Sheep Canyon Trail

 I live in the most amazing place.  Literally within minutes I can leave my house and get into the wilderness, a completely different world.  I drive past country clubs, farms and ranches to get to places where people once lived on nothing but what they could hunt or gather. Most modern men could not survive out there for but a few days but the Cahuilla Indians lived here for generations.  To many people, the desert is a lifeless wasteland, full of nothing but venomous creatures that sting, bite or kill and evil plants that inflict a multitude of lacerations.  Sometimes it's those things to me but more often it's a place of wonder, inspiration and tranquility.  There is no better place on earth.

I head out to Sheep Canyon to do a little exploring.  I only have a few hours and I think I really need a few months to fully explore this whole area.

There's plenty of water flowing in the canyon.  And people say this is a desert.

On the left of the canyon is a campsite that I'm sure was used by the Indians as well as more recent visitors.

This is one of the more interesting spots I know of in these mountains.  The rocks here are like concrete. I'm sure there are other sections like this but this is the only one that I've personally found.

I really like this rock and the shade it provides.  I wonder what it would take to get it moved to my yard?

The shaded area made for a very good kitchen. A few of many bedrock mortars on this slab.

The geology of this canyon is fascinating.

There are many layers and different types of rock.

And, as I said, water is plentiful.

I get to a place where I am actually able to leave the canyon so I opt to explore above.

Beavertail cactus blooms

Click to enlarge

I get to a nice flat spot above the canyon, an area that seems like it would make a terrific campsite but find nothing of interest.

A little more exploring leads me to what seems to be a trail.

It is a trail and a pretty good one at that.

It leads to another nice little flat area and this rock circle. 

The trail then leads uphill.

I prefer the travel up here to what's below.  It looks like the canyon gets a little more chocked with brush.  When I come back I'm going to have to wear long pants and a long sleeve shirt.  Gloves would probably be advisable, too.

The trail leads up to some expansive views of the Coachella Valley and the Salton Sea.

It traverses around this little hill but I'm out of time and need to get back.  But even a couple hours of adventure does wonders to restore one's soul.

This is a recurring theme on many of my hikes lately.  Restoring one's soul can sometimes take a toll upon one's body.

I take a different route down and come upon some more evidence of those who lived here long ago.

Yet another mortar.

I look to see if I can go down this canyon but it looks nasty.  Loose dirt, steep dropoffs and more plants that poke.  I'll try another route.

This one is not much better.  It is one of the worst hillsides I've traversed in, well, a couple weeks.  In the canyon bottom, you can see that white concrete-like slab.

After precariously downclimbing yet another hillside of crap I get to some flat, albeit rocky, ground.  All I have to do is walk directly to that little hill in the upper left of the picture.  That's where my Jeep is parked. It looks like a straight easy shot.

Of course, nothing out here is easy.  It's just a little hundred foot deep sheer canyon in the way.  Piece of cake.  If traveling out here in the desert were easy, everyone would be doing it but then instead of hours of solitude in a breathtakingly beautiful setting I'd be assaulted with crowds and noise.  No thanks.  I like it just the way it is.

South Of Sheep Canyon

Wednesday, I had a few hours between dropping off my son at school and having to pick him up so I decided to go for a little adventure south of Sheep Canyon.  If you are unfamiliar with Sheep Canyon I am not surprised.  It's a small canyon south of Martinez Canyon in the Santa Rosa Mountains.  Not many people go there.  Access is difficult and if you ask me how I got there I would not be able to tell you.  I just drove down some dirt roads until I got to where I wanted to be.

The reason I wanted to visit this little side canyon is because the last time I was in the vicinity I thought I saw some palm trees in the distance.  If there are Palm Trees that means there's water.  Where there's water there were probably Indians and in places the Indians visited there are probably trails.  I love finding new trails.

This is Sheep Canyon.  Once I drop down into it I will take an old Indian trail into the canyon I want to explore today.

As you get back into the canyon the walls become tall and vertical.  I can only imagine the amount of water that was required to cut these walls so cleanly.  In places the walls are almost 40 feet high.

As the canyon narrows, I take off on the Indian trail on the left side.  I know you can't see it but trust me, it's there.

The trail is never very distinct but it is at least visible enough to follow.

As I drop down into the canyon I came to explore I can see the effects of the rain we got last month.  The Ocotillo are full of leaves and soon flowers will be blooming all around the desert.

This is the canyon I came to explore.  No evidence of a trail down here.

But there is evidence of how remarkable the desert is.

After navigating a canyon filled with sand and rocks, it becomes chocked with brush and my legs are not happy.  Note to self: next time up here, wear long pants.

It turns out that those Palms I saw were, in fact, Cottonwood trees.  They are dead from winter but their green leaves are what caused me to think Palms were up here.  It really doesn't matter because Cottonwoods also require constant water so the possibility that Indians were here and trails exist is still valid.

But I run out of time and easy passage.

Looking further up the canyon I see a Palm Tree but oddly it's not a native but a Date Palm.  Intriguing.  There's no way I can get to it without long pants, a machete and more time.  But I'll be back because this canyon holds possibilities.

Lots of possibilities.