13 New Places & New Hiking Experiences: Ho Chi Minh Trail, San Diego CA

A few weeks ago, I took a short trip to San Diego to visit my little sister. Technically she is a sophomore at Florida State University, however, because of COVID she is taking all of her online classes from a friends house out in California. She invited me to go visit her for an extended long weekend, and we had so much fun exploring the area and all of the outdoor activities. Because COVID regulations are still somewhat strict in California, it allowed us to spend even more time in nature and enjoying the beautiful scenery and excursions that the state has to offer.

On our first full day, my sister brought my mom and I on a very unique hike. I had never before done anything like it! We pulled up to the entrance, took a short path down to the start of the trail, and began our journey. The trail started up at higher elevation and would eventually lead us down to a beach. As we started, we were immediately given beautiful views of the expansive Pacific Ocean in front of us. It was very cool to see the horizon and water in the distance, knowing that's where we would be heading. Next, we set off!

The trail was very diverse in its scenery and nature of the path, we travelled over stone and sand, through tall grass and rock walls, and encountered some challenging obstacles along the way. There was a thin piece of wood that we had to cross over, steep edges that we tip toed past, and small canyon like drop-offs around every step. 

The best part of the hike was when we got to the canyon part of the path. This section was formed by natural drainage and runoff from the steep hill that we had just made our way down. Looking down, it was hard to see where the trail led, however, as we eased our way into the canyon opening the path became easy to follow. The rocks were incredibly smooth, but also slippery, and we had to hold on tight and brace ourselves as we slid down the narrow path that the water had once formed. There was only about a 2-3 foot opening for us to fit though making it a tight squeeze to lower ourselves down. My sister and I were able to prop ourselves up between the canyon walls and take some fun photos before emerging out, and back onto the open trail. I have never done any hiking like this before, so this was a wicked cool experience for me.

As we came out of the canyon, we neared the end of the trail and the beach. We walked for a bit longer on the side of the canyon's edge, now starting to feel more sand beneath our sneakers, before we reached the end of the trail. There was only one more obstacle separating us from the beautiful beach below: about a 20 foot slope with only a small rope for assistance. My sister climbed down no problem (she had done this hike about 10 times previously) but my mom and I were definitely less successful. The both of us followed the rope about halfway down until we eventually gave up and slid the rest of the way on our butts... resulting in very dirty shorts. We had a really good laugh about it and were cracking up before we headed down and washed off in the water.

The hike itself was not even the end of our adventure, as it ended at a beautiful and expansive beach. We spent the rest of the day relaxing together, taking in the beautiful scenery, walking by the water's edge, watching the surfers skillfully ride in the waves, and reminiscing on our little hike. 

Although the trail was only .6 miles, it was definitely challenging and unique. None of us had ever done a hike like that previously, with so many varying obstacles and scenery, as well as the cool experience of getting to make our way through canyons. Overall, the weather was beautiful, and it was a perfect day. Eventually, we packed up our things, grabbed a MASSIVE açaí bowl, and headed home, ready for more adventures tomorrow.