Friday, July 25, 2014

Secret Valley Hike

On July 19, 2014 I got to embark on an amazing adventure. It started at the REI Garage Sale and this man was handing out flyers promoting the VC Boondockers, which is a very small hiking group (there was like 10 of us) that takes you to many trails around the Ventura County Area. I am pretty sure there are more members but since it is non-commitment there were those who could make it. I sadly could not make it to the June Hike but I was able to make it to the July Hike.


Since it was a day trek of about 2-3 miles I didn't really pack a lot, knowing that I'll have to carry that load for as long as I would out there. So there's everything I brought excluding my phone (which was almost useless because I received "No Service" once we got on the 33) and camera.  Sunscreen was a must and so was a hat. 

Things I must pack for a future trip:
  • bug repellent (horseflies bite!!!!!! They do not feel good)
  • a first aid-kit of any kind
  • a empty trash bag



Due to this years severe drought, we were able to walk inside the riverbed and search for some fossils. Bob said usually there's tons of water flowing but the drought sucked the water dry.


What looks like to be snow is actually calcium-something that has been leeching through the dry riverbed. It was super cool to be walking on it and every step was a "crunching" sound.


For lunch, we stopped in a very grassy plain with pokey flowers (THANK GOD FOR LONG SOCKS) along the way. We at lunch under a tree and then we explored the area for a bit. Like how the riverbed had fossils, we found many more around the plain area. Those fossils are several millions of years old. Ancient creatures used these shells as homes to live in...


[I did not take a rock that big but I do have a smaller rock with fossils. It's a mini souvenir]

That was my first time joining the VC Boondockers on a hike and I would love to do another one with them. The leader Bob know so much about hiking I felt in good hands. I also got to meet some really nice fellow hikers who enjoy being outside as much as I do. Walking through endless trails with no cell phone signal with just a backpack, a camera, and good company always makes for a good hiking trip. 


"Leave something better than when you found it"

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