Saturday, October 30, 2010

September 24th Rock Creek to Above Gomez Meadow

A fairly steep climb out of Rock Creek this morning before the trail levelled off at about 11,320 feet, where I entered a strange bleak wilderness called the Siberian Outpost. The name itself conjures up images of desperation and struggling for survival. It was a land of crumbling white granite, in some places so eroded that it created mounds of fine sand, which looked like windblown drifts of snow. Ancient pines more twisted, tortured and battered than I'd ever seen dotted the surrounding slopes, backed by a solid wall of stone. Definitely a one of a kind place along the trail. Water is getting more and more scarce. At this time of year, it appears that most of this area is bone dry. I've been relying on small springs to keep my water containers full, although the names of these water sources don't exactly inspire confidence, for example, Poison Meadow Spring. Still, the water is flowing and it quenches my thirst, so who's to complain? Mid-morning I reached the last of the seven major passes, Cottonwood, which, compared to the others, didn't look like a pass at all. If not for the sign, I would have walked right by and not known at all. I suppose it's because all of the land around here is so high. In the afternoon, the trail began a long steady descent following the contours of the land in a generally south/southeast direction. From it's high points I could see large meadows in the valleys below. At one point, the trail led through an area of hoodoos and skirted the eastern dropoff into the Coachella Valley. I could see for miles towards Death Valley and the Great Basin. Almost directly below me were the large concentric circles of the valleys agriculture. In the early evening, running low on water, I passed across Death Canyon and entered the outskirts of Big Dry Meadow. No, I'm not making up these names, but it does seem as if the trail is trying to send me a message. It's water I was looking for, and water I found from a spring not far from Gomez Meadow. I walked a bit higher into the trees and cleared a space just big enough for a cowboy camp next to a big log that would act as a windbreak. The wind had kicked up strong with some pretty violent gusts, so I didn't even consider setting up the tent.

Siberian Outpost

Cottonwood Pass

33 Miles



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