Indio Hills Exploration

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY TWO

One of these days when I get a few hours and the temperatures cool off a bit I'd like to do a traverse of the Indio Hills from Thousand Palms Canyon Road over to Dillon Road. I'm sure there are some Indian Trails in the area and it's something I've never done so, why not?

This afternoon I went over near MacComber Palms to see if I could get up on a ridge and check out a possible route. Going to the Indio Hills can be depressing. There is so much garbage. There are sections that look like a war zone with everything in sight having been shot up or burned. Shotgun shells and bullet casing litter the ground and broken glass is everywhere. It hardly seems like a place someone would want to go hiking but once you get off the flat land that is accessible by car things get better quickly.

There is nothing people out here won't shoot and it makes me reluctant to leave my Jeep alone for long.

There's a bit of a trail heading up the ridge so I think maybe I'll be able to find something up here besides rocks and dirt.

Nothing but rocks and dirt yet but getting up higher I get a nice view of the palm trees that are common in the Indio Hills due to the water which bubbles up to the surface due to the San Andreas Fault.

I had hoped that this ridge would connect with some other ridges and get me to the main rib of the Indio Hills but it drops into a wash instead.

There is what looks like a decent trail heading up to the top of this hill so maybe I'll find something interesting at the top.

Just what I suspected: rocks and dirt.

And the sun setting over Mount San Jacinto.

I head down a different ridge hoping to find something interesting but all I find is a ridge that's a little steeper than the one I came up.

It's also been used as a shooting gallery with broken glass all around. I am extra, extra careful coming down this because as much as I don't want to fall on rocks, I REALLY don't want to fall on broken glass.

I think the Indio Hills have treasures to discover with exploration, I just didn't find any today. I'll be back, though. I just want to find a better place to park.

No Experience Necessary

Day Forty Six

Experience is more than knowing where to go or what to do in certain situations, it is also about knowing where NOT to go and what NOT to do.

Today I decided to hike up toward Bear Creek to see how the wildflowers were coming along.  I was considering hiking to Bear Creek Palms but didn't have the time.  I didn't want to finish yet another hike in the dark so I decided to do a little exploring.  Not much yet to report on the flowers.

The Chuparosa are blooming quite nicely.

But the brittlebush, while not quite brittle, are not to the flowering stage yet.

I decide to take this trail up a ridge.

Only to be met with a canyon at the end that I have to cross.

I then find another trail on the other side.

But it ends here.

I traverse across another canyon and find this trail.

Which ends here.

I see this cairn that makes me think I've found something but no.  All is tells me is that some other dummy has also been up here.

I finally make it down to the last canyon and follow it over numerous dry waterfalls but never do quite make it anywhere.

I see this cave and wonder if anything is in it.  I consider the possibilities: mountain lion, rattlesnake den, angry bobcat, skunk.  I decide not to check it out.

On my way out of the canyon I come upon this palm tree.  It is obviously burnt.  I smell it and realize that it has recently been burnt.  While not still warn, the smell is of a fire in the past few days.

Here is another picture of the palm with another higher palm that was not burnt.  Maybe the pyromaniac tried to climb up to this higher palm but fell and broke his neck.  At least, that's what I'm hoping.

On the way out of the canyon I find yet another trail and follow it.  This trail actually leads me somewhere.  Home.

It's been an interesting day hiking.  I found a couple of palms, got some good exercise clambering over ridge after ridge, enjoyed climbing a bunch of dry waterfalls and got a LOT of experience.

Unfortunately,  I didn't make it out before dark.  Again.