Waddell Creek dumps into the ocean here

I decided to meet my friend John today for another morning run, despite having just done so yesterday (we met at our usual spot and knocked off roughly 7.5 miles in beautiful Henry Cowell State Park), largely due to the tempting phrases ‘waterfall loop’ and ‘Big Basin’.  There are a few waterfalls in Big Basin, but it’s been a while since I’ve run there and I wasn’t in the necessary condition to run to any of them.  Today, I felt more than ready.

We met at a bakery in Santa Cruz where John and some of his running friends decided to gather up to carpool to the trailhead.  After a round of introductions to this friendly, lively, and obviously fun group, we loaded up into three cars (there were nine of us) and drove to Waddell Beach.

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The marine layer along the coast kept the sky grey and the air cool; perfect run conditions.  Some quick discussions about who wanted to run how far and how fast … and then we were off!

I usually run solo, so it’s a bit of a change for me to run with others, especially a gregarious, talkative group like these guys.  It was good fun, and forced me to keep a modest, conversational pace which undoubtedly helped through the duration of the run.  I’d never covered this kind of distance before, so proceeding at what felt like an easy stride was definitely advisable.  Keeping some reserve in your legs for the final miles is always preferable to hitting the wall 30 minutes from the finish.

The redwoods kept us cool

The first few miles were relatively mild with small hills and gentle rollers.  Eventually, we hit a series of more serious inclines as the path wound through large redwoods and bridged over the creek and back again several times.  Small, twisty, and quietly shaded, the scenery was amazing.  ‘Scotty’, one of John’s friends, would periodically run up with me and John, but took it upon himself to keep check on the more casually paced runners behind to make sure everyone knew where they were going.  Happily, the trail is well marked, so the logistics didn’t interfere too much with anyone’s run.

We encountered a fair number of other runners, hikers, and campers along the trail though the frequency of these meetings declined the further into the woods we got.  At one point, John and I came across an abandoned fire circle at what was obviously a recently used campsite.  It looked rustic and well maintained, though the local ordnances restrict any kind of campfire.  Still, it added an element of remoteness to the run.

What a bummer having to run in places like this...

After 6.5 – 7.0 miles, we arrived at Berry Creek Falls.  It’s a gorgeous sixty-foot waterfall surrounded by a serene, redwood box canyon.  Barring a couple of mosquitos, it’s a perfect spot for a little R & R.  John and I didn’t have to wait long before the rest of the crew arrived whereupon we did some stretching, took in some fluid, and snapped a few pictures.  John climbed down to the pool under the waterfall and stood in its cold cascade for a few seconds.  Silly runner, frigid water is for salmon!

We allowed ourselves five to ten minutes then started our trip back.  We returned the same way we came and though that meant there was a lot more downhill, legs were a bit beat up from the earlier climbs which contributed to a sense of a longer second half.  The sun had burned through the marine layer by then so temperatures were higher, especially during the last couple of miles which were largely unsheltered.  A stiff oceanic headwind helped keep us cool, though.  Yay?

It was a great run in a beautiful locale with fun company.  Hope to do it again sometime!

Taking a short breather at Berry Creek Falls