Feeling Better: Hiking Sheep Mountain

I'm well on the road to recovery.  My back is 90% better and the toe is healing.  In fact, it's well enough that I went with some friends on a little 9+ hour hike this past week.

I've also been dieting a bit and have lost 23 lbs. since the day I went to the doctor for the surgery on my toe.

I've done about one hike a week but today's was special so I thought I'd better write about it.

We started off by hiking up the Boo Hoff Trail at the top of the La Quinta Cove.

This trail ascends fairly quickly and soon we connect the Guadalupe Trail that will take us up to Devil Canyon.

No matter what type of shoes I wear these cholla balls just seem to love me.  

Alberto and Carl, a couple of old hiking buddies came along for the adventure.  Once we got to Devil Canyon we headed out to the Northwest toward Bear Creek.  I'm sure at this point both of them are wondering, "Where is he taking us to now?".

Up here we have nice views looking down over Palm Desert and the western part of the Coachella Valley.

Alberto finds a deer antler.  I had told the guys there were lots of deer up on this mountain and now we have some evidence.  This is the first of two antlers we will find today.

This is what we came for.  Exciting, isn't it?  This little crease in the mountain is a place that holds water and has a lot of vegetation.  I thought that perhaps it might be a place the Cahuilla Indians used as a campsite or a gathering place.

Unfortunately, there really isn't too much flat area in which to make a decent campsite.  There may be some evidence of Indian occupation here but we were unable to find it.  We don't have a lot of time to look, however, because we've got a lot of miles and over 4,000 ft. vertical to head back down.

But the views up here are spectacular. 

But that's where we need to get to.

On the way down, we meet a new friend.

But he's not really too happy to meet us.  Carl mentioned that this is the first time in his 40 plus years of hiking in the desert that he's ever seen a rattlesnake in January.  

We make our way down as the sun retreats across the desert.  It actually feels good to be in the shade.  The hike up was just a little to warm for so early in the year.

We say goodbye to the sun.

And hello to the moon.

Why is it that all of my favorite hikes seem to end in the dark?

A Brand New Ancient Trail

Recently, I've really developed a desire to go and explore the great wealth of alluvial fans down at the southern end of the Santa Rosa Mountains.  There are two reasons for this:

One: Hundreds of years ago, when the ancient Lake Cahuilla filled the lower part of the Coachella Valley, this area was a hotbed of Cahuilla Indian activity.  Generations of Indians lived near the banks of this great lake and flourished due to the richness of life it created.  Even after it dried up, its basin became a large repository for salt which was then traded with other Indian tribes throughout the region.  I know there have to be lots of trails remaining in the area that mark these ancient people's routes of travel.

The second thing that attracts me to the area is that nobody goes there.  Even in our great National Parks and Wilderness areas you will find signs that people frequent even to most remote locations and the highest peaks.  In this place, except for the trails of Ancients, there's no sign anyone has ever gone there.  Except me.

After wandering around for a couple miles I come upon what looks like start of a bedrock mortar.  I think this is probably a good sign.

I jump up onto a nearby bluff and find a faint but followable trail.

There are sections that are actually quite distinct— like this one--while other parts are barely discernible.

Other than the trail, I have found no other sign of human inhabitation except for this little pile of rocks. It's not much but they did not get this way on their own.  Someone had to do this.

The trail becomes more difficult to follow so I wonder if maybe I should head up to this ridge to see if I can spot anything.

It's obvious that there's not a trail here but maybe I can see something interesting.

I wander up the ridge a bit and looking down I see a large boulder covered with petroglyphs.  Had I just continued on the path I was on I'd be there already.

There are petroglyphs on a few boulders here but this is the largest.  

I always love finding new places and I wonder, with a hillside full of boulders, why the Indians chose these to create this rock art on.

Another etching.

In the distance it looks like there's another large boulder which may have some more art on it.  I hike over to it but it just a rock.

Here's another shot of the main boulder.

I find this nice little petroglyph of an early model sports car.  Those Indians were sure ahead of their time.

Beavertail Cactus flowers

I find this piece of what at first glance appears to be pottery.

But it ends up just being a rock.

Silver Cholla cactus flower

Now this IS pottery.  There are several pieces of what was probably a dropped pot.  I'm sure someone got in trouble for this.

Another piece.

And yet another.

Making my way back to my Jeep I come upon this section that looks like it's an old cobblestone wall.  The water coming down this wash has sheared off this section so cleanly that it looks like someone built it here.  This area is so full of fascinating finds that I'm really surprised that no one ever comes out here. That's OK with me, though; I'm glad they don't.

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.