Hiked Tuesday, March 17. One of my first after-a-normal-workday hikes of the season (didn't get off early or anything--just had plenty of time after work to make it up to Chantry Flat for a short hike. This was a while ago, but it was also one of four hiking days in a row. I got myself pretty close to where I wanted to be for the month. If April goes as planned, I should get ahead of where I want to be.
An odd thing about Chantry Flat is that, while it gets ridiculously crowded on weekends, on normal weekday afternoons (non-holiday), it can be surprisingly empty up here. This was one of those days.
When I got up there, around 5pm, not even half of the spaces in the lowest tier of parking was filled. I got to park in about the second closest space nearest the vault toilets, where I had to change out of my work clothes and into my hiking gear.
Snapped a shot of my car, just because I used to do that with my old Saturn. Then headed down the pavement. Even before made it to the end of the pavement, my eyes were caught by a couple of larkspur plants. Hadn't seen these flowers in months, so it was a welcome sight.
Then, again, at the bottom of the pavement, behind a chain link fence, was a rose bush, planted beside the first of many cabins that are scattered along the canyon bottom of Winter and Sturtevant Creeks. I shot one of those flowers, too. It was still not officially spring, but I felt spring fever!
I felt spring fever because I was out, hiking after work. Finally, the days were long enough to do that. Even though I was then on a schedule that let me off at 4pm, it was only after the shift to daylight savings time that there was enough after-work sunlight to let me take this hike.
The blooming flowers (both wild and domesti-cated) helped fuel that feeling of spring.
Adding to the feeling of spring was the verdant green of the vines and trees growing at the canyon bottom. The little bridge at the base of Winter Creek practically looked like it had been lifted out of the Pacific northwest.
From there, it was an easy 1 1/2 miles to Sturtevant Falls. Yes, I passed people going both ways, but it was really a rather quiet hike.
And when I got to Sturtevant Falls? Yes, the water was flowing. But, considering it was still mid-March, the volume of the flow was distressingly thin.
About 4 miles for the roundtrip.
The trailhead is located at the far northern end of Santa Anita Drive. From the Foothill Freeway (I-210), exit at Santa Anita, and go north until you can go north no more. Be aware that the road between Sierra Madre proper and Chantry Flat is closed from 8pm until 6am every day. Regardless of the amount of daylight you may have on your hike, you still need to be off the mountain before 8pm.
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