A few wks. back I took my group on a long hike in the northern section of ABDSP, where we checked out some old Native American rock house ruins. We started our day an hr. earlier than usual, & still wound up hiking out after dark.
The rd. to the TH gets pretty crappy after the Butler Canyon junction, so we parked a little over a mile short of the end of the rd.
@ the trailhead
The canyon starts out wide & boring, then narrows up & gets more interesting w/big boulders & 1 dry waterfall. We almost passed up Hidden Spring before seeing the big sign announcing its presence (to make sure it's not so hidden afterall ).
Not so hidden if there's a sign for it...
The puddle of water was in the grass
Walls are closing in
Big rock poised to fall...
Big ass rocks
A good way to bypass dry fall coming up
Dry fall
Cracked up
We reached a major split in the canyon, checked our map & GPS, & chose the left fork. We wound around a bit more before finally entering Rockhouse Valley, where the hunt for the houses was on.
Looking back down Rockhouse Canyon
Nearing a side canyon
Rockhouse Valley area
Looking up the valley
We stopped briefly for a break, as I was getting strange never-felt-before-on-a-day-hike hip pain, & somewhat of a headache. Was I actually a little dehydrated? Or just out of shape? Since the latter is always true, I drank some water & had a light snack. When we got up to move again, I felt better.
We spotted the 1st rock house just east of where we took our break, & then the 2nd & 3rd to the south & north. We got our pics & examined the handiwork but quickly started making our way back to the mouth of the canyon as we had several miles to hike back out & not a whole lot of daylight left.
Rock house
Rock house
Rock house
Rock house
Rock house
Rock house
Rock house
Rock house
Toro Pk./Santa Rosa Mtns.
Valley pano
Valley pano
Looking back toward where we entered the valley
Ocotillo blooms
Looking up the valley
The 3 rock houses
Grinding holes
Grinding hole
Dirty hole
Rock house
Rock house
Rock house
Rock house
A short distance back down the canyon, I spotted something @ the top of the cliffs straight ahead. I first dismissed it as tall cholla or perhaps agave stalks, but soon realized it was 3 bighorn sheep staring down @ us. We then of course stopped for a plethora of pics.
Bighorn sheep
Bighorn sheep
Bighorn sheep
OK, now it was really time to get going. We continued on down in the fading light, around the dry waterfall & past the big ass boulders once again. Finally we snapped on the headlamps for the last bit to the car.
Rabbit Pk.?
Layers
Grey stripes & big rocks
We stopped in Borrego Springs @ our usual Mex place before the long tiring drive back to town, arriving @ the P & R around 10PM.
Post-hike drinks
Home is where the hiking is.
"Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas
A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
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Home is where the hiking is.
"Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas
A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
Good beta on an area of ABDSP that is unfamiliar to me, so thanks for that.
The rock houses intrigued me. The first thing I noticed is that unlike all other rock shelters that I am aware of, these are right out in the open. Generally rock shelters provide a tactical advantage to the defenders in a fight.
In poking around the interwebs, I found other references to them being Native American, but also claims that they were built by miners. There are undoubtedly numerous archeological sites in the Rockhouse Valley that date back to the Cahuilla people, but I suspect the rock houses are more recent.
Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
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Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
There are many similar structures built by ancestral pueblo First Nations in Mesa Verde. They show the kiva evolved from a single family dwelling. Some of these seem to look like pioneer dwellings however.
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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