Cactus Spring Trail, Santa Rosa Mountains

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN

Cactus Spring is an important source of water in the Santa Rosa Mountains. It was used by the Cahuilla Indians as an essential watering hole and is today used by hikers traveling in the Santa Rosa Mountains. It is such a major source that the only maintained trail in the Santa Rosa Wilderness is known as the Cactus Spring Trail.

Given how important of a water source the spring is, it is often a surprise to some visiting for the first time that it is little more than a shallow mud hole. Without proper filtration you wouldn't consider drinking from it even if your life depended on it. OK, you might if you were dying of thirst but only then.

The Cactus Spring Trail is a popular destination for desert hikers. It offers challenging mountains to climb, cultural resources, solitude and water. That last thing is what makes this trail unique among most desert hikes. I'd have liked to hike to Aqua Alta but time was limited by a parent conference. I'd have less than three hours to get there and back.

Despite the perfect weather today there are some hazards that I'm acutely aware of. I've slipped on this trail before and gashed my knee and this is perfect rattler weather.

A little over a mile from the start I come upon flowing water. This is a good sign. This little drainage is usually dry this time of year.

As I get to Horse Thief Creek the beautiful fall colors of the Cottonwoods greet me.

There is also plenty of water in Horse Thief. It is not only in stagnant pools either but is gently flowing.

Along the trail, you travel through Little Pinyon Flat, an area that was important to the Cahuilla Indians and that was often used as a gathering place for family gathering. In the past, I have found pottery sherds and other Indian remnants in the area.

If I were able to continue on trail I'd be able to climb Martinez Mountain. This is an excellent climb that I've done several times. Also in the area is Sheep Mountain, another excellent climb.

This is where you'll find Cactus Spring. There is no sign although there are abundant footprints, both human and animal, going into the spring.

This is it. When I said it was a mud hole I meant it.

I didn't have time to look around for an Indian artifacts although I found this Valentine.

The Cactus Spring Trail is like the route our parents used to have to walk to school: uphill both ways. This trail is like a roller coaster going up and down over its entire length. It can get very tiresome especially since I'm on a very tight schedule and have to run some sections in order to make it back in time.

Just beyond Horse Thief Creek I see this fresh blood on a rock. While it may be from an animal--my thought is a bird of prey had its lunch in a tree above this spot--it serves as a potent warning. Never sacrifice safety for speed.

The next time I come up this trail I hope I have a whole day or more to explore. There's so much to see in the area to discover it seems a shame to only come for a few hours. Although since I only had a few hours to spend somewhere I'm glad I spent it here.

Hiking into the Past

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX

Modern trails in the Coachella Valley, like most places, have history. While there are trails that are purely of modern origin, a good many trails in the areas were at one time Indian trails. These trails were the only means of transportation for the people who lived here. They had no roads, no vehicles, no horses. They walked wherever they wanted to travel and travel they did. The Indians were largely nomadic and traveled throughout the area, establishing campsites in varying elevations depending on weather and food supply. They also engaged in trade with other tribes throughout Southern California. In addition to trails that have been reworked and utilized by modern hikers, there are still trails in their natural state that haven't seen much use for decades. I love to go out and try to find them.

Today I thought I'd go out and see if there might be a trail that connected Devil Canyon, south of La Quinta with the area near the Martinez Landslide. I know there was a Cahuilla Village in the area and there must be a profusion of trails reaching into the high country. I'm sure when the weather got hot, the Indians headed up the eastern face of Martinez Mountain. The question is, where?

It's obvious that this VW bus never made it out of this area but I wonder how on earth it ever got back here. This terrain is extremely rugged and no place for the predecessor to the mini van.

I don't have to go far before I hit a trail. This probably connected the trail where the modern Boo Hoff Trail makes its way into Devil Canyon with other trails heading east, or at least I hope.

The trail dumps into a wash and I cannot locate another trail heading east. I find a trail I previously hiked that heads south but that's it. Maybe my hunch is incorrect and the Indians just walked down the wash to get to the Landslide area.

I decide to walk along the alluvial fan instead of in the wash because even without a trail it's easier going. Plus, if there is a trail that heads from the wash area up toward the mountains I will be able to spot it from up here.

While I don't find a trail I do come across this interesting rock sitting on a boulder.

It's travertine like down by the Salton Sea. Someone had to transport this up here.

A close up of the rock.

There's a section of heavily varnished boulders on the hillside that stands out. To me this would be a good place to meet or to hang out if I lived out here but I explore around and don't find too much of interest. There are no fire pits or petroglyphs or anything that would suggest anyone had much interest in this area. I guess there are plenty of brown rocks to choose from around here, so why should these be special?

I realize I'm not going to make it to the landslide today because my light is fading and I want to get back before it gets too dark. I have a headlamp but would rather not travel off trail through rocks and Cholla in the dark. I figure I'll head down to the wash and walk that back up to where I started.

But as I head down to the wash I find these two odd rock piles. There's nothing else in the vicinity, no fire rings or litter of any kind, just these.

Not too far away I see this rock pile that has a grave-like shape. It could just be a naturally occurring pile of boulders but it doesn't look to be. It looks as though the rocks were stacked here and the size is similar to graves I've seen elsewhere. OK, now I really want to get back before dark.

Heading down toward the wash what do I come up upon? The trail I'd been looking for in the first place. It heads straight toward the landslide area but now it's too late to head there now. Thankfully, cooler weather is on the horizon and I won't have to start my hikes so late in the day to avoid the heat. This area will be high on my list of places to come visit.

The trail heads right up to Devil Canyon and now I know where it meets the wash near my starting point. Now I can follow it to the landslide area and, from there, who knows where? This adventure is only beginning.

Hiking on a Hunch

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE

South of La Quinta is an area that not many people go to and I like that. The northern slope of Martinez Mountain is rocky and barren and has no trails to attract a hiker but I have a hunch that there has to be an Indian Trail, or a network of them, on this part of the mountain. Once the temperature cools down--today's high was 116ºF--I plan to really explore here. Today was just scouting a hunch.

I know Cahuilla Indians lived in La Quinta and the area just south of it. They also traveled about on a bunch of trails, many of which we hike on today. I figured when the temperatures got really hot they would have to move up to higher elevations and the closest higher elevation is Martinez Mountain.

As I scan the landscape, this hill of rocks stands out from the surrounding terrain. It makes sense to me that a trail might go near here. Since it stands out it would be easy to find for a traveler to find from miles away.

It turns out to be a good guess because I find a trail on the ridge right near the rock pile.

I'll follow it as long as I have light. It's pretty faint but the ground here is not as rocky as some areas that seem to hold trails forever.

There are a number of rock monuments like this one, though. It gives me hope and makes me think that I'm onto something here.

I head up the ridge and while the trail is not longer obvious going this way, the view is great. You can also see that big rock pile from up here which will be good if I forget how to get back to my Jeep.

The ridge continues to head up toward Martinez Mountain but I think heading for these two peaks might be a good idea. They are another distinct point that are visible from throughout La Quinta and Aqua Alta Spring is on the other side of them. The spring would be an obvious place for the Indians to travel, too. Of course, they are a few thousand feet above me so I'll have to save that until the fall when the weather is about 35º cooler.