I went out this weekend with some people from Gen-Probe (my old company) and had a great time on a hike that I never knew about before. It's up in Julian about an hour and a half away and is quite incredible. The wildflowers were even better here than we saw in the desert last weekend. We saw one waterfall in the distance and hiked to another one up close. There was a big group of 15 of us (+ a puppy). I was the first to jump in the water and had to do it in my underwear again (remember Costa Rica). I can never seem to remember to bring my bathing suit on these things! The water was so incredibly cold - it was really a shock to my body and everyone else could tell too and decided not to get in. Only 2 others in our group even braved it! I had to get back out of the water almost immediately. Before we hiked back up a slope, though I decided to get in again to keep sure I stayed cool on the hike back up. This time, I swam over to the waterfall with my friend Christopher. It was so beautiful and felt great, but I stayed cold the rest of the day, even hiking in the sun - crazy! I never knew such beautiful hikes were around, but I definitely want to discover more - I feel so alive when I get out in nature. I'm finding that more and more the older I get, I'm really noticing all of the beauty the world has to offer all around me. My polarizing sunglasses help, too because they make the colors all much brighter. :-)
There were lots of butterflies all around us, which always puts a smile on my face. But we saw even more caterpillars than butterflies - they were everywhere and every color and size. In one area, we saw some very large ones all over the plants. Someone in the group mentioned that it might be a soon-to-be monarch, but I'll take his word for it.
