Switzer Falls Trail

A Tuesday Hike in the Angeles National Forest

Tuesday is a tidy day for me. I wake up at 7:30 am. I get a medium-size medium roast (ofc no sugar no cream) coffee. I go to the 8:00 am morning practice. I get breakfast at 9:30 am, which goes well with physics lecture notes. From 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, I have free time, which I spend on outdoor activities.

Today, I decided to visit the Angeles National Forest, because I have been seeing more snow than usual recently (visible from the Caltech campus). From Caltech to Switzer Falls trail is around 20 miles, which includes 10 miles of uphills. The trail has plenty of parking spaces, but considering that it was a Tuesday morning, I was surprised to see more cars parked than I expected.

The trail follows a creek, which upstream starts from the melted snow (I think). Although there have been several rain storms in January, the water level was normal with no floods in the trail path. However, the path can be muddy.

Once you reach midway, there is a hill section, which means you go up and down around the same elevation. Going down the hill, you begin hearing the rough waters. Walk a few steps more towards the stream, then you are greeted with the waterfall. The ambient temperature was around 13 ℃, but the water was extremely cold, cold enough to redden my feet in mere seconds. But I just had to go in… The worst step is the first step into the water. Once you go all the way in, it doesn’t feel cold anymore. It’s crazy how the scariest part is the initial steps. I hate waking up early every single day for practice, but once I dive my half-waken body into the pool water, I feel great, actually energetic. Sometimes, my muscles have to drag my lazy-ass brain to do things. I’m learning how to turn off my brain sometimes.