The best waterfalls in Lytle Creek

Who'd have thought you could get a lonely, big, almost cinematic scene like this in Southern California?

We left early in a light drizzle, three cars meeting up in the valley. I'd figured it would be a nice 68°F kind of walk. Then I opened the car door and a 50°F wind off the mountains hit me in the face. Everyone was hunching up and stamping their feet, pulling spare clothes out of bags. That's how the whole adventure started.

There's a small wooden bridge at the entrance with a fast stream running underneath. After that the trail winds through the valley with mountains on both sides, and way off in the distance there's mist. The big rocks along the river are covered in graffiti, every colour, like an outdoor art gallery.