Back to the saddle, again!

[eyesup]

I went back out on last Thursday as a follow-up to the hike I did a week or so ago. The temperature forecast this time was 106º. I managed to leave early this time, so I arrived at the trail at 6:10 am. When I left my car the thermometer read 77º. Walking in I noticed a web across part of the trail so no one was in front of me.

The trail out near the road.

The cottonwoods at the spring.

Picking burrs out of my sandals.

The walls of the wash display a record of how this place was formed. There are sandstone and all sorts of different sediment deposits and conglomerates. Some of the sediments are shot through with white minerals that are most likely gypsum. Minerals in the stone make a palette of colors as you walk. Looking at the aerials of this in Google Earth you can see the different colors. See .kmz file at the end.

After rains the water seeps underground and then follows the wash until it hits harder stone. When the gravel and sand layers get thinner the water appears at the surface. All along the wash there will be clumps of greenery that looks out of place in this hot desert. I see this dark purple flower in spots and have always wondered what it was. It is at odds with the heat and stone. The flowers I see are normally lighter colors to help reflect the heat but this one is dark purple and green. Yet it belongs here more than I do.

The musky smell of animal territorial marking is more noticeable the closer I get to the spring. Further into summer the heat dissipates less during the night and with little to no breeze, it can be oppressive.

Minerals in the stone. Gypsum?	It looks organic. Strange	Notch-leaf Phacelia or Scorpionweed

There is a constriction in the wash about halfway to the spring where harder rocks are taking longer to erode than the softer mud and sandstone deposits. The layers are visible and have been tilted over time. As many times as I have walked this wash I still watch the walls for anything new. Critters and bugs are here, I can hear them, but they are hard to spot. They tend to be small and fast.

As usual it is quiet. When the days get this hot there are fewer helicopter tourists. It is actually a rather slow time of year. The heat, especially in the tourist strip area is just too much for most.

I chose a slightly different route but I ended up on the same trail about 3/4’s of the way in. It was warm and a little breezy and once I make it onto the 1st trail, I headed for the 2nd saddle where I stopped at last time I was here.


A panorama looking east from the 2nd saddle across the valley

From the 2nd saddle, the trail drops down about 40’ into the valley, where I head across to the opposite side at the foot of the mountain. As I am walking I notice the ground has ants all over the place. Ants usually move in a line back and forth. Out here they are every where. Maybe desert ants are different. I do see mounds scattered about and wonder if they are connected. There is a grassy plant that produces a burr about the diameter of a pencil eraser. They get caught on my sandals or five-toes and then manage to get down next to my foot and I have to stop and pick them out.

On the trail back to the wash	Heading north from the cottonwoods	Walking in the wash back to the car

A man I knew a few years ago told me he had hiked a different trail to Hamblin, so I am trying to find it. Because of the temperatures we are already experiencing, I would like to leave before it gets too hot or I run out of water.

From there I could see to the north a valley that is probably where I will be exploring next time I am out here. All I have to do is find the trail I used several years ago. After it reaches a certain point, it’s the only way up the mountain. To get here took a little over an hour, but I was in no hurry. I’m just looking for where the two cross.

Facing the morning sun, I eat my snack while sitting on the large black lava boulder. It isn’t hot yet only about 85-90. So I relax and enjoy the morning sounds and smells.

At around 8:40 am I decided to head back. With the forecast in mind I head out. This was a easy hike with no strenuous sections. So I was able to make it to the car in about and hour. Back at the road another vehicle was there. I was the only one when I arived but I hadn’t seen anyone so they were either past where I was or on the other side of the road in Bowl of Fire. It was about 95º at 10:00 am when I left.

I hope to make it back out here next Tuesday on Naked Hiking Day. That’s the day of the solstice here. I will try to get out early so I can be out here for the sunrise. The time of the solstice here will be on Tuesday about 9:20 pm. Right now the forcast calls for 116º. We’ll see.

Duane

[jbeegoode]

Great report on a great hike. Wonderful sense of solitude. It must have been silent. Lots of fun geology. There appears to be some big upended folded over slabs out there.

