Rockhouse Canyon in Carrizo Gorge Backpack

Veterans Day solo backpack trip out to Rockhouse Canyon in Carrizo Gorge. Was supposed to go with Tom but he couldn't make it. Took the new Fuji XE-1 camera, I still don't feel in command of it yet, especially with the night and star photos. The camera works quite differently then my Sony DSLR cameras. Biggest problem I noticed was it seems to focus past infinity but of course I couldn't tell until I got home and looked at the pictures. Good trip, found the palm oasis and stopped by the pictograph site. The old ranchers shack is still standing.

Remnants of the old road into the canyon before the park put the bollards up


I got in late at night and started looking for a place to put my sleeping gear down and found this guy


Not proud of any of these star shots, I need to dial in the new camera and it's settings






Moonrise


Here is a photo of the ranchers shack from an April 1947 Desert Magazine article and below is one I took on this trip. Much of the ocotillo still stands but one in particular right behind the shack is now gone.




And some random shots inside the shack










So now for the real agenda of the trip....follow the water pipe from the trough up the mountainside and see where it goes




Along the way I found a Sky Blazer, lot 61 Oct 2010(?)




Those damn ranchers were tough, that pipe went up 1,000+ feet to a palm oasis up on the ridge


I lost the pipe in several places and it is now since broken apart but I could find sections all the way up to the palm grove




Awesome views of Carrizo Gorge and the desert floor up at the palm grove


Some artifacts along the way


Figured I would stop and check out the pictographs while I was out that way










Total Mylar Balloon count this trip - 3 (sorry, no picture)

Carrizo Gorge hike to Egg Mtn - ABDSP

Scotty "C" and I headed out to hike down the length of Carrizo Gorge from the DeAnza Springs Resort to Egg mountain. We have been down in the Gorge several times before and knew what to expect, catclaw, reeds, water and plenty of solitude. We hiked about 2 miles on the tracks from DeAnza and then dived down into the thick of the catclaw where there were old remains of railway cars. There were about 4 sets of wheels and axles, a small car chassis and other debris. Along the way we also found two encampments with more debris. It was about 12 miles thru the Gorge to get to the end of the jeep road and then about another 7 miles on sandy jeep road to egg mountain. We got to the jeep road just before dusk and hiked the remaining 7 miles to the truck in the dark under an almost full moon. It was a perfect night for hiking without lights and we managed to pull this trip off in 12 hours.

Photos from the trip can be seen here

Scott knows there is catclaw down in the Gorge so he prepared his pack with anti catclaw plastic wrap


This is where we decided to drop down into the Gorge, about 2 miles from DeAnza


Some old railway debris on the side of the Gorge




Down in the Gorge Scotty "C" straps on the catclaw armor


Me


Nice water pond area


Busting thru some carrizo


Old mining debris


Cholla and cactus forest


Down in the Gorge near Goat Canyon, two years ago this was flowing with water


Looking up at the train trestles and the two old railway cars that have fallen over the side. You can't actually see the big famous trestle from down in the Gorge, you need to climb up to see it.


A 98 second exposure of the jeep road as we hiked out at night under an almost full moon


Some pictographs I have not seen before




Mandatory scat photo


GPS Track Log from Google Earth


Total mylar balloons for this trip - 1

This was a great trip and a tough 19 miles in about 12 hours, more photos from the trip can be seen here