I hiked up the west fork of the cold spring trail today. It was another short hike but wasn’t short on scenery. I have been taking it easy on my foot the past few weeks, it has been a little sore but is healing. There was no morning fog today, just intense sun from the get go. It was refreshing being under the tree canopy with the huge boulders and gurgling creek. I heard a warbler singing in the trees, not sure what kind.

Coastal oaks in Cold Spring Canyon.

Once out of the canopy and on the ridge the sun was very strong. I stopped and rested under a stray oak and made sure I stayed hydrated.

Tangerine Falls.

View toward the mountain crest from near the top of Tangerine Falls.

Once reaching the top of the ridge, there is a side trail leading to a rock crag above cold spring creek. It had great views of the ocean and when under the trees was several degrees cooler than in the sun. Luckily, the black flies which had been out in force all day, were fewer here.

Some rock faces just above the falls.

The native Panther lily- Lilium pardalinum

View south of Cold Spring Canyon from above Tangerine Falls.

I then proceeded down another less traveled trail to cold springs creek, just above Tangerine Falls. It is very lush by the creek and has the feel of a large forest, even though it is a canyon with some steep wall sections. I heard some ravens calling near the top and heard what might have been a raptor, though I didn’t hear it clear enough to be certain. I saw some folks climbing by the falls up to the top, that would be a lot of fun I would imagine.

Rocky crags above the falls. These are fun to explore.