Ya know, when I first came out to Arizona after living in Michigan and Paris before that, this place looked barren and forsaken. I described it to my friends as, "miles and miles of nothing." I would suppose that many of our readers would look at those pics and scratch their heads. You bring out the little details that I delight over. The desert is often more bio-diverse than an eastern forest or Europe. There are so many little things, fascinating things to discover. It is not stark.

Speaking of stark, I have noticed that some ants do spread out and make a highway less than others. Some will spread out as they search, and then when someone gets wind of food, they work together, like switching from scouts to workers. Where you were, the sparse pickins at this time of year may have them searching mode. Some have done both modes. A desert tortoise died next to its burrow by my patio. I had trouble with an ant hill on the other side crossing in mass. They seemed to spread out to keep scouting, while others bore down on all of that meat. I wouldn't have know about the demise of my beloved neighbor had it not been for that trouble.

[freewalkerma]

I very much enjoyed reading your report Duane.   Your love of this place just radiates off the page.    It must be so nice to be able to get out on a promising day before others hit a trail.     I'm surprised that more people there don't go out of the way to be out early to beat the heat as you do.     Do enjoy your Solstice Hike.    I will be thinking of you as we tramp the mountains nude in Vermont on Wednesday.

Many years ago Jbee, as you suggest, it was hard for me, a person from away to see much of interest in photos of the desert landscape other than perhaps swaths of rich color and some strange rock formations seen from afar.    Now having had the opportunity to hike some desert, scramble over those rocks, across broad washes, and up slot canyons, flavored by unthinkable (to me) extremes of temperature, all nude of course, over the past few years during visits, it is still difficult to see much more of interest in the average photo, but my vivid memories allow me to fill in a wealth of detail that one can only experience by being there.    The desert is a rich and amazingly vibrant place that is best felt, touched and seen close up.    It makes one wonder what we might be missing in the NASA photos from our nearby planets by merely viewing them and observing our robotic scout data as best we can.    One can only imagine!

However, being the native Easterner that I am, after  a few weeks of living naked in what to me is exotic extremes that you guys call home, I am ready for the soft embrace of dense green forest, alpine meadow, and pleasant bodies of abundant surface water in which to skinny dip.    Please don't misunderstand, I embrace your home turfs for what they are, amazing must sees, yet  recognize the phenomena that most of us are drawn back after time to a place that we have come to accept as home.     However for me, the urge to push out and explore soon returns.    I must be restless already.    Why else would I enjoy and crave with envy the rich world of the desert that my imagination conjours in viewing your photos and reading your words Duane and Jbee.      Thank you.

-Dan


   

[nuduke]

I very much enjoyed reading your report Duane.

Yeah, what he said!


Duane,
Looking at the photos, the terrain seems very wide open and deserted.  Your seclusion as a freehiker seems to come from the extreme isolation of the places you visit.  One would imagine you are able to select very unused places where the chances of meeting another person on a freehike is utterly remote.  I can't easily remember a time when you have had to describe dressing in case of encounters during a hike but maybe I'm getting a bit of mental crosstalk there from Jbees mixed experiences [e.g. Reddington where the company is mixed textile and skyclad].  Broadly am I correct in these surmises of your extremely singular presence in the landscape of the desert?
My doubts creep in when you describe another vehicle

Back at the road another vehicle was there

  Are you in fact walking well-used trails and parking in car parks?  I note you say

As usual it is quiet. When the days get this hot there are fewer helicopter tourists. It is actually a rather slow time of year. The heat, especially in the tourist strip area is just too much for most.

  Which would indicate you are close to or on tourist trails. 
So I take perhaps from this that you are in not so secluded a place as my imaginings would have supposed.
Can you say a bit more about how you choose these trails and who else uses them, if anyone?


John

[eyesup]

Yes, John, the landscape is wide open and deserted. Something I seek. I would seek it even if I were clothed. I like the solitude. I do prefer these places for my naked ramblings because they are remote and deserted which means I likely won’t encounter anyone.

