Hooray for unexpected travel? I’m going to be sharing a random cave (Cave of Munits) that my friends and I happened to discover!
Med school comes with its sacrifices, and most of mine come in the form of not getting to see my friends and family for very long periods of time. Since I’ve essentially been “homeless” this school year and moving around every couple o’ weeks, I’ve been throwing some more traveling in between to explore different parts of the country and visit friends I haven’t seen in months to years.
One such visit was in between my rural FM rotation in Arizona and an interview I had in southern California! I stopped by in socal to visit Rachel + Jaclyn and their family, since I think (we surmise) it’s been 2.5(?) years since I’ve seen them. :[ So sad. Thankfully, it hasn’t actually felt that long, possibly because we wish each other a happy Monday each week and do a quick life update. Thank goodness for technology, right?
It was such a joy to see them again! Our chamber trio rehearsals back in the day tended to consist of lots of team bonding (aka going on food adventures). :] After we graduated from UC Davis, we ran off to Disneyland and…I mistakenly dragged them onto the Tower of Terror with me.
(I’m sorry!!! I had no idea you were afraid of heights! ._.)
I discovered a cool cave near their place and suggested that we go explore it, so…off we went! Yelp was not very clear on where this place was exactly, so we parked in a residential area and headed down the El Escorpion Trail.
Cave of Munits in West Hills, CA
We’d all but given up on finding the cave since we went on a completely different trail elsewhere, but on the way back, Rachel pointed off into the distance and asked, “Hey Farrah, is that the cave you were talking about?” So we got a little closer.
Apparently, I keep unintentionally dragging Rachel and Jaclyn to really high places. ._. Twas a bit steep. (I’m sorry!) We took a random route up a giant hill in the direction of the cave and realized we couldn’t make it to the cave from there, so we had to climb down and climb back up another one.
Jaclyn tends to be our voice of reason, and suggested that perhaps we not climb up the almost-vertical side of the cave to get up there, but…we decided to go for it, so Jaclyn agreed to watch Rachel’s jacket.
I forgot to take a picture of the actual way up because I was concentrating on the climbing, but when we got in there, here’s the view back outside! :]!
We went to PizzaRev for a victory meal afterward! :D Here’s my super delicious pizza! *-*
- Have you gone on any good hikes lately?
- What are your favorite pizza toppings?
- Check out my other travels here!
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Wow! I’m scared of heights and would have given up much earlier.
That pizza looks delish!
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I felt kinda bad and kept apologizing, haha. I’m really glad they did end up having fun though! :P That victory pizza meal was awesome! *-*
That looks like a fun hike! Even though you took a roundabout way of getting to the cave, glad you guys were able to find it. The climbing part sounds fun!
Sharon recently posted…Davis Stampede Half Marathon Training Week 4 and Weekly Wrap 1/11-1/17
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It was a little scary, but definitely a lot of fun! :D!
So cool!! We search out caves wherever we go. We’ve got an eye on making a daytrip to a cave about 3 hours from here that I’ve never been to–whenever we both happen to have a whole day off at the same time (hey, miracles happen). So glad you managed to find it and climb in to explore. Love the shot looking out from the cave into the light! Caves are probably my favorite thing in all of nature (probably explains why we honeymooned at Mammoth Cave National Park…).
Rachel G recently posted…Suspenders: Who Wore it Better? (2013 vs. 2016)
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I haven’t done too many cave explorations, so this was a fun detour of sorts! I will keep my fingers crossed that you both have a mutual day off sometime soon! <3 I saw a couple pictures like that on Yelp, and it's what lured me to want to go exploring there! :P
Wow the caves are stunning Farrah, your photos are beautiful! I’d love to go there someday. I love going on long walks, and I can just see myself loving this! It’s so important to spend time in nature! I’m glad you had such a great time on your hike!
Harriet Emily recently posted…ginny’s american tetrazzini
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Thanks so much, Harriet! :] I bet you’d like this place too! Parts of the climb were a little unnerving, but it was totally worth the view from inside the cave! :D!
Beautiful, and fantastic pictures! What a great way to connect with old friends. Yes, med school is tough and busy, but residency is, I hate to say, busier. But don’t worry, you WILL get to see your family one day! Until then, keep making time for these kinds of moments.
