Whitewater Preserve

Where are we going?

The Whitewater Preserve is 2,826 acres surrounded by the Bureau of Land Management San Gorgonio Wilderness and includes the year-round Whitewater River ... in the desert!  The canyon is an important wildlife corridor between the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains. It's on the Pacific Crest Trail that runs all the way from Canada to Mexico.

Friday was a beautiful sunny morning beckoning us to hike, explore and maybe pick up a few geocaches along the way.  Last week we drove to the Whitewater Preserve and tried to find the Canyon Loop Trail which is described as a 3.5 mile moderate hike.  One problem ... we could not find the Northbound trail to the Pacific Crest Trail from the Ranger station.  We followed the trail-head only to be stumped at the two places it led us to cross the Whitewater river. All our searching found nothing more then a few stones in the river and none of them big enough to get across.  A foot bridge was mentioned in the trail guide but, not specifically marked, and to us was impossible to find!  This time we decided to outsmart the trail and start off the South road where we had spotted a trail marker.  With sufficient water, a snack lunch, windbreakers and GPS's in hand, we headed up the trail to do some much needed hiking and maybe, with luck, find a few geocaches.

Heading up the trail

The trail was more of a foot path, not wide enough to walk side by side, and in some places, nothing more than a worn away marking from those who had gone before us.  There weren't many markers along the trail, but it was easy enough to follow as long as you didn't venture too far of the trodden path.  The geocaches were in close proximity to the trail so, there was no fear of becoming lost or losing sight of the trail.

A furry little guy

We stopped often to marvel at the beauty of the hills and mountains that surrounded us, enjoying the wind that kept us cool in the warm sunshine.  Knowing that the dryness of the desert air can dehydrate a person quickly, we drank our water frequently.  Even though we didn't spot any bears or Big Horned Sheep, we did spot a tarantula, and were greeted by hawks flying low overhead.  The tarantula was a small one, measuring approximately 2 inches in length.  I wasn't about to poke him to see if he would move, but I did manage to get a picture of him.

We made it to the top!

At the top, 2750 feet, we rested before making our way down the other side which was filled with switchbacks and even narrower paths. We met other hikers and laughed at the "traffic jam" along the narrow trail.  As we side-stepped for one couple to pass, they informed us we were going the wrong way.  We didn't mention that we couldn't find the trail-head last week and thus started in the middle of the loop! Based upon the terrain that they started with, we decided we were going the RIGHT way :) We had an easy way up, and an easy way down the switchbacks.

On the way down

We ended up finding thirteen geocaches, some tougher then others but no DNF's (Did Not Find).  It's amazing how many rocks you can overturn before finding the right one.  We did eventually find the wooden foot bridge to cross the river, but would never have seen it from where we were last week.  As we sat in the car enjoying our lunch of cheeses, turkey slices and dill pickles, we talked about the adventure of the day. The trail is two and a half hours long, but it took us four hours. You know why? 1) because we geocached along the way, 2) we just kept on stopping to admire the views, not because of tiredness, and 3) we also just stopped to admire Nature at our feet ... the myriad of different plants and insects, the variety of stones and rocks, the diversity of the plants we saw, especially as we climbed higher and higher. Different ecosystems, even within a few thousand feet.

We have missed our hiking and geocaching more then we realized.  We've missed the quiet sound of nature which seems to clear the mind and feeds the soul with a pleasant feeling of completeness, escaping from the hustle and bustle of everyday living. Time to sit and really look at the world around us.

It was a great day, thanks for stopping by and sharing our journey. We certainly had a lot of fun, exercise, and a better awareness of the wonderful world we live in.

Jo