.com

If you want to join us next time we head out to one of these places, let me know! Comment, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, whatever! We’ll let you know. Be warned though, we’re pretty random.