Mojave National Preserve: Old Dad Mountain Canyon and Idora Mine Canyon day hike (Day 2)
Mojave National Preserve is largely a land of nameless canyons waiting to be discovered.
Two unnamed canyons east of Devil's Playground off Old Kelso Road once sustained minor mining activity and have been on my list to visit for some time; today I'll hike them both. I'll call them "Old Dad Canyon" (the canyon north and east of Old Dad Mountain) and "Idora Mine Canyon" (the east-west canyon that leads up to a mining claim owned by Idora Silver Mine).
13.4 hiking miles and 3325 feet elevation gain. I'll eat 3 Clif bars and drink 2.25 litres of water. This is less water than I'm used to consuming, but I often hike in much hotter weather than this.
Temperatures recorded in nearby Baker, CA today are a high of 66F and a low of 39F.
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Date: November 23, 2009, 07h11
Size: 67 items
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Early morning on the east side of Mojave National Preserve's Devil's Playground, with Cowhole Mountain in the background
It was a bit chilly overnight (about 40F) and I didn't sleep all that well, so I'm happy to wake up get some warm sun on the tent. It's good to be back at Mojave National Preserve for another visit!
Date: November 23, 2009, 07h11
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After two cups of hot coffee and some breakfast, it's time to dig the first cat hole of the trip
Unlike much of the Preserve, cat holes are easy to dig here because the ground is so sandy. Idaco Mine Canyon, which I'll hike later today, rises toward the top of the unnamed mountain behind my tent in this view toward the east.
Date: November 23, 2009, 08h32
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Shortly after 9h, an unusually early hour for me, I'm hiking south on Old Kelso Road toward Old Dad Mountain
Part of my route is a non-Wilderness corridor, so I could have chosen to ride my bike for part of the distance. It would be faster, but I'm in hiking mode today, and I may do some cross-country hiking through Wilderness areas where bikes aren't allowed.
Date: November 23, 2009, 09h12
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Footprints on Old Kelso Road, Devil's Playground, Mojave National Preserve
I'm obviously not alone out here, though I haven't seen another human since meeting the dirt bikers on Mojave Road yesterday afternoon.
Date: November 22, 2009, 09h18
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After a 3/4 mile walk down Old Kelso Road, I turn left at the junction to head up the fan and into Old Dad Canyon
There are tire tracks here, but these roads receive very little traffic.
Date: November 23, 2009, 09h30
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About 1.25 miles up the fan, the road enters Old Dad Canyon
This seems to be the spot where motor vehicles stop and park, or turn around and retreat.
Date: November 23, 2009, 10h10
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Barrel cacti grow in the rocks at the entrance to Old Dad Canyon
Few flowers bloom in the Mojave Desert in November, so these red cacti are quite colourful in their stark surroundings.
Date: November 23, 2009, 10h14
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Great views from the entrance to Old Dad Canyon back down to flat (and usually dry) Soda Lake in the distance
I haven't managed to visit Soda Lake yet; maybe someday...
Date: November 23, 2009, 10h20
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I walk around the bend into Old Dad Canyon and can no longer see back down to the valley floor below
I'm at around 2300 feet elevation now (my campsite sits at about 1615 feet). It doesn't feel like I've risen 700 feet already because the grade coming up the fan is so gentle.
Date: November 23, 2009, 10h28
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I stumble across the remains of a very modest old cabin
I knew there had been a bit of mining in Old Dad Canyon, but didn't know I would discover a cabin here.
Date: November 23, 2009, 10h37
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Not much remains of the cabin in Old Dad Canyon except the floor and roof
And rusty bedsprings...
Date: November 23, 2009, 10h36
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Just beyond the cabin rests an abandoned old truck
There once was a time when this truck was modern, new, and state-of-the-art.
Date: November 23, 2009, 10h40
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Though dry as can be right now, the forces of water and erosion are clearly at work from time to time in Old Dad Canyon
It would be interesting to witness, but not be caught in, a flash flood here.
Date: November 23, 2009, 11h01
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After the cabin area, Old Dad Canyon widens while it continues to rise
A route to my right leads to the crest of the Old Dad Mountain range, but it looks like I probably wouldn't be able to make it to Old Dad peak from the top due to excessively steep rock on the ridgeline. So I continue up the canyon.
Date: November 23, 2009, 11h08
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Old Dad Canyon becomes a narrow, rocky drainage as I approach the top
The top of Old Dad Canyon is the flat-looking land at the top-left in the photo.
Date: November 23, 2009, 11h22
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