Moving on up.

Day Fifty

I am really drawn to the Martinez Mountain landslide area for several reasons.  One, it's close to my house.  I can get there in about fifteen minutes.  Two, no one goes there.  It's an area that I am pretty sure I can hike in utter solitude, which I like.  Three, there's a lot area to explore there. Four, the potential discoveries are almost limitless.  

I went out there a couple weeks ago and found a trail and what I think might be some kind of graves.  I went back today to see where the trail goes.  Read about my previous visit here.

I follow the trail to the mouth of the canyon but it seems to end there.  I scout around to see if it went up a ridge or just ends in the canyon and it appears to end at the canyon so I follow the canyon.

Once up the canyon I decide to go up the side of the canyon to see if I can get a better view and maybe see where the trail went.

Whoa!  What's this?  If I were in the mountains I'd call it a meadow.  I don't know what I call it in the middle of a HUGE rockpile.  Maybe a flat.

I wonder around the flat for a while but do not see much in the way of signs of human activity.  It probably wouldn't be a place Native Americans would have lived because there's no food or water.  I did find this cairn so I know someone's been here.

I also found this old shoe.

This also could possibly be another grave.  A lot of times graves were marked with stones like this and it's the right size.

If anyone thinks they can't grow anything, they should try cactus.  These Red Barrels are going quit well right in this rock.

After wandering around for quite a while looking for more trails or signs of previous visitors I have to head home.  But on my way down I spot yet another trail.  I'm sure there are many more here to discover when I can spend days exploring rather than just a few hours.