Moments in Dirt and Ink

Tonopah Field Office BLM ( map link ) My plan for the day was an out and back to Silver Peak, a little over 3.5 miles distant for the crow. For myself as a land bound creature, it would involve some winding and negotiation of slopes. There are numerous ascents on Peakbagger , mostly involving long 4x4 drives to or near a radio tower south of the peak and a half mile walk up to the top. Some decide it's a bit rough or snowy and they might as well get a whole mile walk in. One sans-4x4 headed up a road a bit to the west that gets up pretty high. I decided on one a little less to the west that doesn't go so far, leaving more than half of the route cross country. But how hard could that cross country be? After a short walk on the good road, there's this pair of tracks heading south. The terrain ahead, but I'm going off to the right. Silver Peak is way in the back and a little further. The road climbs a bit higher than I needed it to, but it's gentle. It ge...

Tonopah Field Office BLM ( map link ) My initial plans for a western approach to the high point of Rhyolite Ridge may have been foiled (perhaps by my own timidity), but I could still find a way up on the east side to bag this 1000 foot prominence peak. The west side sure looks a lot easier. There is a track on Peakbagger indicating it didn't require any class 5.3 moves or anything, so I set out to make the attempt in spite of all the clearly visible cliffs. Rhyolite Ridge from the east side. Boundary Peak (and higher Montgomery next to it) through the gap. Taller, but not very prominent. The route up is far to the north on little used roads and my little car still has only two drive wheels and 6 inches of clearance, so there would be a bit of walking before the real climbing began. From camp, the roads going my way are inconveniently placed, so I just set out across the scrub. Not a hard hike with a patch of cholla along the way. I got to a rough road and followed it ...

Tonopah Field Office BLM ( map link ) Corral, it says. Cave Spring, it says. Ruins, it says. There's a couple prospects and a building marked too. Okay map, I thought, we can stop there and see what all the fuss is about. That's quite a few little marks. Cabin, corral, and Rhyolite Ridge. I did find myself deciding that the way up Rhyolite Ridge was up the valley north of the road and pick one of the later minor ridges to the top. The only trouble is the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project. (Sponsors of Radio Goldfield , oldies western and a whole lot more. Strongly Appalachian sounding when I first stumbled on it, playing "Christmas songs for folks who don't like Christmas songs" later, and highly recommended.) There's a bit of activity south of the road including "no unauthorized entry" signs and seemed like even more activity north of the road. No exclusive signs, but still worrying. So I discarded actually doing my plan for the Rhyoli...

Caliente Field Office BLM ( map link ) Camping at the edge of Big Rocks Wilderness by the "Welcome to Mecca!" sign, I decided that my goal for the day would be the Big Rocks Wilderness high point, which is also the North Pahroc Range high point. However, I did not want to walk up the road I had driven, nor did I want to risk driving it again with my inappropriate car, so I wouldn't be starting from the points west of the unnamed peak where the most successful attempts have originated. I would be traveling from the south, probably along a ridge. The one person who had traveled similarly from the north indicated that this was some of the most taxing terrain they'd been on. There is also a lower benchmark that would have been a more reasonable goal from my starting point, but no, it was not mine. I've been getting high points and here was another 4 miles off and I had all day to do it. I wanted another high point. Sign to welcome folks to Mecca. It's not...

Six Rivers National Forest Trinity National Forest (Map link.) Blake Mountain is the named high point of South Fork Mountain. I planned to start at Blake Springs Campground for the little wander to the top. There is no sign for the campground nor much evidence of it left. I think I ended up stopping near the south end of the old campground. It is a turnout with some actual green trees in the area and has a couple roads connecting to an old bladed road. It would have still been drivable if not for the trees across it. I started north along the road passing a couple of what looked like bladed pull-in points, as is typical of a campground. (USGS actually claims the campground was at the spring.) The green topped trees quickly get interspersed with standing dead while going along the old road from the turnout. There are actually three locations one might find benchmarks around this high poing. My map claimed I should find the USGS benchmark just past one pull-in, so I wandered...

Six Rivers National Forest (Map link.) I had two shorter trails in the plan for this day, but I was extremely certain that at least one wouldn't work out. I saw the sign for 5E41, stopped a bit past it, pondered, then turned back to risk my car a second time across a mile or so of FR-1 to attempt to park. (It is worth noting that while the road is entirely paved, it is so pitted with potholes, some large enough to eat a small car tire, that it requires constant vigilance to drive. This vigilance should not distract from watching for oncoming traffic on narrow curves. Also watch for fallen rocks and trees.) As this is actually a short Jeep road, there isn't actually any parking near it. I only managed to get halfway off the pavement, but well out of the lane of travel, so declared it good enough. It's not a very high traffic area and on a long straight section anyway. I had other reasons to be pretty sure no one would come down the road in their vehicle to join me at ...

