Day 3: Six-mile day hike from campsite to Bolder Spring, then over ridges to old mine site off Globe Mine Rd
I won't see any people today again. I have just enough water to stay at my campsite another day, so I'll hike over to probably-dry Bolder Spring, about two miles away, just to explore, and to see if any extra water exists over there.
I'll leave camp around 11h and get back around 16h30. My daypack includes the usual items, including my Camelbak and two 1.5-litre bottles of water, which turns out to be adequate, but not optimal. I'll eat two Clif bars and a couple of handfuls of dried apricots during the day.
Because it's not so windy this morning, it's fairly noisy around the tent while I make coffee due to humming insect life, none of which seems much interested in me--fortunately.
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Date: April 25, 2008, 10h00
Size: 68 items
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Morning #2 at my campsite off the middle fork of Globe Mine Road, I repeat the ritual of making coffee in the shade of my tent
I'm up a little earlier than yesterday because the morning sun is too hot and I can't sleep. Ironically, just before dawn, I woke up because I was too cold and had to pull the hood of my sleeping bag up over my head.
Date: April 25, 2008, 09h22
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After breakfast, it's that wonderful moment I've been waiting for: digging a cat hole
There's often sand on the surface in these parts, but the soil just beneath tends to be almost rock hard. It sometimes takes longer than one might think to find a good spot to dig a hole.
Date: April 25, 2008, 10h28
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I'm off early (for me) on today's hike to the Bolder Spring area, which begins with a 1/4-mile walk down Globe Mine Road
I'm not counting on finding water at Bolder Spring, but I'm carrying my water filter and an extra water bottle in my daypack just in case I do.
Date: April 25, 2008, 10h51
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I arrive at "sand-pit junction" again, where the shortcut road joins up with the middle fork of Globe Mine Road
I'll walk just a little further down Globe Mine Road in the direction of Kelso-Cima Road, and then head north cross-country across the fan toward Bolder Creek.
Date: April 25, 2008, 10h56
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OK, I guess this is a good place to stop descending Globe Mine Road and start hiking north across the fan toward those hills
The old road to Bolder Spring should be in the drainage just below the distant hills in the middle of the photo, about a mile away.
Date: April 25, 2008, 10h58
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As I hike across the fan, I rise slowly and can see Kelso Dunes down below when I look behind me
I'm noticing that it feels a little warmer today than yesterday, but maybe that's just because I'm walking slightly uphill at a decent pace.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h04
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This mistletoe is covered with bright red berries
Some birds should be very happy with these.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h11
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Parts of this fan host fewer creosote bushes than usual, allowing many tufts of ankle-low grasses to grow
These open areas are easier to hike across since there's less vegetation to avoid. The old road to Bolder Spring should be just in front of those hills ahead.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h17
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And voilà, here it is: what's left of the old road to Bolder Spring
I'll head east up the road toward the mountains. Bolder Spring is located somewhere about a mile up the road. This road is in a Wilderness area, not open to motor vehicles, and hasn't been driven in years.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h19
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Some of the buckwheats growing around here look rather old
The gnarled trunk on this specimen wouldn't look like part of something alive if it weren't for the green growth coming out of it.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h22
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It's hard to resist touching (carefully) the hard spines of a barrel cactus once in a while
This is one of those plants that feels more like a sculpture than a living thing due to its external armour of spines.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h27
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I'm starting to see a few purple blooming sages in this area like the ones I saw yesterday on the way to Tough Nut Mine
This is probably salvia dorrii and I'd love to have it in my garden. The scent of this plant is amazing!
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h36
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Naked buckwheat (eriogonum nudum) is fairly common around here
I like this plant for its unusual stems and lack of leaves.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h41
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Glancing north, I see a piece of the north fork of Globe Mine Road slithering around a hill
Once behind that hill, the Globe Mine Road heads east (right) up into the mountains toward Globe Mine. I'll be on the other side of that hill later this afternoon. Part of the curve of Cima Dome is visible ahead in the background.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h42
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Fire ring along the former road to Bolder Spring
With grass growing in it, and no ash residue from previous campfires, it doesn't look like this fire ring has been used in quite some time.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h46
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The former road to Bolder Spring is being erased by the forces of nature
The road is still visible at this point, but it drops into a wash a few hundred feet from here, and that's pretty much the end of it.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h49
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At the base of these yuccas is a pile of twigs covered with gravelly rock
It could be that the twig pile was originally built for nesting or cover by critters. A flash flood passing through the area at a later date may have deposited the gravel layer on top.
Date: April 25, 2008, 11h54
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This nearby rock outcrop will serve as a nice spot for a short break
I enjoy a Clif bar here and the view of the Kelso Dunes below.
Date: April 25, 2008, 12h11
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