Three Sisters Waterfall in San Diego

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Now this is a warning.  This post is picture heavy post and lots of reading.  If you are here looking for business stuff click the tabs at the top.  If you are here for the article... read on.

My husband asked the newly turned 13 year old what she wanted to do on her birthday.  She wanted to see a brand new part of San Diego.  So then the next question was city or nature?  She originally said the city, so we went on her birthday to do some exploring.  We stopped to have lunch at CiCi's pizza, and the whole family went into a food coma.  We went home.  Since this day was a bust we were going to try again on Sunday. The following day she said lets do nature.  After a few questions later my husband guided her into saying a waterfall hike.  Here is where I will mention my husband has been here before and knew exactly what he was about to do to us.  

I get on the computer to try and find photos of Three Sister's Falls.  Basically what I was looking for was to see if I needed to bring my big camera.  I really do not like hiking with it.  Fear of breaking it, fear of loosing it, fear of breaking my back because it is so heavy.  What I was found was many reviews on Yelp saying how difficult it was and most important do not bring children.  What the.... 

Here is a little history about our family my kids have been hiking since birth.  In Okinawa all the hikes include a million stairs.  So the kids are used to being tortured by my husbands hikes.  The current ages are 13, 8, 6 and 5.

So here we go!

This is the children at the beginning of the hike. Notice backpacks on and they are clean.

Ten minutes into the walk both boys wanted the backpacks off.  My tip no back packs for smaller children unless you like to hike with lots of stuff.

 My husband showing the boys the waterfall.  Yes you can't see it in the photos because it is FAR!

In our house Daddy's kiss and hug their boys.

There were flowers everywhere.  I wanted to stop all the the time. 

 So the best part of this hike is that it changes.  First it is flat and easy, then it gets off roadish, then you come in to this area that is full of flowers, then dirt (lots and lots of dirt), then boulders, then the falls.

I didn't take photos of the boulders we came across later.  Lets just say this is nothing... not even a tenth of the size of the big ones.

This one we had to throw kids across.  I don't recommend this, but this is how we roll.  

Because I love my camera I did not take it out in the dirty parts.  However I did get this one.  Look at her face.  Honestly I was kinda thinking.... WIMP!  It doesn't look that hard. Well it is and later I was calling myself a wimp.  Also I would like to publicly apologize to this woman for thinking that.  I was punished later by having that same face.

 These are still small boulders.

 Made it to the waterfall in about 2 hours.

 Boogers and dirt = Awesome Grossness!

I wanted a photo of the kids at the waterfall site.  At the top of the mountain is where we started.

Woot Woot we did it.  The water... FREEZING!

Now we have to head back.  Getting to the falls is easy.  It is mostly going down.  Going back is up and I mean UP!  This is when bad attitudes start coming out.

Taking a pitstop.

Sun is going down. 

Almost toward the end.  

Everyone all in one piece.  We completed the climb with minor injuries, enough water and food.  We did this huge climb as a family.  It was a monster of a climb and we did it.

Now do I recommend this climb for children.  Only if you are a hiker and breed little baby hikers.  Everyone else, heck no.  Go with adults only then use your judgement.  All the adults who passed us said that we should not take the children.  They all said good-luck and grunted like those are terrible parents.  Then those same people all got excited when we arrived. (most likely an hour after they did).  I had a few guys breath under their breath "you shouldn't be here." because we messed with their climb.  You have to pass people and wait.  So children do add some time to that.  I want my children to go slow, make sure their footing is right.  One day those childless people will also be bringing their children.  I hold no grudge.  

I do wish I brought a first aid kit.  We had a few scratches and lets face it, bandaids do make things better.  Moreso, for the what if?  What if we had a worse accident.  It just would have been comforting to know I had it.

There is one part of the climb that reminded me of that movie 127 hours.  You know where the bolder falls on his arm and he has to cut off his own arm.  If you have not seen that movie don't.... I don't think I watched it as I just dry heaved the whole time.  Basically what I am saying is you have to be a decent climber.  If I didn't have my husband there was no way I was getting up.  I might have been able to go around it, but I just followed and did what my husband told me to do.

Another important part of the climb is the ropes.  There are two sections that have ropes.  The first is attached to the tree.  Those are okay.  We used the ropes and we didn't use them.  That part looks worse than it is.  Now the second set in the dirt.  DO NOT use them.  You can go around.  It is so much easier.  This was the only bad part of the whole hike.  We knew better than to use them, but the kids wanted too.  Go with your gut.... and your knowledge you just got from me.  Skip the second set.  

So what everyone wants to know.  Would we do it again.  Well by choice I wouldn't, but I am also not really an outdoorsy kind of girl.  I will have to because all the kids loved it.... and my husband will make me.