01/25/02:
Drove the 90 miles from Lake Havasu City, Arizona to the Hole-In-The-Wall area (Essex Road, a couple of miles past Jenner and then Black Canyon Road) in two hours or so. Found a free camping site about 4 miles south of the Ranger Station. Fighter jets may come zooming by at 200 feet on maneuvers. Doesn't sound like fun. The forecast is for tonight is teens with rain on Sunday with snow starting at 3000 feet. I'm at 4000 feet right now.
Mitchell Caverns is nearby with its stalactites, stalagmites, helicites, shields and draperies. Its a state park charging $3 for a guided tour with only 1:30pm tours available on weekdays.
Desert Tortoise are found here below 4000 feet. They live up to 80 years and live in burrows during the heat of summer when ground temperatures reach 160F and are more active in the winter. Makes sense to me. Myself, I don't plan on being anywhere where its over 80F.
01/26/02 Hiking Hole-in-the-Wall to Mid Hills Trail (8 miles one way):
Last night was only in the 30's and the snow forecast has been raised to 5000 feet. I really dunno if they're talking about these mountains or some a little farther north.
9am found me at the picnic area just past the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Center. 40's with light winds and everything in shadows. Hole-in-the-Wall is really many, many holes in the wall. This is all volcanic rock the results of volcanoes erupting for millions of years. Gas got trapped in pockets in the lava and uneven cooling caused the holes. Wind has enlarged those holes, some into caverns.
Rings Trail is a narrow trail following a crevasse down 50 feet or so. It's too steep and too narrow for most people to negotiate so they've pounded rings into the rocks to act as foot and hand holds. The trail levels out into a canyon with walls full of holes and then proceeds to the main trail.
This trail to Mid Hills is mostly a continuous slight incline, at least as far as I went. Yucca, cholla, prickly pear and barrel cactus and creosote are the main plants. Later on Juniper bushes and trees began appearing. The barrel cactus are pretty. Purple and yellow, 2 feet tall and a foot or so across.
I just followed the trail out for a couple of hours and then turned back. I wanted to get back and bathe before the weather begins to turn nasty.
01/27/02 Hiking Mid Hills to Hole-in-the-Rock Trail (8 miles one way):
Hit the trailhead across from the Mid Hills Campgrounds at 9:20am. 40's, overcast and blustery. After going up and down a couple of hills the trail leveled out for a while and I decided to run a little. I'd run on a flat or slight decline and walk when the hills started or it got rocky. I liked it. Maybe I'll do some more of that in the future.
Not a lot of variation on this part of the trail. Junipers, cholla, chaparral, cow crap, some prickly pear and no yuccas. Canyon walls and mountain peaks are off in the distance.
01/30/02:
Forecasts on the radio were for cold, heavy winds and snow down to 2000 feet. Like a wuss I ran back to Lake Havasau City in Arizona and stayed there a couple of days. Came back to the Mojave today and its still blowing 30mph taking the 40 degree temperatures down into the 20s.
Checked out the Kelso Sand Dunes. 40 square miles rising as high as 600 feet. With the wind blowing I chose not to hang around and do the trail there. No sense wading through a sandstorm.
Ended up in Baker on I-40, several gas stations and fast food places. Continued east towards Cima where there's supposed to be some kind of Dome. Tons of Joshua Trees around. I guess they're found around 4000 feet. I'll spend a pretty cold night and then go farther towards Cima to hike a trail to Teutonia Peak through a dense Joshua Tree Forest. I forgot Baker is where I pick up CA-127 to Death Valley National Park so I'll be heading back that way afterwards.