|
| | | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 2.69 Miles |
312 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.69 Miles | 2 Hrs 2 Mns | | 1.43 mph |
| 312 ft AEG | 9 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | First we drove around the Rainbow Basin Loop, and then did the hike. I had a book with me: Geology Underfoot in Southern California, which has a chapter on the geology and paleontology of the area. According to the book and to the BLM posters around the area, the area is famous for its Miocene paleontology. Fossils of animals which lived here 12-16 million years ago have been found, including camels, dog-bears, pigs, mastodons and flamingos. The layers of rock are spectacularly folded due to uplift and earthquakes over the millennia. Other rocks found here are volcanic tuff, breccia, and granite.
The hike is fun and easy. I didn't go as far as is possible up the canyon because someone was waiting for me. There is a natural tunnel you can walk through. It's really dark, but we had brought a flashlight, as recommended in the book. It's not a cave, it's a tunnel. After maybe 100 feet in the dark you come out the other end into a slot canyon. The tunnel was made by seepage and running water.
Further up the canyon becomes a slot. There are a couple of small dry waterfalls which are easy to climb. Beyond these a green rock hill beckons. I went as far as the base of this hill, which is volcanic tuff.
The plants I noticed were desert holly, creosote and Joshua tree on the rims. It's extremely dry right now.
|
| _____________________
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life. |
| | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
