Being back in the mountains of California was the most incredible feeling of coming home.  The evening we arrived we walked the hills of Griffith Park overlooking the city lights of Los Angeles.  I really can’t describe how happy and at peace I finally felt after being out of sorts on the east coast for the past couple of years.  The next morning we drove up the crest into the ANF.  I’d not forgotten anything about the highway with its twisting turns, steep drop offs and views of the mountain peaks.  I could still point them out.  I guess they are not so easily forgotten after spending so much time on top of them.  It was a beautiful morning and our plan was to return to Waterman Mountain, a mountain we’d climbed many times, snowshoed in the winter and even spent a New Year’s morning on the summit sipping champagne waiting to see the stealth bomber flyover after it opened the Pasadena Rose parade.  We parked the jeep and hit the trail in the cool air and warm sunshine.  Immediately I was gifted with the familiar vanilla scent of Jeffrey pine.  It almost brought me to tears, only reinforcing that I was truly home.  As we made our way up the trail, I noticed the damage that had been done by the Bobcat fire which happened just shortly after we left California in 2020.  The trees were charred, but surprisingly the trail was in good shape and still beautiful nonetheless.  I thought of all the firemen who put their lives on the line to save this beautiful land.  We took our time hiking up the trail through the great conifers and rock formations.  I wanted to savor every single moment of this trail.  Upon reaching the junction for Twin Peaks and the summit to the top of Waterman, we stopped and sat on the rocks as we’d done so many times before.  The quiet forest and sound of the mountain breeze whispering in the trees reminded me that this is where I belong.  I felt grounded, centered and at peace.  Like a huge weight had been lifted and carried away on the wind.  When we were ready, we climbed the rest of the way up to the summit where we sat, had a snack and gave an offering to the forest, thanking it for always being here and taking us in.  I had so much gratitude in my heart.  We were back!  Ready for more adventure!

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