It was a perfect San Diego Autumn morning on the cliffs of La Jolla. Mike and I ran 5 miles through UCSC Campus trails then hit the cliff trail down to Block Canyon. The day was getting more spectacular which was great as I was meeting couple at 9 am for a tour of Heartbreak Canyon.
We ran along the beach until we saw the endless staircase back to the Gliderport. We hit the stairs and never stopped until we hit the top completely out of breath. 10 minutes later our couple showed up for our tour and the day just kept getting better!
The skies were clear and the ocean was blue. The surf was pounding. Off in the distance you could see the surfers lining up to catch the big waves. We descended the stairs to the beach stopping for breathtaking photos along the way.
We strolled along the beach on our way to the climb into Heartbreak Canyon. Once there I would test their strength with a short rope climb into the mouth of Heartbreak Canyon. They both did well and we stopped for a quick photo at one of the jungle waterfalls before heading further into the canyon on our way to the mouth of the slots.
They entered the slots and climbed to the top like old pro’s! This couple was fun! We pressed on to our test of balance walking the beam across the narrow gorge. They passed their second test with flying colors.
Next I tested their agility by scaling up a short cliff onto a ledge before heading up the “Trailway to Heaven”. They both scrambled expertly up the ledge and onto the trail. Huffing and puffing we made our way up until we created the top and ……there it was. The 10 million dollar view. Now, perched on the top of a cliff looking out over the vast blue and majestic Pacific Ocean I popped our celebratory bottle of Champagne! We toasted to amazing places and new friends and soaked it in. Truly spectacular. It’s funny how doing this tour never gets old for me. I absolutely love seeing people experience this challenge of strength, agility, balance and endurance and then being rewarded with champagne and chocolate at the top of an amazing cliff.
We trekked along the cliff edges making our way back to where we started. We all decided to go have breakfast together at Bella Vista……a terrific restaurant on the UCSD Campus that offers great food, amazing views and cocktails.
After I made them this REALLY COOL MOVIE of their experience (OK I’m not Hollywood director but not bad for a tour guide!)