Random little used trails. Oh, and H2O updates?

[John Morrow]

Getting anxious to get down there, but no real plans of yet.  If anyone has visited any water sources of late:  Ctnwd/Marble; Hunter Mtn, either side of Panamints, I'd love to hear some updated spring water availability.

Meanwhile, I searched multiple date Google Earth layers to trace the existence of some near contiguous Digonnet mentioned Trails, then traced onto map and aerial photo as .gpx files.  They were surprisingly obvious and continual.  I did not have much luck with the Dodd Springs Trail

This is what I found:


Off Nelson Ridge to Saline:


Hunter Mtns to Saline by John Morrow, on Flickr

GE Hunter Mtns to Saline by John Morrow, on Flickr


Racetrack to Saline:

     No real tread to Corridor Canyon nor around Racetrack (those are reference routes elsewhere)

Racetrack to Saline by John Morrow, on Flickr

GE Racetrack to Saline by John Morrow, on Flickr

[MojaveGeek]

Those are some interesting combinations. So if I understand correctly, you used notations on Digonnet maps showing trails, found some traces of them on the sat images, and then indicated connectivity by mapping them onto bigger scale maps than he had in individual hikes? Clever.

No comment on water from me; I haven't been out since April. There was plenty around Rainier last month though

[John Morrow]

Those are some interesting combinations.  So if I understand correctly, you used notations on Digonnet maps showing trails, found some traces of them on the sat images, and then indicated connectivity by mapping them onto bigger scale maps than he had in individual hikes?  Clever.

No comment on water from me; I haven't been out since April.  There was plenty around Rainier last month though

That's about right, MG.  I am not a GPS user so having 7.5 min maps with me is the best I can do.  Except for some wide washes, the trails are quite continuous on aerial.  Downloading and enlarging my photos ought to show the trails paralleling the red lines (I tried to avoid drawing right over top).  From the .gpx file of the trail ( I can send) one could go that route too.  if I were a gps user I'd waypoint the places where trails disappear and then reappear on either side of the wide washes.  I'll add the Emigrant-Lemoigne Route today.  It has gaps since is crosses the drainage pathway over the bajada.

After hiking Desert Hound loop last fall I decided that DVNP Trails deserve more attention.  It is a national park afterall!  Plus, these are like walking through history.

A great one I hiked last fall was Polaris Mine Trail on Kofa NWR.  We all complain about knees pain, ankles, or this or that....these trails were daily commutes for miners!



John


Emigrant-Lemoigne1 by John Morrow, on Flickr

Lemoigne Routes by John Morrow, on Flickr

[MojaveGeek]

Yes, I find that if you can locate some mine areas that were contemporary, there is invariably a path between them, so that's a great place to start. And following the old trails is a lot of fun - they come and go sometimes and you have to put yourself in the mind of that tired miner just wanting to shortest route to his destination.

The old trail that takes off north from 190 just a bit west of the Emigrant turnoff is an interesting example. It continues past Lemoigne Canyon and goes up the next big one, before I lost it. I suspect it was a route up the canyon bottom wash and a pretty straight shot to Goldbelt, but I've not explored that. And some very solid mine trails around Keane Wonder, and up to Chloride as well - these are quite clear on the ground.

[John Morrow]

Yes, I find that if you can locate some mine areas that were contemporary, there is invariably a path between them, so that's a great place to start.  And following the old trails is a lot of fun - they come and go sometimes and you have to put yourself in the mind of that tired miner just wanting to shortest route to his destination.

The old trail that takes off north from 190 just a bit west of the Emigrant turnoff is an interesting example.  It continues past Lemoigne Canyon and goes up the next big one, before I lost it.  I suspect it was a route up the canyon bottom wash and a pretty straight shot to Goldbelt, but I've not explored that.  And some very solid mine trails around Keane Wonder, and up to Chloride as well - these are quite clear on the ground.

I was quite psyched after ascending Keene Canyon to Big Bell, that there was a wonderful, well designed switchbacking trail back to the bottom to complete a wonderful loop.  I understand there is a nice dryfall bypass trail to the next canyon south (King Midas?).  I'd like to check it out soon, start early and in good enough shape to reach Chloride Cliff.

[MojaveGeek]

I've been in to King Midas mine, and it is well worth a visit. It's up on a steep slope but there is indeed a good trail. I don't recall the location of the dryfall, so I'm unclear whether or not this would constitute a bypass. We went from there over to Keane - there's a number of mine trails which I found on the satellite images. We hoped to find a trail to reach the mine in the cliff that's on the right side (going up canyon) of Keane, just a bit beyond the tramway head works. We didn't find a way, and ended up descending into the main Keane canyon - it's a garbage dump of old cans down there! But we picked up one of the Keane trails which went up to the tramworks main trail and thus completed a loop.

I still wonder if we missed a connection to get to the mine in the cliff, though.

[DeathValleyDazed]

 I understand there is a nice dryfall bypass trail to the next canyon south (King Midas?).  I'd like to check it out soon, start early and in good enough shape to reach Chloride Cliff.

There exists a trail from King Midas to Keane Wonder but I have not been on it. I hope you can find it because that would be a fun loop to gp up and explore Keane Wonder and then cross over to explore King Midas. I really enjoyed the King Midas hike two years ago and this video may be helpful as to what to expect. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxt2phupVCc

[MojaveGeek]

There exists a trail from King Midas to Keane Wonder but I have not been on it.

Just curious what makes you think this. I looked but did not find it, after pretty good study of the satellite images. Of course those images are better these days, that was quite a few years ago. And I can see some candidates I would check out on a return.

The King Midas trail does indeed bypass the dryfall (just looked). It forks, with the left fork (going up canyon) going to the mine, and the right fork dropping to the canyon floor. There is a trail across the wash that goes up headed toward Keane. I can also now see some trails with switchbacks that go up from Keane, up the south wall of the Keane canyon, but I can't quite see how to connect them, nor any evidence of those trails once you get out of the Keane canyon. But with careful navigating one could find them I think.

[DeathValleyDazed]

There exists a trail from King Midas to Keane Wonder but I have not been on it.

Just curious what makes you think this.  I looked but did not find it, after pretty good study of the satellite images.  Of course those images are better these days, that was quite a few years ago.

Jim Harris now 90 years old told me on a phone conversation that he and his father, Mike Harris (who started the King Midas) used a sheep trail from Midas to Keene and back. I can't remember the details of where but I'd like to explore it. I'll try to contact Jim Harris again for details. Here's a video of some of the history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd6nQuYrjpY

[MojaveGeek]

Well, OK, Jim Harris would know Thanks for the elaboration.

The trail that I think I see coming up from Keane Canyon is not an animal trail, as it has switchbacks.

There are a bunch of minor mines/digs on the ridges that separate the two canyons, and clearly the miners who worked them had to get in and out. Just a question of how much of a trace remains from their travels.