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Rocko1 Posts: 600
3/21/2022
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I did a 24hr overnight trip last weekend to the hills near Whale Peak. I have been looking that the pinyons on google earth and various maps and wanted to camp near what looked like fairly dense group of trees. Starting around noon in Little Blair Valley-72f, I took the canyon up then gained the ridge and went towards 4879 peak. All of the areas I thought were suitable and showed large healthy pines were not. 95%+ of the trees I had marked were dead. Even some trees I had pictures of from a trip with my brother in 2016 were dead. The google map I used was from 2018. Here is an example of what I saw:
Here is a 2018 google map layer
Here is what is there now
This played out for almost all of the areas I had marked to scout. There were a few exception where the large pinyons were still doing well, but that seemed to be in one area about 300 square yards or so.
I decided to keep going and find another place to camp.
Mortero near a canyon north of Whale
Yoni?
A group of pines I had marked before were still there and I made this camp.
Scouting around I saw this wreckage. I couldn't tell if this was from a plane or what. I didn't see any marking on anything except one piece. Anyone have any info or ideas what this is?
Sunset didn't disappoint-though clouds were covering the Lagunas. Temps dropped pretty quickly after the clouds covered the sun. Wind was increasing.
Was woke up at 2:30am to rain. Rained for about an hour. Got down to 35f. Wind finally slowed down around 6am, just in time to head back.
Saw a saddle that looked promising for a view east. Even more to explore down there next time.
Headed back up towards 4879 and followed the ridge back west and then in the canyon towards LBV. Total trip was about 24hrs. 11 miles and 1,800ft of gain.
3 mylar balloons.
Album - https://imgur.com/a/WZu4lIS
edited by Rocko1 on 3/21/2022
edited by Rocko1 on 3/22/2022
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Brian Posts: 231
3/21/2022
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Great trip. I know there are plane wrecks in a few different areas of Anza Borrego, but I've never come across any myself. One wreck is near Ghost Mountain and I've read about another one above Mine Wash.
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Buford Posts: 461
3/21/2022
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That is a killer sunset and a cool trip.
My guess is the wreckage is mining gear. Hard to tell from the pictures. I have found the engine of the plane wreck near Ghost Mountain. I’ll see if I can dig up the story on it.
It’s been depressing watching all the pinyons die off. I found a healthy bunch of pinyons this weekend and it was good to see.
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Links to my photos: ABDSP photos, Bighorn sheep photos, ABDSP time lapse video, Wildlife photos (mainly birds)
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rockhopper Posts: 668
3/22/2022
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Great expedition Rocko1. Sad about the Pinyons. I have some time lapse photos about 30 years apart in Black Rabbit valley showing the same thing. The deserts are moving North about a mile per year in recent times.
The engine looks like a 4 banger with 2 missing rods. Too much iron to be a plane in my opinion. Someone may chime in to identify. I am curious. How far up the mountain? Can you post a trail route? Nice find!
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Rocko1 Posts: 600
3/22/2022
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rockhopper wrote:
Great expedition Rocko1. Sad about the Pinyons. I have some time lapse photos about 30 years apart in Black Rabbit valley showing the same thing. The deserts are moving North about a mile per year in recent times.
The engine looks like a 4 banger with 2 missing rods. Too much iron to be a plane in my opinion. Someone may chime in to identify. I am curious. How far up the mountain? Can you post a trail route? Nice find!
All of the pieces were decently heavy, the driveshafts especially, the lack of aluminum made me think it may be mining gear, but the mangled parts threw me. Some are so mangled as if it was dropped from a helicopter or crash. Link to more pics-https://imgur.com/a/dYVk74e
I am truly bummed about the trees. Hearing about things dying, becoming extinct is one thing, seeing it first hand at your favorite park in a matter of a couple of years is impactful and depressing. For anyone interested here is a decent write up talking about this and a study that was done.
https://www.cnpssd.org/chapter-blog/2021/9/5/drought-effects-on-pinus-monophylla-single-leaf-pinyon-pine-in-the-pinyon-mountains-san-diego-county
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351374919_Warming_as_a_Driver_of_Vegetation_Loss_in_the_Sonoran_Desert_of_California
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Rocko1 Posts: 600
3/22/2022
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Buford wrote:
That is a killer sunset and a cool trip.
My guess is the wreckage is mining gear. Hard to tell from the pictures. I have found the engine of the plane wreck near Ghost Mountain. I’ll see if I can dig up the story on it.
It’s been depressing watching all the pinyons die off. I found a healthy bunch of pinyons this weekend and it was good to see.
What is rare is a young healthy pinyon. I saw 4 on this trip ranging from 12" to 36" tall. That's 4 new trees for 200+ dead trees. Seems that north facing canyon or slope, good drainage and of course more fertile soil than the common sand/DG were all common among the healthy examples I saw.
One of the larger trees I mapped out that was still alive-
edited by Rocko1 on 3/24/2022
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2624
3/24/2022
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There was a military jet that crashed into the hillside west of ghost mtn and my understanding is that the military did not want it found or recovered by civilians (or at least parts of it) so they dragged much of down the hillside and buried it into the sandy washes of Blair Valley. You can find 2 locations with half buried engine and wing parts. Up on the hillside and across the valley floor there are still many pieces scattered around you can find. Your pictures show a lot of iron so I also would suspect not airplane parts. Just MHO.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2624
3/24/2022
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http://www.anzaborrego.net/AnzaBorrego/Forum/topic116-earthquake--vallecito-valley--part---abdsp.aspx
A couple photos here
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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Rocko1 Posts: 600
3/24/2022
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dsefcik wrote:
There was a military jet that crashed into the hillside west of ghost mtn and my understanding is that the military did not want it found or recovered by civilians (or at least parts of it) so they dragged much of down the hillside and buried it into the sandy washes of Blair Valley. You can find 2 locations with half buried engine and wing parts. Up on the hillside and across the valley floor there are still many pieces scattered around you can find. Your pictures show a lot of iron so I also would suspect not airplane parts. Just MHO.
I also think all of the material is just way too heavy for a plane. So if it's mining equipment-1) what is it doing way up here where it's very difficult to pull any material back to a road? 2)why is it mangled as if it's been dropped?
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rockhopper Posts: 668
3/25/2022
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Rocko1, Maybe an accidental drop from a helicopter?
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2624
3/27/2022
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Rocko1 wrote:
I also think all of the material is just way too heavy for a plane. So if it's mining equipment-1) what is it doing way up here where it's very difficult to pull any material back to a road? 2)why is it mangled as if it's been dropped?
You never know what you will find out in the desert....
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tekewin Posts: 371
3/27/2022
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Thanks for the sharing the trip, looks fun! Well, 35f is pretty cold for me to camp in, but I don't handle cold as well as most people.
Kind of distressing that the pinyons are dying.
Have no idea about the debris.
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davidwyby Posts: 46
9/13/2022
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I'm going to bet aircraft. Fair bit of what looks like aluminum and titanium. Locking/safety pinned nuts, I'd expect to find some safety wired bolts in there. Spindle looks like landing gear.
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