Moments in Dirt and Ink

Mojave National Preserve Click for map. There is a closer parking spot off the road a little to the north, but that one has gotten a bit rumpled after some flooding last summer, so I decided to just start where I was. I noticed I was just east of a benchmark right out there in the middle of the sands and thought I'd have a go at finding it first, then off to the cliffs I can see out there and around to some prime spot to head for the first peak: Tortoise Shell Mountain. First to head vaguely winding between the spines to a road, and then along that road until near the benchmark. The real first destination of the day is the lump of rock that is Tortoise Shell Mountain. Then on to the rest of the Woods Mountains for the high point, which is the third from the left. The weatherman says the day will be cloudy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. Certainly has the first part right. Finding the benchmark is straightforward enough although it takes a little cir...

Mojave National Preserve Click for map. Off to another mountain! This one took a little time to find parking, but eventually I found a bit along something I wasn't sure was a real road. It takes a bit of a jump of about 4 feet up quite suddenly which a few users have found a way around, then looks a bit like it is trying to be a camp site, then settles into being a road going on and on towards whatever it might desire. It is even on my map. It is easier to pull off to the side of than the main road so helpful as parking before that sudden up. From here, it should be a jaunty walk across the fairly flat desert followed by a general attempt to go up quickly, but not so quickly as there is a cliff to try to scale. Like the other peaks in the area, this one has a number of cliffs to ring it. Rough stuff doesn't bother the people who come here. This is the Mojave National Preserve! I follow the road a little bit, but its direction is far too much to the south for my...

Mojave National Preserve Click for map. I noticed there was a spring marked on the electronic map not more than a mile from my campsite and decided to see what it may hold. Probably the cows know about it and it is just a mess. Certainly man knows about it, it's on the map. Probably it has been piped for the cows. Zooming closer, a name appears. "Cave Spring" probably means it's another mine that hit water. Anyway, I resolve to stride out across the desert and see it, then wander back along the ridge it is nearly on and see the road side caves on the way back. The spring is supposed to be on this close ridge of Wild Horse Mesa. It is around a couple corners from here. Setting off, there is very quickly a cow path going my way. I follow it across the desert edging around the side of the ridge, until it gets lost in an area of cow sitting about. I just go on for I am not quite ready for sitting about. Cow paths develop under me again as I climb over a l...

Mojave National Preserve Click for map. The Hole-in-the-Wall visitor center for the Mojave National Preserve has a little notoriety to its local trails because one is set with rings to help travelers traverse a couple spots that otherwise would be somewhat difficult climbs. There are two loops possible to combine with the short rings loop, one to the south known as the Rings Loop is about a mile, one to the north known as the Barber Peak Loop is about six miles. The Rings Loop heads out from the south side of a parking lot near the visitor center and returns through the Hole to a picnic area on the same spur road but past the visitor center. There is a sign to show the start. This sign also explains the trail markings that are put up frequently along the route to that it is more easily distinguished from washes, cow trails, random abundances of human footprints off trail, and whatever else might exist to get folks lost. The visitor center in front of Barber Peak and, not ...

Mojave National Preserve Click for map. I was eyeballing the "Bobcat Hills" as a nice spot to hike, but then decided to go for the much higher spot on the other side of the road in the middle of a green wilderness area. Oddly, it seems to have a few roads reaching into it. I can drive in as far as I can and then, at worst, it will be 4-5 miles to the top. There is a handy camp site (or three) at the parking I used, which works out great. (The Mojave National Preserve allows roadside camping at well established sites with a metal or rock fire ring. You are required to pack out all trash including ashes and toilet paper and may not "improve" or increase the site in any way.) I probably could have driven in further, but there just doesn't seem to be much point. Dawn sunlight playing on the hills. This is the road. The day dawns pretty, but inauspiciously. Just 10 minutes after the sun breaks the horizon, it hides determinedly behind an increasing bl...