Lunch at the San Antonio Falls

Mount Baldy is one of my favorite hikes near Los Angeles not only because reaching the summit of this prestigious landmark is a serious workout but it also offers a fun wet canyon to explore if you're into canyoneering: San Antonio Falls. It doesn't hurt that on a normal day (or very early in the morning) it takes about an hour and a half from the Airport and about an hour from Pasadena to get to the trailhead, which makes it a strenuous day trip. 

Even though we had a late start for this kind of adventure I still decided to pack my bag with all my canyoneering gear and my portable kitchen hoping that I could make a quick meal after the ascent to the drop off point while my friend set up the first rappel. To top it off, I decided to take my favorite hiking buddy (A.K.A my dog) along with me for the ride since he had already gone on a canyoneering trip with me and seemed to love it. The water flow was low but decent enough to get wet and dirty while making our way down the canyon. 

But the adventure didn't go as planned and the puppy was not feeling well that day after trying to eat an ice pack that was left on the kitchen counter earlier in the day (I only found out about this when I returned home later in the day). It was the one and only time that I had to pull him on the leash instead of the other way around. Needless to say, I was worried about him and after ascending for a while on the trail leading to the top of the waterfalls, we decided to turn around and take it easy. 

So I did get a chance to cook the meal that I had brought along. It was nothing too fancy since I was supposed to carry all that gear and the ingredients up a steep trail and down a wet canyon but it ended up tasting delicious.

I had previously mixed olive oil with minced garlic, black pepper and 24 herbs and spices seasoning in a mini water bottle (10 oz) before leaving my apartment and poured a small amount of Vegan bacon bits in a small container. I also grabbed a pack of pre-cooked polenta from Trader Joe's, a few cornichons and some Tomato Jam made by Bare Republic Preserves.

We set up the cooking station near the waterfalls and after frying the slices of polenta for a few minutes in the seasoned olive oil we added all the toppings and enjoyed a quick meal with a beautiful view.

 

The puppy also enjoyed my cooking and when we came back home that night he was back to his normal self again and seeing him drink and eat again was a great way to end the day.