Pinto Wye Trek - Why Not? - Joshua Tree National Park
A couple of hours later, I could check these off the list: cool geology, abandoned gold mines, huge quartz outcroppings, wagon wheel arrastra, ginormous barrel cacti, quartz crystals, desert gold and awesome vistas. Kind of a typical hike for me, when I venture OTBP out at JT. Here’s some neat stuff:
The first portal I hiked upon, unfortunately, it was just a short exploratory adit and only went in a few feet. Still cool to find.
On a future trip, going to have to set aside a chunk of time to head out there and explore all those rocks. Who knows what secrets are out there, left by the rock people of old.
These giant quartz outcroppings tend to always be on top of steep cliffs. But they have to be checked out, regardless of risk 🙃.
Ooooo, waste rock pile.
Oooooo, claim marker!
Mine!
A “wagon wheel” arrastra. Used to crush and process gold bearing ore. This one is unique in that it used two wagon wheels as the pivot mechanism. A gas-powered engine powered the wheel when it was operational. The engine is long gone, as are most of any artifacts from the old days. This one was extremely well made.
Sure looks like those were placed intentionally…..
Under the overhang of a huge boulder, in an area that was once used as a camping spot for someone. There are numerous cans and other artifacts scattered about, including a bed frame.
A near-by hideout. Hard to tell how long it’s been here.
On the hike back to the truck, something glittering in the sand ahead of me caught my eye. It was the first quartz crystal I’ve ever seen out here.
Well, thanks for coming along on this short, morning hike. Sometimes the best places to visit in the park are the places no one else visits. With so many turnouts along the main roads, it’s easy to pick one and head out to explore, to see what you can find!
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