When I hiked regularly at Red Rock, I would frequently have to get dressed when I heard someone nearby. My one face to face meeting while naked occurred in Red Rock. I stopped hiking there because of the level of traffic, foot and vehicle, was getting too much for my likes.

These recent hikes of mine are in what is called Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The trails are easily found but are not maintained by rangers. Any maintenance you see while hiking is most likely by other hikers. The initial section of a trail can be well used but tends to fade over the distance and occasionally become difficult to spot in the terrain. Most people that are just random visitors, don’t venture very far.

The car that was there when I left was parked in front of my car and I had no clue whether they had gone north or south. The pull-outs on the road are not large. They are more a widening of the road as opposed to a parking lot or car park. The traffic doesn’t justify the cost. There are a couple spots that have lots, if the scenic vistas are justified.

The ones I go to are not tourist trails. Unless the tourist happens to be an experienced hiker. There are a few trail locations that are marked on the road, but those are tourist trails and are pretty easy to access and hike by the average person. The ones I go to are not strenuous or difficult, but they can be intimidating because they go into wilderness areas.

The closest residential areas are about 25 miles away. But there are marinas still open on the lake that aren’t very far. The road I am on is used mostly by traffic to the lake or by construction workers in the area.

There are a few tourist companies that provide helicopter rides over Lake Mead and east to the Grand Canyon. They fly over sometimes but they are moving fast and the relatively small size of a human outline on the patterned background of the desert scrub makes it difficult to spot anyone walking or worse, standing still.

I still am annoyed by the sound of the helicopters but they have as much right to be there as me. I patiently wait till they pass and then move on. The most I have ever seen was 6 choppers in a row. That time was annoying.

Duane

[eyesup]

Can you say a bit more about how you choose these trails and who else uses them, if anyone?

I think I saw a reference to Cottonwood Spring in an article and decided to check it out. I was looking for an alternative to Red Rock for my naked ramblings because of the increased tourist traffic.

In the beginning I intentionally went on Tue., Wed. or Thur. because I knew the middle of the week would have the least traffic. I was confident that I wouldn’t bump into anyone. Over time I became more at ease with being naked outside and less concerned about encounters.  I kept coming because of the silence and solitude I discovered once I had been there several times.

Early one morning I was hiking into Pinto Valley and I kept hearing a loud noise like rocks hitting on rock. As I approached a sandstone formation I saw bighorn sheep on the top. At the base was the herd and two of them were knocking heads. There was about 6-8 of them. I have seen bighorn in Valley of Fire and have walked to within 30 ft. to take a picture. They are so accustomed to people that they just stand there. This small group heard me coming and everyone of them froze. After watching them and getting a couple pictures, I rousted one out of his sleep when I walked into the rocks. He stopped and looked at me and within a few seconds all of them were gone. You will never see that on a tourist trail. Those kind of compelling events have kept me returning.

As for who else comes to hike, all I can say is the people I have seen out here, and there have been very few, tend to be experienced hikers. You cannot be out for a lazy day of walking and get into these back countries and not be a hiker. My wife and I once saw a two people about a 1/2 to 3/4 mile away on horseback with 2 pack horses headed into the hills in Pinto valley.

When I started coming out to hike in these valleys, it was specifically because there weren’t many people. My wife and I encountered a group of hikers one weekend, I was dressed at the time, and I have seen singles or couples at a distance, and that is about it. I see cars pull over and the people get out and just stand there and maybe walk around a bit. They will take pictures and usually get back in the car and leave. It just isn’t inviting people to come out and sit for a bit. If you want to find something truly inviting, you have to go exploring.

I have seen cars parked and hiked in and never seen anyone. The only time I actually saw and spoke to anyone was the hiking group. That’s about all I have seen. I see evidence, footprints of hikers, horses, and burros but seldom the people.

It’s inside a protected park area so there will not be a problem with development. It may get busier, but I don’t think it will ever get as congested as Red Rock. At least I hope not.

Duane

[nuduke]

Gosh thank you, Duane, for the detailed work to fill us in on my questions.