Susie @ SuzLyfe recently posted…Why ALL Runners Should Learn about Marathon Training Plans
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haha, that’s what everyone’s been telling me! I’ll actually have ~*responsibilities*~ (that’s both exciting and terrifying at the same time)!! I get to hang out with my family for a little bit over the next 2 months or so (at least on the weekends), so definitely gonna treasure it while I can, since who knows where the hecks I’m gonna end up for residency! :O!!
So fun!! The joy in exploring is spending time with friends. Glad you were able to find that cool cave.
Jenn – a traveling Wife recently posted…Perfect Stovetop Popcorn
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Yes indeed! :D I’m so glad I got to see them again! <3
I would love hiking in that area of the country especially with people I’m close to who are up for similar adventures!
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Agreed! It’s so much fun! :]!
LOVE EXPLORING!!!!!!!!!!! And exploring caves?! OH HECK YES!! Maybe I should get married in a cave! LOL!
GiGi Eats recently posted…Fishing For Healthier Fish & Chips
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hahaha, I like the cake idea you had so far! :P
Very cool! What a fun way to catch up.
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It was a ton of fun! :D!
Love your story of finding it! What an awesome thing to do, and I love all the pictures!
I used to do a lot of cave exploring, there is just such an amazing awesome world underground:)
Glad you were able to relax and get out for this fun adventure!!!
Kristy @Runaway Bridal Planner recently posted…Parasail Adventures in the Bahamas
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Ah, me too! :D I really need to find more opportunities to go on more cave explorations at some point! *-*
Hikes are always so rewarding and you find those beautiful stunning secrets of nature!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…What To Avoid With A Shellfish Allergy
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Agreed! *-* I hope I get to go on more of em’ soon! :D!
HIking is one of my main hobbies. I wish I could hike all over the U.S.! Austin is a great place to go hiking and exploring trails, too. There is this one trail very close to our apartment that is just brutal, though. It’s basically just up and down stairs the ENTIRE trail in the woods. It’s quite the workout!
Kaylin@EnticingHealthyEating recently posted…Friday Favorites: Be Goofy with your Significant Other
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I’m definitely with you there! If I end up in a residency program on the other side of the country, I’m thinking I’m definitely going to have to do a cross-country road trip to get there (or to get back home)–it’ll be such a good excuse to go on a food tour and hike all over the place! :P That trail near your apartment sounds insane, but yay for built-in workouts!?
What a fun adventure! I’ve only explored a cave once, but it was an amazing experience, and I would love to do this again. Loved seeing the great pics!
Trish recently posted…Did You Know Tuesday – The Story Behind Winnie the Pooh
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After this one, I’d definitely be up for more cave explorations too! :]!
What an awesome way to connect with your buddies!! Med school is ROUGH – I wouldn’t know personally, but living with three med students, I get to hear alllll about it haha.
Jess @hellotofit recently posted…3 Things Every Personal Trainer Should Do to Succeed
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hahaha, I bet they really appreciate your hearing them out! <3!!
What a great adventure and story to tell:o) Your friends must love you lots, to go on high adventures with you and be afraid of heights:o) The last hiking adventure we went on was on the Summit of Pilot Mtn, which is amazing and the view will take your breathe away (I blogged about it). My favorite pizza topping is sausage:o)
Mandi Korn recently posted…Sledding at Beech Mountain, W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir, Mexican in Boone and Doughnuts in Wilkesboro
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hehehe, they’re the best! I felt bad about dragging them with me, but I’m glad they ended up having fun! <3!!
Yay for sausage on pizza! I can't eat pork, but whenever they have turkey sausage available, I'm always all for piling it onto my pizza! :P
I'm off to check out your post! <3!
Wow that looks like a majestic hike!! I like going on nature adventures with friends. These pictures reminds me of spots in Big Bend.
I am a veggie pizza lover fan ;)
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It was definitely a super-fun one! :D I [sadly] haven’t been to Big Bend–where is that at? :O
I love veggie pizza too–so long as it doesn’t include olives! :P
So it looks like you cured your friends of the acrophobia (fear of heights)! And judging from the pics the climb was well worth it. I am not so sure of tower of fear. .. did they thank you for that experience?
Eva recently posted…Paper-Mache Snowman Family Craft
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hahaha, only a temporary cure! They still bring up the tower of terror, but it is all in good fun! :D?! (I’m a terrible human being. ._.)