A hike through the Oasis in Loreto, Baja
Hikers find comfy resting spots in Premier Agua
In the years following our purchase of our home in Loreto Bay, in May, 2005, we attended many HomeOwners’ Gatherings. These were so much fun. We met many of our dear friends on those trips. One of our favorite memories from those days is of a hike that Cecilia Fischer led to Premier Agua, the oasis that is on a very bumpy, rocky road that also leads to some of the near by ranches. We marveled as we ate oranges off the trees, just minutes from the desert, and wandered up the stream that we learned was on a fault line.
In January of this year a group of our women friends decided to go on a hike back to Premier Agua. The January weather was perfect..sunny but not too hot.We packed lunches and piled into Susan and Bruce’s truck.
Susan heroically drove us through challenging roads to the start of our hike
The road to Premier Agua is not for the faint of heart. Luckily we had the lion-hearted Susan at the wheel and she delivered us all to the start of the hike in tact. Most people who come to Premier Agua hike up to the ranches. Jesse, our leader, had consulted with “hike master” Jewel and she had recommended that we turn left and hike down the stream. This did not look very appealing at first but soon we found ourselves surrounded by natural beauty at every turn. We had to cross the stream a few times. It was definitely doable but we could imagine how high the waters must have been during the hurricane.
We had a wonderful time, each walking at our own pace, coming together in different small groups as we stopped to admire and take in the beauty. There were signs of the hurricane wherever we went. Parts of huge bushes and trees, broken off and washed 20 feet to the edge of the rock wall. It was such a contrast, standing in this peaceful spot, to picture the energy of the wind and water surging through the arroyo. Dee’s dog Sophie, who is a rescued Loreto street dog and a most loveable, adventurous being, had a wonderful time racing through the terrain and even climbing the rocks.
We stopped and had lunch at the beginning of a canyon-like passage that had been worn smooth by the years of surging waters rushing through it during storms.
Sharon, Dee, Jane and Ariel Having Lunch in the Arroyo
Jesse, Nancy, Dee, Sharon and Jane at the beginning of the Rock Canyon
It is cool and raining today in Oakland…much like it has been for the two weeks that we’ve been back. Which makes it even sweeter to take time to remember this very special hike we took on a wonderful day in Loreto.
I’m including some photos of our hike below.
Water must have rushed through and taken the bottom part of this bush with it
Beautiful Palm Trees and Rock formations Rise Up on Each Bank of the Stream
A Happy Group of Hikers - Back Row: Dee, Susan, Sophie, Ariel, Jesse; Front Row: Jane, Nancy, Sharon
I Love How Nature Insists on Surviving and Thriving in any Environment
We gather under the Bush That Has Been Partially Swept Away by the Hurricane Waters
Jane LurieEmmy Award winner, Marathoner and ABBA Karaoke Expert
Jane is an Emmy Award winning video editor and camera person. After years of working in TV news, she now loves shooting and editing videos that are uplifting, educational and fun. She and her partner, Sharon, bought into Loreto Bay in May of 2005 and took possession of their home in October of 2007. She has run 1 1/2 marathons in San Francisco. She loves Broadway musicals, all things Mac (Apple), The Rachel Maddow show, kayaking on the Sea of Cortez and her wonderful Loreto community. She believes in the wonders of daily meditation.
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If I can give some unsolicited advice from someone who has been Baja trekhing since ‘65 I
would reccomend going out of your way to be kind to the natives. It never hurts to remind
yourself you are in their Country.
One of the great wonders used to be (at that time) a charming village named Todos Santos.
Foreigners are no longer welcomed there like they were originally and having seen most of the
last 50 years I can say with first hand knowledge that foreigners tried to make the village
into something that the natives did not want. Go out of your way to be neighborly and find
out what will be accepted before its shoved down their throats. Go in peace.