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A morning hike to a busy waterfall.

I’m lucky enough to have a few friends who love the outdoors and wouldn’t hesitate to explore it. Sharon is one of these friends. I asked her if she’d like to do a hike and next thing I know, were at the trailhead of Eaton Canyon Natural Area Park in Altadena, CA. I’ve heard a lot about this area and it’s waterfall, but very little of it was good. There has been a long history of death in this canyon. For instance, on June 30th, the Pasadena Star-News had a front page story about a hiker who had fallen to his death in Eaton Canyon. The photo showing a dozen search & rescue members all dressed in yellow haunted me. The Los Angeles times printed the headline, “Hikers Rescued From Ledge; Woman Injured” on June 16, 1953. “Posse Saves Lost Girls” was the heading of an article about two “pretty Pasadena Junior College co-eds” who became lost in Eaton Canyon and spent the night on a ledge before being rescued by rope the next day, November 26, 1934. In fact, since June 30th, there have been others seriously injured in the canyon. Just in the last two weeks, a man was critically injured after falling 40 feet in the canyon and two men in their late twenties were rescued after becoming lost.

So I had to see for myself why so many people were finding trouble in Eaton Canyon. I wanted to know how so many people have died.

Sharon and I met at the Eaton Canyon parking lot around 8:00 AM on Saturday morning. Already, the lot had over 30 parked vehicles. The hike we were taking seemed pretty straight forward. I studied the topo map and saw that the altitude gain was practically nothing (500 feet over two miles) and the trail was well defined. How this could be a dangerous hike was still a mystery. We started the hike by crossing the expansive wash, a dry river bed at least 100 yards wide. As we crossed, I could imagine the torrent of water that would fill this arroyo. Sharon, as if reading my thoughts, wondered out loud about the risks of the houses along the ridge during a flash flood.

It was becoming a hot day. The first half mile of the trail was nearly completely shadeless and I had already taken a swig from my water bottle. We reached a split in the trail, one path lead up the southern side of the steep canyon wall, the other lead under a bridge and into Eaton Canyon. We headed towards the shaded narrow canyon and relief from the sun. From this point to the waterfall, the path crosses back and forth over a gentle brook. Pools of water formed above old dams, convincing a few to remove their shoes and roll up their shorts to wade around. Some even swam. At the waterfall, we found a crowd of people. A dam was created around the waterfall creating a pool for dogs and kids to jump around and get wet. Sharon and I sat away from the crowd in the shade, watching the people come and go. There is a bigger waterfall further upstream in the canyon. I imagine that most injuries in this canyon occur when trying to access the “second” waterfall. Altadena Mountain Rescue Team has labeled it an “attractive hazard.” We would not be tempting fate today.

On the way back, I thought about those who had died here and the mistakes they made or the ill fortune that came upon them. I took note of those who walked passed us up to the waterfalls. Would they be tempted to go on to the other waterfall? One girl wore flip flop sandals and a bathing suit. Two guys in their twenties wore white sleeveless shirts and shoes without socks. Very few people who passed had any drinking water on them. It was unfortunate to see so many unprepared people on the trail. Eaton Canyon offers a great waterfall for children, but I can see the desire to explore further up the canyon on essentially animal trails, if any trails at all. Although the main trail is crowded with people, if one made it to the next fall, they’d might have some solitude – and maybe that’s what the hikers were after before they fell, became lost, or got stuck on a ledge.

Eaton Canyon is a beautiful place. If you want to visit it, GO PREPARED. Bring water, a map, and some common sense. Let someone know where you are going and don’t leave the trails. One of the lost hikers last week was able to signal down search and rescue with a small mirror he had brought. That mirror might have saved his and his friend’s life.

Thoughts about the hike:

1. One mistake and a short hike could become a life-threatening event. I bring the ten essentials with me for all of my hikes.
2. If I do this hike again, I’m going early on a weekday morning.  It was too crowded on this Saturday.
3. Eaton Canyon has a long history of drawing in the unprepared.  John Muir (yes, that John Muir) went on a hike into the canyon in August, 1877. He didn’t make it very far on his first day because, “the heat was oppressive, and a pair of new shoes were chafing my feet to such an extent that walking began to be painful.”

Resources:

1. The Ten Essentials to Bring Hiking
2. Recent incidents highlight dangers of hiking to `second’ waterfall in Eaton Canyon
3. Hiker, 21, dies in fall at Eaton Canyon

Hike #22 Trip GPS Stats:

• Date of hike: July 3rd, 2009
• Location: Eaton Canyon, Altadena, California
• Length: 5.3 miles (more like 3.8)
• Duration: 2 hours, 55 minutes
• Average speed: ±1.8 mph
• Altitude at start: 934 feet
• Altitude min.max: 934/1,404 feet

This map was made with the data my GPS captured on the hike.
For a more detailed trip report map, check this out.

Photos: