Last Friday was another Daddy-Daughter Adventure Day! Alice didn’t have any school and the thought of working was rough so I decided to take a day off. Last week I had gotten a hot tip from a friend of mine about a unique cave located nearby in the west San Fernando Valley and was itching to go check it out, so it seemed like a great day for Alice and me to do a little spelunking!
The weather was perfect – almost too perfect. At a time when the rest of the country is quite literally freezing, living in Southern California is like a paradise. The sky was a bright blue with puffy white clouds and the temperature was quite comfortable in the high 60’s.
Alice and I drove to the trailhead and I was pleased to see that it was pretty empty. Not a lot of cars in the parking lot, which is just what I was hoping for. We started off down the trail and were immediately treated to sightings of all kinds of wildlife. We saw all kinds of birds – from Red Tailed Hawks to small sparrows and even some brightly colored finches. We also were lucky enough to spot all kinds of little mammal creatures running around and checking us out.
After about a mile or so, we were pretty deep into the hills, and it was beautiful. It was dead quiet, which is such a rare thing to experience in Los Angeles. No cars, no planes, no anything. We could hear the wind and the grass rustling and the air was clean and fresh, without another human in sight. Alice and I walked and chatted about all kinds of things. So much fun.
A little further on, we could see the cave in the distance. The cave itself is only a big crack in the exterior of a small cliff so it was hard to spot. We walked past it a few times before we were certain that the crack was actually the opening. As we approached the opening, the path grew much steeper, until we were at the foot of the cliff. Getting to the cave opening required some pretty good climbing straight up the rocky face. There were a few handholds, but it wasn’t an easy climb. I was so proud of how Alice just scrambled right up. Some portions were scary for her, but she showed a lot of courage and together we were able to make it inside.
The Cave of Munits was used by the Chumash tribe who originally inhabited this Southern California region. It’s a relatively large cave, with openings in the roof and a few branching passages. Unfortunately it is covered with graffiti, but it was still easy to feel that strange eerie stillness when one is surrounded by rock. We soon discovered the cave was inhabited by a flock of pigeons, who were apparently nesting in the dark passages. Their coos and noises echoed through the cave which was a bit hair raising.
Alice and I spent some time in there exploring, then went back out into the sun. Getting out of the cave was almost harder than getting in, but together we were able to manage. We walked down the trail some more and found a gorgeous, old oak tree. Alice wanted to sit under it and we had the lunch that we had brought. Then we walked back to the car and headed home.
It was a really great day. Can’t wait for our next adventure!