In my post at the beginning of this thread, I described the hike where these pictures were taken. I didn't post my pictures at the time as the discussion about available space on the forum for graphics was going on. A few members here use websites for organizing their photos for posts here and I did some experimenting so now I'll attempt to show the pictures from Pinto Valley.
You could re-read the post and then look at the photos.
The 1st three pictures are from previous hikes and show you some of the landscape visible from just about anywhere in the valley, unless you happen to be down in the wash. The wash is deep enough that the desert floor is, at minimum, about 10-12 ft. above the bottom. In some areas it is higher than that.
#1 - Up on the sandstone bluff
This is a view from the east end of the valley looking west. The spot I am hiking to is the outcropping there at my left shoulder. This point is about 1.5 miles from the trail head and almost a mile to the outcropping.
#2 - In the desert above the wash
This is from a different spot near the previous picture. My destination is visible halfway between me and the edge of the picture, left of my hip.
#3 - West end looking east
This picture is from the opposite end of the valley. In photo #01, the spot where I am standing, is about 5.5 miles away at about the center of the long red sandstone feature just below the ridge left of center of the photo. That view is not the full length of the visible part of the valley. Just below the red sandstone you will see three large outcroppings of sandstone in the desert floor, from left to right as you move up the slope. My destination is the third, and largest, of the three.
#4 - Walking into the rocks
This picture was taken from the back of the formation looking west, near where the bighorn sheep "REFUSED" to stand still while I photographed him. He was standing stock still on that sloped rock face to the right about 4-6 ft. above ground level. It is more than a 45º angle and he just stood there in much the same way and ease I would have stood on a flat surface.
Just to the right of the center of the photo you see a large white feature and right below it a smaller one. That is where I was when I took picture #3. From the trail head on that end of the valley to that point is about 3.5 miles.
#5 - On the trail (former jeep trail)
I am walking on the trail near the bottom of the wash. If you look at photo #2 just to the left of my knees to the left edge of the picture, you can see the eastern end of the wash as it narrows down. It is visible as a darker zigzag line from there to the right. That is the top of the wash at the desert floor. The depth varies from 10 ft. to some spots of 20 ft. deep.
#6 - Backside
From the back of the outcrop looking west at the sandstone ridge where photos #1 & #2 were taken.
#7 - Inside the rock formation
From inside the formation at the north wall looking north. This area was relatively flat and mostly covered with sand. There was bighorn and jackrabbit scat scattered all over. Step carefully.
#8 - Cool shades
Sheltered rocks. The only kind of serious shade available out there. This photo is from a previous hike to the formation about 550 yds. north and slightly east of where I was in photo #7.
#9 - Sheepish behavior
The bighorn, shortly after he bolted. I was desperately trying to keep him in frame and in focus. 1 out of 2 ain't bad.
#10 - Herd of sheep? Yeah!
The bighorn standing out front of his buds. Those are the ones I heard knocking heads earlier. They're about 150 yds. away. It's a little hazy because I had zoomed in on the group. The jackrabbit I spooked was too fast for me to get a shot of it. He had to have been about 12-18 in. long.
These four screen shots of the Pinto Valley give an idea of what the geology looks like out there. Each one progressively closer and with markers of an approximate location of a couple of the pictures.
Image #1
Lake Mead with Pinto valley located. It's about 40 miles from where I live.
Las Vegas is west of the lake and off the left side of the image.
Image #2
Pinto valley runs diagonally up left to right. From the center, a large wash called "Boulder Wash" runs a little over 2 miles south to Lake Mead.
Image #3
This shows the hike, about 2.2 miles. The wash is just to the right of the grey hills on the left of the picture.
Image #4
Close up of the sandstone formation. I was in the larger shaded area where the route ends. That cleft in the rocks is where the bighorn was napping. He took off to the west and circled around to the smaller formation to the east where all the other sheep were.
The trail through this valley is 10.5 miles pt.to.pt. I've always wanted to get someone to hike it with me. We would have to park a vehicle at one end and hike out to it, then drive back to the other car. Or turn around and hike the 10.5 miles back out to the car. 21 miles in a day is not out of the ordinary but it would be a whole day of hiking.
West to east, it's a 536 ft. gain then a 822 ft. descent then a 561 ft. gain and back down 98 ft. to the trail head along a 10.5 mile trail. I also would like to do the 2.2 mile walk down to the lake and camp there. From the west TH it's 8.5 miles to the lake and from the east TH it's 6.5 miles to the lake.
It's a shorter hike and smaller climb out from the eastern access. Still, it would be a 6.5 mile one way hike and a 1000 ft. climb back out with all that camping gear. That's a backpacking trip, not just a day hike.
What I love so much about this site is it is remote and quiet. Aircraft are the only man made sounds and I have only seen two other people out there in all the times I've been there.
Duane
