Weekday Wander: Wet 'n' Wild Harding Canyon Falls Interpretive Tour, Difficulty=extremely strenuous, Maximum tour participants=10. February 3, 2011

Weekday Wander: Wet 'n' Wild Harding Canyon Falls Interpretive Tour, Difficulty=extremely strenuous, Maximum tour participants=10.
Wet 'n' Wild Harding Canyon Falls, Santa Ana Mountains, Orange County (part of the Santa Ana Mountains Wild Heritage Project tour series)
Meet at Silverado Cafe and carpool to trailhead. Follow a professional naturalist on an interpretive tour through an isolated wilderness rarely visited by the public. Splash through the creek. Scramble over boulders. See many cascading falls over granite bedrock. At the furthest point, there lies a giant double decker waterfall spread over the broad belly of a cliff face. Find deep rock pools that you can jump into on a warm day. See new Chaparral growth on burned slopes, camouflaged treefrogs on the rocks, and fern grottos dripping with spring water. Search for the elusive steelhead trout. Many encounters with poison oak. Prepare to be soaking wet. Bring lunch.

Who: 18 and up. Maximum capacity = 10 participants
Where: Meet at Silverado Cafe, 28272 Silverado Canyon Rd, Silverado, CA 92676 and carpool to trailhead.
Difficulty: Extremely strenuous (roughly 8-9 miles round-trip, but feels like more; rough terrain; loose rocks; lots of poison oak; fallen trees; multiple creek crossings; boulder scrambling; deep rock pools; no formal trail; flowing creek with varying depths; PREPARE TO GET WET!)

Special Instructions/Supplies: Please arrive at least 15 minutes before start time. Bring a minimum of 1 quart (32 oz) of water per person. Bring snacks and/or full meal. Wear weather protection (jacket, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc.), durable hiking socks and close-toed hiking shoes (extra pair for wet tours), long pants, and backpack for snacks. Bring swimsuit and towel for wet tours. Bring first aid kit (Band-Aids, antiseptic, allergy medicine, tweezers, etc.) and cell phone. Bring flashlight/headlamp and layered clothing for evening tours. Walking sticks are recommended for tours with stream crossings or uneven terrain.

RSVP: Please email jrobinson@naturalist-for-you.org or call 714-649-9084, unless otherwise noted in description. Donations are appreciated (suggested amount of $10). Please leave your name, contact information, and total # in your party. We cannot be reached by cell phone at tour locations, so please ask questions and confirm tour details well in advance.

See http://www.naturalist-for-you.org/calendar.htm or join http://www.meetup.com/naturalist-for-you/ for upcoming tours. You can also follow our fan page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Naturalist-For-You/355183848682?ref=ts