LA County Canyoneering

The Southern Terrain and Epic USA just spent an incredible weekend Canyoneering for two days with a group of great friends from the travel industry.  The most amazing part of the adventure was that we only had to commute less than two hours from our office to have all this fun in some canyons that are located in Southern California just 20 minutes East of Los Angeles.  


We began the adventure on Saturday morning with a group of 7 of us on a beautiful Southern California day with plenty of sunshine.  The steep 2 mile hike up into the canyon quickly rewards us with a view of the surrounding hills and canyons and a glimpse at the city.  As we hike on we begin to see the canyon we will navigate today and the sound of it's many waterfalls.


About an hour into our adventure we cross the main ridge and begin heading down into the canyon and towards the creek that cuts through it.  Everyone is very excited as we put on our harnesses and helmets and begin wading and sliding down through the canyon.  The cool water feels great after working up a sweat hiking to the top of the canyon.  After a bit of hiking, wading, sliding and down climbing we begin the first of many rappels of the day down a running water fall and into a nice pool.



It's great to hear the joyful screams and yells as people slide into pools and lower themselves off of the top of 50 foot drops on a rope descending towards the next obstacle in the canyon.  Everyone is amazed by how beautiful the trees, rocks and water is and even more stunned that we're just a stone's throw from the most popluated area in the U.S.  After about a mile of rappels, waterfalls and pools we find a nice sunny spot to have a great picnic lunch and warm up a bit.

We move on and tackle the second half of this canyon which rewards us with 3 more tall waterfalls and several smaller rappels along with plenty of sliding, splashing and wading.  The day ends with a bit of boulder hopping and a short walk back to our cars.  It certainly was a day full of friends, fun and lots of adventure and now we're ready to tackle the next canyon.   There are many more canyons to explore in this area and we can't wait to have more fun in them.


Thanks for following our adventures,


The Southern Terrain
info@tstadventures.com
858-356-9411

Catalina Island Hike & Kayak Adventure

 

View from the Trans Catalina Trail

The Southern Terrain recently returned from as three day two night hiking and kayaking adventure to Catalina Island. This Island getaway was highlighted with great people, plenty of buffalo, amazing weather and a close encounter with a pod of dolphin.



Catalina Island Kayaking

 

Departing on the helicopter from Long Beach for a short scenic 15 minute ride is a great way to start the trip. This particular crossing was enhanced with two Grey whale sightings along the way. The group arrived into Catalina Island ready to tackle the 7 miles of hiking beginning high on the island's peaks. The Island boats a peak elevation of 2,103 feet with Mt. Orizaba looking over the airport in the sky. We began hiking from Blackjack Campground and traversed the mountain ridge along the spectacular Trans Catalina Trail.

Along the hike we came across several buffalo graving in the fields. These giant animals were left behind when filming the movie "The Vanishing American" and now call Catalina Island home. We made it to camp with plenty of time to enjoy the sunshine of Little Harbor Beach and concluded the evening with an amazing chicken burrito dinner with a nice glass of wine.





Campsite at Rippers Cover



The following morning we set off on the Trans Catalina Trail towards Two Harbors, which was hosting the annual beer festival, on a 4.5 mile hike across Catalina Island's coastal trails. We arrived to Two Harbors for lunch and loaded into our kayaks to begin the second leg of our journey. Paddling down the coast we were offered amazing views of the island and it was clear enough to see all the way to the mainland. When we arrived at camp we had our tents set up and enjoyed the afternoon on the beach with snacks, swimming and plenty of great stories from the kayaking.






Rippers Cove



Our final day started at 8:45 am as we began out paddle further down the coast back to Avalon.  We stopped over at Long Point Beach for a chance to relax and enjoy the warm weather. The sun came out early on our last day and just as it broke a pod of over 50 dolphins playing in the water were breaching directly in front of the kayak. We paddled the remaining few miles back to Avalon with a stopover at Willow Cove for lunch.



This was an amazing expedition with a great group of people. We enjoyed spending time with you and look forward to seeing you again in the future.



If you are interested in our Catalina Island Hike and Kayak adventure please give us a call on (858) 356-9411 or send us an e-mail at info@thesouthernterrain.com. You can also view this program on our website at: Catalina Hike & Kayak.

Thanks for following our adventures!

The Southern Terrain

Fall Rock Climbing Promotion

Get outside this fall and come climbing with The Southern Terrain, great special for a 4 hour session only $45.00!!

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