On a Saturday morning in May, Fran and I decided to explore. We've been walking the same route (more or less) for at least 8 years, so we decided to be a little more adventurous. Rather than walk, we looked for some easy hikes in North County. I found the perfect 3 mile hike in Solana Beach. What a day we had!
I picked Fran up and we head to a cul-de-sac at the end of N. Rios near the lagoon in Solana Beach. I guess we weren't the only ones that thought it was a nice day for a hike, as the streets were loaded with cars. Our destination was Annie's trailhead, which leads into narrow canyon. The trails were dusty, thus slippery, but most areas had handrails.
Most of the hikers were families with young children, families with older children, and young couples out for a beautiful hike. Then there was us! We were the oldest people by at least 20 years, but what impressed me most was the friendliness and helpfulness of everyone we met. Young men who saw us struggling were happy to help us up or down a rough spot. In fact, some of them insisted on helping. Rather than take the "moderate" route, we took the "more difficult route." Unfortunately, we were not able to make it to the top. Trying to navigate between the walls of a very narrow space was difficult, and our motto is always, "safety first." I would say we made it about 70-80% of the way, or at least that's what Fran thinks.
We talked to so many nice young people, families, teens, young men. They all wanted to help us get to the top, but we decided it was just too much for us. We turned back, and continued the rest of the way on the moderate trail. So much fun to get out in the lagoon area of Solana Beach and experience beautiful canyons there too. All of this is just steps from the 5 freeway.
We were so happy to see people of all ages, races and abilities, out in nature. Everyone wanted to help each other have a good, safe, experience. It gives me hope that we are good people. I just have to turn off the news, where all we seem to hear about is another shooting. Most people are good. Maybe more people should get out and hike!
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