[Bloated Chipmunk]

"But me, not destin'd such delights to share, My prime of life in wandering spent and care, Impell'd with steps unceasing, to pursue Some fleeting good, that mocks me with the view; That, like the circle bounding earth and skies, Allures from far, yet, as I follow, flies; My fortune leads to traverse realms alone, And find no spot of all the world my own." --Oliver Goldsmith, The Traveller Directions: 8E > 79N > 78E > S-2S > Cool Canyon Rd. (unmarked) MAP For MLK Day I headed out to ABDSP once again for an adventure. A couple weeks prior I had been in this area and went up Rego BM, this time I decided to check out Cool Canyon. After gingerly driving my car up the dirt road from S-2, I arrived @ the TH to find only one other vehicle. I donned my gear and headed up the canyon.

Cool Canyon TH

Headin' up

Almost immediately the canyon walls narrow and there are various short/easy dry waterfalls to climb. The rocks are at times adorned with colorful stripes, and @ one point I found a boulder with a shallow impression, likely from Native American grinding long ago.

Walls get narrower

The only grinding evidence I found

A dry fall

I stayed to the right @ all main forks in the canyon, eventually climbing up and out onto a small ridge that led to a saddle with a view down the other side, as well as to various peaks to the south & east. To the west I could see the shoulder of Granite Mtn., but its top was obscured by Peak 4,624'.

Getting higher

Heading for that saddle

Rocky area across the way

View off the other side

Could it be?...

View NW from the saddle

Unnamed nub to the east of the saddle

Whale Pk.

View south

Saddle pano

Pinyon Mtn., Whale Mtn. in the distance

View south across ridges & beyond

The saddle was kinda windy so I didn't stay long, plus I had other explorations planned for the day.

Heading back down into the canyon

Texture

After snapping a few pics @ the saddle, I headed back down into the canyon. Once back @ the major split, I took the south fork up a little ways as there was supposed to be "a fine, large specimen of mountain manzanita". Well, if it was there I didn't see it. But, this looked like a potentially interesting canyon to explore further @ a later point.

Entrance to side canyon

Heading back down the main canyon

Next up, I wanted to check out a high point in Blair Valley called Quake BM. The rd. to get down there was a little f'd up w/muddy ruts from recent heavy rain, so I parked in the campground area & walked across the valley. I got to the base of the peak, & could see that there would be a lot of cacti dodging involved & estimated that there probably wasn't quite enough daylight left to get up & back down @ my speed. I would have to save it for another day, when perhaps I could get an earlier start or get my car much closer.

Muddy ruts

1 label

Long walk across

Looking toward Foot & Walker Pass

'til next time...

I popped over the low saddle @ the base of the peak next to the end of a side road. I walked past a parked RV & back onto the main rd., & then left the rd. again to make a more direct line back to my car.

Granite Mtn.

Blair Valley

Blair Valley

Dead

Cracked up

I then drove up to Borrego Springs & popped into Carmelita's for the usual post-hike feast to top off the day.

Post-hike margarita