The Bridge to Nowhere

There is this "Thing" that keeps me coming back to this Bridge to Nowhere. It's an indescribable feeling of self appreciation and feeling of inner peace, for lack of better words.

At first, it seems like your typical Hike. After a half mile in, the trail "splits" and "blends" itself into the environment. There is a somewhat "clear cut" path that hangs over the left side of the canyon for a little less than a mile (left side if you are heading towards the bridge) and there is a very clear cut trail that leads to the Bridge for the last mile, but other than that, you can basically choose your own path, in a sense. Sheep Mountain trail runs along the San Gabriel River, making it impossible to really get lost, and making everything feel all the more adventurous.

And yes, you read right, the trail "blends" itself into the environment. You can find yourself trekking through a field of rocks, traversing along the bank of the river, ambling through a grove of trees, and at some points, you'll even have no choice but to walk through the river! I don't want to go too much into detail, for my words simply can't recreate the first hand experience of being in this space, but it really does feel you are, well, Nowhere.

Walking through the the San Gabriel waters has never really been much of a feat for me, but the pace and height of the water levels will change dramatically season to season. The deepest I've ever experienced was in 2010 during in November. At one point, the water level at one point of the River was up to my CHEST (I'm 5'8) ! Usually, it's only knee high for me, and the current isn't too strong, but I have seen people fall, and it can definitely throw you off balance.

I would highly recommend Adventuring here during the non rainy months to avoid rock slides and flash floods. I've never experienced either during my 12 times there, but weather is unpredictable and so is Nature, and the area is prone to flash floods. You can see clear evidence of rock slides along the trail, and I've noticed that the landscape changes every so often due to large amounts of rain fall. Also, going in Spring or Summer means that everything will be more green, through the gray tones and barren trees of the cold seasons are beautiful as well!

This specific locale gets the nick name "Sheep Mountain Trail" from the presence of Rams. Of my 12 times on this Hike, I've encountered Rams on 3 trips. Give them their space, they are territorial animals and the thick horns on their head were not meant to be decorations. I've never seen a mountain lion, but I've always tried to keep my eyes open for them. I have seen rattlesnakes, and they tend to chill out in the open when it's really hot. Keep your distance and no one will get hurt.

I'm not too familiar with the elevation statistics, but I know Bridge to Nowhere ranges between 900 and 1500 feet... Also, the path to the bridge is 5 miles, however you can keep going beyond the bridge, and up the length of the San Gabriel River! I've never gone much further though, but I would like to someday. The Bridge itself is a massive Stone Bridge that hangs over the river between the walls of the canyon. The Bridge to Nowhere is a historical Landmark, and it's the product of a failed government road project that was abandoned in the early 20th century.

Overall, it's a very beautiful hike, but if you are not an active person or if you've gone on a few smaller hikes, this might be a bit of a challenge!

This is a sort of overall summary of my experiences here, but I'm planning to go back in the coming years. This is also my first Outbound Collective story, and I really wanted to share this specific trail with everyone. I hope to share more insightful and "Adventure Significant" stories in the future!