Three years ago, the outdoor sports giant, REI, started a movement in defiance of the greed and barbarism of the Black Friday tradition of waking up early to rush into stores and shove fellow shoppers out of the way in search of the best deal. REI termed their movement #OptOutside and encouraged would be shoppers to visit the great outdoors on the day after Thanksgiving instead of devolving into proto-humans and fighting each other to save a quarter on a pair of socks that nobody actually wanted in the first place. I've always thought the #OptOutside movement was an exceptional idea and have tried to participate since its inception.
This year, I decided to visit the Black Hole of Calcutta Falls, which is on the outskirts of the Auburn State Recreational Area. I was going to be in the area anyway and with a name like the 'Black Hole of Calcutta Falls', it has to be a fantastic destination, right?
Parking the jeep, I note the large number of cars in the area. Perhaps the movement is taking hold. The trail quickly heads out across an old railroad bridge spanning the American River. The trail is well maintained and popular, as I encounter a large number of fellow hikers on my way to the falls.Far below, the American River carves out a beautiful canyon with natural granite slabs lining the banks of the river, much as they do in other areas I have explored like Stevens Trail a few miles to the east.
After just a mile, the trail abruptly drops about 30 feet and a sturdy wooden bridge allows visitors to stand just below the wet black rock that forms the backdrop of Calcutta Falls. The water drops about forty feet from an unseen creek above (probably spring-fed) to a small pool just in front of the bridge. I take a few shots and head back to the way I came. The overall hike was only about 2.2 miles and I would have liked to have done more, but I have a number of other plans this afternoon. At least I was able to #OptOutside a little bit today.
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