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| Hiking | 6.00 Miles |
1 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.00 Miles | | | |
| 1 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | During our last off trail venture in the Ancha, we spotted what appeared to be a window on the massive peninsula like land feature dividing the north and main forks of Devils Chasm. Although, we acknowledged that the light shining through the cave could be some weird optical illusion, we figured it was still worth checking out. After nearly seven months of waiting out winter and then being skunked by the early stages of a pandemic, we finally decided to give our ¨window¨ a closer look.
The approach was not terrible. The maintained trails could use some work, but they are still passable and generally good for most sections. There is always some angst with these top down explorations in the Ancha, as one is constantly thinking of the several hundred foot sheer cliffs below them. This off trail approach however, proved to be rather tame by off trail Ancha standards. It was little steep and loose in a few spots and there were a couple of exposed traverses, but nothing too hairy. When the cave we thought housed our window finally came into sight, our excitement for a window tempered some, as from our angle it only appeared to be a deep cave. Nevertheless we still pushed forward, as we thought the sheer size of the cave warranted further inspection.
Due to the traversing nature of our approach along cliff bands, we would not know the verdict on the, ¨cave¨ until we came around a small corner. I was so zeroed in on the cave and missed a small ruin along the final traverse to the cave, but Katie and Larry spotted it and I quickly backtracked for a second look. However, by the time I had backtracked, I had already learned that the ¨cave¨ was the window we hoped it would be and it was really pretty spectacular. The dilapidated ruin was just an added bonus at that point for me. The views out of the window are some of the best one can get in the Sierra Ancha and being able to see both forks of Devils Chasm was a unique perspective. We spent a lot of time recouping and resting inside our shaded window, which acted like a natural wind tunnel. On our hike out we found a granary in rubble and some other faint signs of prehistoric life along the cliff bands near the window.
The hike out was a grind and it was warm.
Although, this was not a traditional find for us, I felt this was one of our more fun finds and memorable experiences in the Sierra Ancha. Even with the off trail approach, the window is a worthy destination and the views along the way are some of the best that can be had in that wilderness. It was great to see Larry again and get back to an old passion of mind and it was fulfilling to share the experience with Katie and see her affinity for the area grow.
We are calling this window, The Devils Eye. |
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