Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021

Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - Printable Version

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Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - Bluegreen kayak - 2021-03-11

Submitted for your general amusement - my continuing adventures with Foundry Canyon. Last time, I was unable to get to the top of the first dry fall - too slippery and nothing to hold on to. I went through several ideas and settled on a sort of ladder made of PVC pipe that would fit on the top of my hiking poles.
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Foundry Cyn ladder by Patricia Boylan, on Flickr[/img]

With that little extra boost and a lot of scrambling, I did manage to attain the top of the dry fall, and rested there happily catching my breath. Just around the bend I ran up against the pile of boulders that seemed 8? 10? feet tall, and couldn't get over it. Another bit of good exercise and solitude, but not the whole payoff I was hoping for. Next time, I bring my son to help me. For a consolation prize, I hiked up the small canyon south of Foundry, which had these dramatic red walls.

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South Foundry cyn rampart by Patricia Boylan, on Flickr[/img]

And a rock formation which, if you got the right angle on it, looked like a rubber duckie:
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Foundry Cyn duck by Patricia Boylan, on Flickr[/img]

This spooky one was about my size, and brought to mind an Egyptian sarcophagus:
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South Foundry coffin by Patricia Boylan, on Flickr[/img]

Death Valley has terrific rocks, everywhere I go in it. Outside Foundry was this very healthy gourd plant, with lots of fruit.
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Foundry Cyn plants by Patricia Boylan, on Flickr[/img]

The next day I hiked up Fall Canyon. My nephew would join me in a couple of days and I needed to get in shape before he arrived. I've been reading Miller and Wright's Geology of Death Valley, and so when I saw this, I wondered if it is an example of a normal dip slip fault?
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Fall Cyn fault 1 by Patricia Boylan, on Flickr[/img]

One more question: what kind of rock formation is this? Also found in Fall Canyon.
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Fall Cyn crystal rocks by Patricia Boylan, on Flickr[/img]

The temperatures were cold both weeks; I was glad that I brought two sleeping bags and some rechargable hand warmers my husband bought at Menards. Texas Springs campground was completely full - first couple of nights I ended up in Sunset. The moon was full and bright and it was great to be back there. More to follow.

[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/181637097@N07/][/url]

RE: Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - MojaveGeek - 2021-03-11

You are crazy!! What a Rube Goldberg hiking aid, that PVC pipe. I love the creativity. And the drive! So did you have any problem landing on that on the way down? I presume you left it in place, or did you have a rope on it to pull up your poles? Genius.

So that gourd's common name is Coyote Melon. In many native cultures, Coyote is a trickster (sounds a bit like Wile E. Coyote vs. Roadrunner!). The melon looks good, but apparently tastes AWFUL. I've not tried.

Is that white crystal different from common quartz? That's what I'd guess but I'm no rockhound.

Agreed, that rubber ducky rocks looks cute!

Thanks for the pix!

RE: Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - netllama - 2021-03-11

(2021-03-11, 07:09 PM)MojaveGeek Wrote: So that gourd's common name is Coyote Melon. In many native cultures, Coyote is a trickster (sounds a bit like Wile E. Coyote vs. Roadrunner!). The melon looks good, but apparently tastes AWFUL. I've not tried.

Not only does it taste awful, but its toxic to humans.

I've seen them growing in the outback of Australia, but never in Death Valley.

RE: Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - MojaveGeek - 2021-03-12

(2021-03-11, 09:11 PM)netllama Wrote: I've seen them growing in the outback of Australia, but never in Death Valley.

In Death Valley they like go grow at the base of rock walls in gravelly canyons. I know I've seen them in Redwall; can't recall specifically where else.

RE: Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - GowerGulch42 - 2021-03-12

Yes, that's a normal fault. Small displacement compared to the normal fault at the foot of the Black Mountains!

Yes, that's quartz. It got fractured at some point, which is why it looks like that. Quartz doesn't always form those nice points, in fact it's pretty rare and requires specific conditions for slow growth with lots of room.

RE: Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - TacoLand - 2021-03-12

Not to gloss over the rest of your trip report and nice photos, but that PVC ladder is gonzo! What was it like to actually use it? I'm equally impressed & terrified.

I've seen the melons multiple times in the Cottonwoods, Johnson or Hanapah Canyon, and most recently Arrastre Spring. According to Wiki they're only native to southwestern US and northwestern Mexico. Must have been some illegal imports netllama saw down in Australia.

RE: Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - netllama - 2021-03-12

(2021-03-12, 11:02 AM)TacoLand Wrote: I've seen the melons multiple times in the Cottonwoods, Johnson or Hanapah Canyon, and most recently Arrastre Spring. According to Wiki they're only native to southwestern US and northwestern Mexico. Must have been some illegal imports netllama saw down in Australia.

Yea, apparently what I saw is a different species, which is invasive in Australia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumis_myriocarpus ), although it looks quite similar.

RE: Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - Bluegreen kayak - 2021-03-12

My thanks for the answers to my rock questions, and the information on the coyote melons. This group has such a boatload of great information! You're wonderful.

The plan with the PVC ladder was to bring it up, along with my pack and poles, by threading a rope through them all, but my pack got wedged at the bottom somehow. I had a water bottle and the camera with me, so I was going to forge on, but then I encountered the next obstacle. I would not use the ladder as a stand alone, supporting all my weight device, but I was gambling that as it leaned against the dry fall, most of my weight would be on rock, and it worked just fine. Coming down went easily; I could slow my descent enough to catch the top of the ladder, going down as you would on a playground slide. It was fast but didn't feel totally out of control.

It's going to be fun to go back to Home Depot and show the young man who helped me assemble it just how well it turned out.

RE: Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - David_Bricker - 2021-03-12

(2021-03-11, 09:11 PM)netllama Wrote:
(2021-03-11, 07:09 PM)MojaveGeek Wrote: So that gourd's common name is Coyote Melon. In many native cultures, Coyote is a trickster (sounds a bit like Wile E. Coyote vs. Roadrunner!). The melon looks good, but apparently tastes AWFUL. I've not tried.

Not only does it taste awful, but its toxic to humans.

I've seen them growing in the outback of Australia, but never in Death Valley.

I've seen them in a number of canyons in Panamint Valley; Goler Wash, Surprise, Jail, Snow. Depending on time of the year, and amount of rainfall, they can be quite prolific, though in a pretty narrow section of each canyon.

David Bricker / SYR

RE: Foundry and Fall Canyons, Feb 2021 - DeathValleyDazed - 2021-03-13

(2021-03-11, 06:29 PM)Bluegreen kayak Wrote: Submitted for your general amusement I went through several ideas and settled on a sort of ladder made of PVC pipe that would fit on the top of my hiking poles.

Hey Bluegreen, thanks for one of the most entertaining and engaging trip reports ever. I will not be surprised if you invent an escalator, elevator, or catapult on your next encounter with a pesky dry fall in DEVA. Idea

Your images capture well what your excellent composition eye creates. Thanks so much for sharing.