Went out for a morning hike recently. I wanted to be done early as the temps are starting to climb a little higher each day. We’ve had an odd spring. More rain than normal and cooler temps than normal. It’s been nice except for the rain when I had plans to go out. But the weather is starting to return to the norm.
Bowl of Fire is a site I haven’t been to in a while. For the most part it appeared unchanged but if you look and pay attention you do see some differences. Channels in the wash are deeper. On the way out I missed a turn back to the highway because the floor of the wash was a little lower than I remembered and some creosote had grown in the small gully where it pours out into the wash. Things looked different. There are no signs, so I missed the turn.
As I said in an
earlier post, the overall hike was 6.5 miles and it took about 4.5 hrs. A lot of stopping and trying to remember the route I took along with picture taking and a noon time snack. There is no marked trail to follow. In the southwest part of the Bowl you are walking in washes and channels that limit your vision. It’s like walking in a maze. Some taller landmarks are visible, so I have to keep checking my direction.
I was doing pretty good and was able to make my way with out using my GPS too frequently. I did this particular hike about 5 yrs. ago so I had to stop frequently to try and remember the route. I wanted to do that instead of following the GPS. I didn’t do too bad for not having been there for so long. I pulled the GPS out only once or twice.
In the washes it’s mostly sand or gravel. Occasionally some hard rock to walk on. Great exercise for the legs.
BOF_Aerial
6.5 mile round trip hike through the desert. Bouldering and scrambling with a lot of walking in the washes. The wind and rain carve this whole area in places to some strange and fascinating shapes.
#01
Walking up the wash toward the bowl. This is a major wash yet it has substantial growth in it. Deep sand has cooler layers that feel great in the summer heat if you want to walk barefoot.
#02
Large conglomerate boulders are wedged together to form a pour over. Climbing up over this puts you into the Bowl of Fire.
#03
Green mudstone, volcanic ash, lies exposed along the wash. There are multiple types of stone and conglomerate formations that show up in patches. Limestone is scattered about the area. The only thing that dominates the landscape is the red sandstone.
#04
Walking up the canyon just west of the pour over. Right behind the boulders is a jam of smaller boulders that you have to scramble over to get back here.
#05
Heading the north above the pour over. This is the hike I was on when I posted
this about shoes. You can see how many rocks and boulders are scattered to make for a sedate hike.
#06
One of the interesting sandstone formations I walk past. Some of these demand to be climbed and used to enjoy the sun. Sandstone is like laying on sandpaper, but pleasant. It’s not as hot as hard rock because it radiates faster.
#07
Looking at these is like watching clouds for familiar shapes. These just take much longer to change their form. Just like the clouds you start to see shapes and forms the longer you stare at them. Sometimes the walls with the pot holes in them start to look like eyes.
#08
See! Climbing and relaxing on boulders in the sun. On a clear day in winter the sun warms the rocks so much, you don’t NEED clothes! Imagine that!
#09
These odd looking stones are all over the place in the bowl. I started calling them sandstone marbles. Using that name I looked them up and discovered that these are well known by geologists. As water migrates through the sandstone it carries minerals that slowly collect around small deformities in the formation. As the nodule gets larger it forms a shell around the center made of more durable hematite. As a result,
Moqui marbles are born. Moqui is a name given to an ancient tribe, the Hopi, in the desert southwest of the USA.
#10
You do need to be careful on these, they don’t crush when you step on them. You WILL roll on them and fall. I know.
#11
NASA’s
Opportunity robot rover vehicle discovered similar concretions on Mars.
#12
On top of a cliff near the wash on the hike out.
#13
Walking in the wash on the way back to my car.
Panorama_SW
Looking back to the southwest in the direction I had hiked through.
The name Bowl of Fire comes from the red sandstone, but in the summer the temperatures also live up to it’s name. Whenever I come out here when it’s HOT I always come early before it warms up. If it’s a clear day, it’s just too uncomfortable if you wait too long. Cloudy it’s still warm but no direct sun makes it more bearable. I didn’t make it out till 1:40 pm, so it was starting to get warm-ish. Good timing. As I'm typing the temp crossed over the century mark for the 1st time this year. The heat is back!
I love this place. I always try to make it here during the week when it’s less crowded and more quiet. The helicopter tours are the only real irritant, but they aren’t around for very long.
Duane
Edited to fix url