It does indeed seem that you have carefully selected a combination of accessibility and isolation rather than simply risking freehiking on somewhat more popular areas.  But I can now see it is not really feasible to guarantee total isolation but you have got a pretty good stab at it.
The remarks about parking are interesting.  Indeed, if the roads and adjoining terrain are little used then there is no need.  It reminds me a bit of here in the countryside of the UK.  There are often spots on small rural roads (B and C roads, unmarked and single track for the Brits in the readership!) that I often drive along these days on the way to places and think "I'd like to at least recce walking here".  So I look for somewhere to park and there's just soft verge and ditches.  Unlike the rock hard, dusty, dry Nevada desert, soft verges can be treacherous.  If the ditch has been cleared in the last year or two then a top layer of soft soil/mud can be what you are parking on and, believe me, having once go stuck this way, you don't want to bury your tyres half deep in the soft ground. Equally, though, parking on the road can be hazardous for your car and difficult for other motorists as it obstructs the narrow road.  There are often passing places but these are not for parking.  I would certainly feel aggrieved if I had to back up 1/2 a mile to the previous passing place if a car was parked in the one I needed.  I've been very frustrated with my current new locale (not 2 years yet) because this problem of parking has been widespread.  There are wider roads, of course, but they tend, obviously, to be associated with denser areas of population and therefore less interesting possibilities for SN.


Anyway, despite such tenuous comparisons, I feel better briefed about your choice of locale and so on and will be able to enjoy, for any future reports (yes please!) with augmented, albeit vicarious, experience of the cruel but stunning climate and landscape of the Nevada Desert.


John

[eyesup]

These are typical turnouts on Nevada highways. Depending on the road and traffic, they will be of different lengths. On major highways they will be wider to accommodate tractor trailers and/or busses.


The turnout at Cottonwood Springs
The trail is visible across the road near the center.


The turnout at Pinto Valley
The trail is accessed across the road near the left side where the long brown patch is visible.

I’ve seen those rural roads in Britain, wide enough for only one car, and wondered what you do when you meet oncoming traffic. Nerves of steel?

Duane

[jbeegoode]

Do they play chicken in the UK?
Jbee

[Peter S]

The one who is most polite or has the smaller car reverses to the last passing spot/gateway. Often we see each other in time that one is able to squeeze in the side of the hedge. Tractors and milk tankers get priority through sheer size. There was a TV sketch some years back in which two drivers both refused to give way; they were in turn reinforced by the arrival of their respective motoring organisations (back then the AA and the RAC) and it went on like that, though I forget the punch line. It's probably on UTube somewhere

Peter

[jbeegoode]

Used to have to play chicken down on the skinny roads in Mexico. My motorhome versus the truckers. They'd get all macho with the gringo. I had to out-macho them to stay on the road. ran one off once. Throw your balls over your shoulder and go, crazy-like. These days they drive semi trucks and have real highways, regulations and licensing. Those days are over.

This reminds me of the mile of dirt road to my house. Politely making room for both vehicles, who is going uphill, it all works out.

In India they have some seventh sense and are considerate for each other, but it is a chaos that works...somehow. One motorcycle with an entire family aboard against a bus, but they work it out, like blessed magic.
Jbee

[eyesup]

. . . though I forget the punch line. It's probably on UTube somewhere/

I am sure JOhnGW will recall.
He seems to be the repository of all things British!
He always knows where to find the info.
He surprises me constantly.

Duane

[JOhnGw]

. . . . . In India they have some seventh sense and are considerate for each other, but it is a chaos that works...somehow. One motorcycle with an entire family aboard against a bus, but they work it out, like blessed magic.
Jbee

The Indian convention which I found most frightening until I understood it was when you start to pass one of the slow overloaded trucks on a two lane road and somebody appears coming round the bend towards you.
You do not back off but carry on in thir face and they will pull off the road to allow you to complere the overtaking. Backing off as one would do in the UK wauld cause an accident as passing opportunities are so rare that there would have been several cars following you closely and if you slowed down it would cause a pile-up.