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space Click for map. I was trying to wander my way along the ridge line, but I failed to notice where I needed to turn to go over the big freeway from Summit Road to CA-35 and was unceremoniously dumped onto CA-17, but I found this nice park because of it. Like the East Bay Regional Park system, the Midpeninsula Regional Parks have plenty of signs that include a map with more paper maps in a box to take with you. If they do happen to be out, it's online too. They also have gates on the parking that get locked. Generally it is half an hour after sunset to sunrise, but this one opens a half hour before sunrise. There's almost no one here, although it says the lot can fill quickly on the weekend and there is no nearby overflow space. It might be because dogs are not allowed, so there are no dog walkers keeping it busy in the early morning. The map shows a pair of trails that join again on their way to Madrone Knoll, one passing a spot marked ...

Gila National Forest Click for map. There are other destinations to be had starting at the Dragonfly Trailhead, but the claim to fame is clearly the petroglyph somewhere along a loop of trail a little over 4 miles long. This is still in the area that was once cavalry pastures for Fort Bayard but is now administrative pastures for the Forest Service, so is well fenced around the edges. The shape of the petroglyph is repeated along the fence as decoration, so you'll know what you're looking for if you choose to try to find it. A sign on the gate warns that the area is under surveillance to try to catch vandals because it is getting abused. It has the only mention of how to treat the art site: look but don't touch. Yes, even petroglyphs degrade too quickly under a constant stream of people walking up, stabbing their finger into it, and shouting to the rest of their group, "Here it is!" Gate at the start of the trail. There is a dragonfly to the left on th...

Coronado National Forest Click for map. Even though I know the "parks" around here are just saddles, I have this urge to go up and see Pine Park. It's just 3 miles along, just past a junction at the ridge. For a little extra incentive, there's a Fossil Saddle and Fossil Seep a half mile the other way. It's the way I would have gone up had I done Chiricahua as a day hike instead of a backpack . And I might could just make a loop out of it and maybe get some different viewpoints of Cave Creek Canyon. Maybe. I'll get to the top and decide. I would have waited another day to let my poor legs rest a little more after the 32 mile overnight backpack, but the storm that started as I was finishing put down a bit of snow all over the higher elevations and I wouldn't mind getting up there while it still is. Starting at Herb Martyr just like for the loop past Ash Spring , I head directly across the campground to the large sign across the creek skipping that ...

Coronado National Forest Click for map. (Day 1 of 2) By my estimate, it would be 20 miles to go up to Chiricahua Peak and also go for the Chiricahua benchmark on Flys Peak in a tidy little loop going up Basin Trail to Snowshed and down Greenhouse Trail. This could be done, but I'm not quite feeling like a 20 mile day and there are some more things along the way that might be fun to hit. Of course, just hitting the peak via the shorter of the routes (probably Greenhouse) would bring it down, but then there is even more I am missing out on. But then I found an overnight kitty sitter, which opened up some options. In fact, if I could get a ride over to South Fork, that would let me go up Sentinel and Finnicum Peaks, estimated 18 mile round trip on a loop, as well. Then I noticed at 4AM that I better get going today because the kitty sitting offer wouldn't last forever and Wednesday has a 10% chance of rain to make it a bit dreary as a hiking day. So, finally packed a few...

Coronado National Forest Click for map. The loop, generally on the Basin Trail, past Ash Spring seems like a good one to try to get Timmy more familiar with being on trail. It is just three miles long with the spring about halfway with a nearby apple tree for taking a long rest, perhaps. Maybe a nice middle of the day nap is what he needs to keep going. (Odd, what things can be found marked on OpenStreetMap. There seems to be another apple tree on the South Fork Trail at the spot it gets bad.) There are two lots at Herb Martyr with trail parking above and walk-in campground parking below. Currently it is officially dispersed camping, but there are still tables and a toilet for anyone to use. Actually an access trail to the Basin Trail. I wonder what destination has been removed from that sign? I start down the trail, which winds around the far side of the camping area across one old foundation and down a set of stone steps to Cima Creek below. It has good flow and a lo...