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tommy750 Posts: 1071
4/8/2020
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The weekend prior to the park closure, Daren, Gary, Randy and I headed up a steep rocky ridge toward a tight grouping of gps points, the last data bursts from of a dying tracking collar. The unfortunate wearer was a ewe, presumably a victim of mountain lion predation and lying in peace somewhere on an east facing slope midway between Rabbit and Villager. The last pings were time stamped early 4/2019. With the collar battery lasting about five years, it was unclear when the ewe died or whether the collar was currently anywhere near the sheep remains. That night, Daren would return with collar in hand completing the successful recovery with little help from his hiking companions.
 IMG_20200328_140523_7 by tomteske, on Flickr
This all started when Daren emailed the group stating he was asked by a Fish and Game biologist to recover said collar ( apparently they're not cheap) and inviting us along for the adventure. Daren suggested the obvious route up the Villager ramp as an overnight. However, being the least experienced and least knowledgeable hiker in the group but apparently with the most free time, I suggested an an old native trail ascending sharply from the banks of Clark Lake to the Santa Rosa spine and ending on Rabbit. My route information was based on exactly two sentences extracted from an old BLM document and hours of rather imaginative trail spotting on GE. It would shave a couple miles off the standard route and looked much easier, at least from outer space. After successfully bamboozling the group on the "better" route, we all met under the NE shoulder of Coyote Mt and headed out.
Getting ready
 IMG_3533 by tomteske, on Flickr
Somewhere in the middle of Clark Lake, a vertical gas tank.
 IMG_3534 by tomteske, on Flickr
Also, somewhere in the middle of the the lake, BM Camp.
 IMG_3541 by tomteske, on Flickr
After crossing the lake bed, we made it to the start of the "obvious" trail on GE.
 IMG_3544 by tomteske, on Flickr
It truly was an old native trail and somewhat farther up, a nice petroglyph site.
 IMG_3551 by tomteske, on Flickr
 IMG_3548 by tomteske, on Flickr
 IMG_3555 by tomteske, on Flickr
 IMG_3563 by tomteske, on Flickr
Gary checking out trail cairns.
 IMG_3570 by tomteske, on Flickr
View from camp at the base of the Santa Rosa Mts.
 IMG_3577 by tomteske, on Flickr
The next morning, we cached our gear and started up the "trail" planning on day hiking to the top, finding the collar and returning to the vehicles. But to our dismay, there was no trail. None. Just a scramble up steep rocky terrain.
Nice piece of pottery before the ascent.
 IMG_3583 by tomteske, on Flickr
Halfway up the first 1300 ft slog, a nice land snail, the first one I've ever seen out in the desert.
 IMG_3585 by tomteske, on Flickr
Halfway up the second slog, I found this rotting Buck knife sheath. Little did I know but just minutes before it contained a pristine Buck knife, rescued by Daren who was by now far ahead of me (Gary and Randy had already had enough of my "route" and called it a day).
 IMG_3596 by tomteske, on Flickr
There actually was a trail ascending the ridge at some point as a pot drop along with multiple roasting pits, rubs and pottery sherds would attest. Just not anymore.
 IMG_3600 by tomteske, on Flickr
The view from a few rubs.
 IMG_3603 by tomteske, on Flickr
 IMG_3610 by tomteske, on Flickr
The last slog to the top.
 IMG_3611 by tomteske, on Flickr
Finally on top, the view toward Rabbit and the collar, somewhere between the far green patch and faint white vertical line on the east ridge heading up Rabbit. By now, Daren had recovered the collar and was heading back having wisely chosen not to wait for his "team."
 IMG_3615 by tomteske, on Flickr
Here's Daren's pics of the sheep and collar.
 IMG_20200328_140545_8 by tomteske, on Flickr
IMG_20200328_140523_7 by tomteske, on Flickr
Daren searching for a short cut back to camp.
 IMG_3623 by tomteske, on Flickr
The whole endeavor was about 16 miles, 5K g/l and probably not the easiest way to the top! Still, another great time in the desert. Enjoy! Tom
edited by tommy750 on 4/8/2020
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