We had another super quick visit this last weekend ( us and everybody it appears...it was BUSY!).

We had a blast, all kinds of crimes were commited and I will deny everything.

As usual I had a stupidly long list of things we might want to do, and ended up doing a completely different list of things. This place is just too much fun. 

Friday was mostly driving. Was hoping would have time to fit in something short but we were running out of light by the time we arrived. We just stretched our legs by climbing some orange hills with very weird rocks across salt creek. 



Friday I wanted to hit certain canyon in the Black  mountains that has been on my to do list for years.

(Something something private property blah blah do not trespass.... You know wich one)


We took the side slot canyon and was treated for like a mile of absolute fun in the golden badlands. 

Lots of twisty narrows with small fun bridges and easy obstacles.



Big sparkly rocks 



We saw this weird orange slabs on the side of a yellow mud hill. This must be a lake bed or something right? 



Colorful views


What was extra fun was all the super squeezy side canyons. We droped our packs and squeezed and squirmed and belly crawled. What a joy. 






The slot canyon went on and on and on until we hit a gray dryfall where we turned around. 

We then checked out the ruins. Really nice ore bin, cabin and outhouse. Several adits too with bat gates. 





We then started to head out. What we thought would be a couple of hours quick one became like 6 hours of uninterrupted fun. 

Huh 



To be continued...

Nice! Glad you made it out. Last weekend was a zoo. But better last weekend than this weekend it looks like.

(2023-02-23, 09:43 AM)Beardilocks Wrote: Nice!  Glad you made it out.  Last weekend was a zoo.  But better last weekend than this weekend it looks like.

Dang lucky, we were hoping to go this weekend but could not take time off so did last one. May you have beautiful clear skies after the rain though!

So since we spent so much time playing in the previous canyon we didnt have enough time to explore up to the Bell Extension as I would have liked to. So we ended up doing just a quick scouting expedition of the salt plans at sunset.

It was stunning.

Sulfur smelling spring with arch



Weird travertine formations



This photo doesnt do these rocks justice, they were stripey green !!!


Was going to check out the Mill but got distracted by a very colourful short canyon. 




More fun salt formations


Nice views of Corkscrew


Saw a couple of big cairns on a ridge going north to south. Anyone know what this is about?



And that was it for the day. Its such a pitty that the temperatures are perfect when daylight is so short....

Love those images and agree how much fun it is to get out and scramble around off the beaten path. I hope you make it up to both The Big Bell Extension and The Big Bell. I totally enjoy a loop to the extension December 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG3auSc_2lM

(2023-02-23, 08:41 PM)Daymoth Wrote: Saw a couple of big cairns on a ridge going north to south. Anyone know what this is about?

My understanding of the random cairns in DV is that they mark mining claim boundaries or perhaps mark areas that have been prospected, as in, "this area has already been checked for minerals, go elsewhere."

(2023-02-23, 08:52 PM)DeathValleyDazed Wrote: Love those images and agree how much fun it is to get out and scramble around off the beaten path. I hope you make it up to both The Big Bell Extension and The Big Bell. I totally enjoy a loop to the extension December 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG3auSc_2lM

I remember that! That video and your interview of the miner peeked my interest of this area a lot last year

(2023-02-23, 09:18 PM)Brice Wrote:

(2023-02-23, 08:41 PM)Daymoth Wrote: Saw a couple of big cairns on a ridge going north to south. Anyone know what this is about?

My understanding of the random cairns in DV is that they mark mining claim boundaries or perhaps mark areas that have been prospected, as in, "this area has already been checked for minerals, go elsewhere."

Oh wow! Maybe it divides Cyty and Sullivan claims from Keane and Etxarren's claims. They were right through the middle.

Nice pix, nice day! I managed to visit that ore bin before the fence went up. It is definitely a fun canyon.

Some cairns in the park are Native American. Some are mining. Unless they’re on a fan where desert varnish is a factor, it’s very hard to tell the age of them and therefore their origin. But often if there’s heavy prospecting in an area and multiple cairns on ridges, Brice is correct. Cairns marking a pathway or several in a group are almost surely prehistoric.