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tekewin Posts: 368
10/30/2022
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It's desert season! I started this year by visiting Indianhead for the second time. My first trip was in 2013 following DPS route B, up Palm Canyon then back along the southwest ridge. This time I tried the north ridge. I drove to the intersection of Borrego Springs and Henderson Canyon, then followed the dirt road past the Jeep statue as far as north as it went. I followed a use trail up a wash toward Henderson Canyon. Approaching the main gully, I noticed some bones of a bighorn scattered around. A brief search revealed an intact skull, a spine, and a couple of legs with flesh still clinging above the hoof. The kill didn't look recent. Just right of the gully, I started climbing in the shade of the mountain. The ground was littered with large boulders, low vegetation, and a surprising amount of grass. The north side must retain water long enough for the slopes to be grassy instead of barren like the south side. This helped with traction as it grew increasingly steep.
Golden hour, summit not visible yet
Easy walk to the summit from here
The route crossed some of the minor ridges to avoid the worst terrain. There was a lot of low level scrambling, but only a couple of moves I'd consider class 3. The slope continued to get steeper near the top and some of the boulders grew to the size of shipping containers. Multiple registers filled a plastic container. I signed the newest one, the previous entry from March. After taking some photos/videos, I headed for the south summit, a prow jutting into space. I had not visited it on my first trip. A faint use trail traced the bottom of the angled slabs and it was easy to get to the high point. It had a dramatic precipice and view. While there is no easy way to the top of Indianhead, the north ridge seemed easier than DPS route B. That impression might be due to having more experience now. The north ridge does provide shade in the morning, so requires less water. Indianhead remains one of my favorite desert peaks.
South summit
San Ysidro East
Looking down from south summit
Heading back down the north ridge
edited by tekewin on 10/31/2022
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Brian Posts: 225
10/30/2022
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Great pics. S Summit doesn't look like a place I'd be comfortable (fear of heights kicking in just from your video).
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tekewin Posts: 368
10/31/2022
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Brian wrote:
Great pics. S Summit doesn't look like a place I'd be comfortable (fear of heights kicking in just from your video).
I think it looks far worse than it is. Definitely worth a few minutes to check out if you trudge all the way up there.
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Rocko1 Posts: 597
10/31/2022
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That looks like one tough hike. Did they lift the ban on drones for AB?
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tekewin Posts: 368
10/31/2022
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Rocko1 wrote:
That looks like one tough hike. Did they lift the ban on drones for AB?
Indianhead is a pretty tough hike, but it's not an epic like Rabbit or Dawns.
And a great big mea culpa on the drone. Still banned. I feel pretty dumb for not doing a 2 second google search on this beforehand. So that was the first and last flight in the park.
The laws are a complex mix of federal, state, local, and FAA.
Here is the CA state park rule:
Drones are currently allowed in State Parks, State Beaches, State Historic Parks, State Recreational Areas, and State Vehicular Recreation Areas except where prohibited by a District Superintendent’s posted order.
But I'm not making an excuse. It was a mistake and I should have known.
I don't think anyone was harmed, or annoyed, or heard it, or saw it since I was alone on top of Indianhead.
As an aside, my understanding of the general rules:
National Parks - no
National Monuments - no
Within 5 miles of an airport - no
National Forests - yes, except where prohibited by an order
CA state parks - yes, except where prohibited by an order
BLM land - yes, except where prohibited by an order
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Buford Posts: 456
10/31/2022
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Nice. The pictures definitely capture the terrain well. Great start to the desert season. That invasive fountain grass in the pictures is everywhere now. Sounds like the dirt road was open? It's been gated the last couple times I've been back there and was forced to park at the paved curve in the road.
I've done the route you just did and was also surprised at the amount of normal grass on the slopes. Kept it from being too loose but was slippery in it's own way. Another time I came up Henderson Canyon to the Palm Mesa high point, then traversed down to Indianhead hitting all the high points along the way before dropping down to Henderson again.
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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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+1
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tekewin Posts: 368
10/31/2022
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Buford wrote:
Nice. The pictures definitely capture the terrain well. Great start to the desert season. That invasive fountain grass in the pictures is everywhere now. Sounds like the dirt road was open? It's been gated the last couple times I've been back there and was forced to park at the paved curve in the road.
I've done the route you just did and was also surprised at the amount of normal grass on the slopes. Kept it from being too loose but was slippery in it's own way. Another time I came up Henderson Canyon to the Palm Mesa high point, then traversed down to Indianhead hitting all the high points along the way before dropping down to Henderson again.
I remember your report on Henderson Canyon. I actually looked at the rest of the canyon route last night on Google Earth. Looks fun. Making that entire giant loop, not as fun. I went to Palm Mesa High Point from the west via north fork. That was memorable because my partner got double quad cramps on the Palm Mesa summit. Made for a long, tense, return trip. No rescue, so success!
It was pre-dawn when I arrived at the intersection. There was an open dirt road to the Jeep and I just kept going north. I didn't notice any signs, but that doesn't mean they were not there.
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ziphius Posts: 911
11/1/2022
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Nice-looking trip. On my to-do list.
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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+2
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rockhopper Posts: 668
11/2/2022
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Nice rock scramble! Fantastic views. Thanks for posting the trail report and for kicking of the desert hiking season. I need to get in gear!
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+1
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tekewin Posts: 368
11/2/2022
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rockhopper wrote:
Nice rock scramble! Fantastic views. Thanks for posting the trail report and for kicking of the desert hiking season. I need to get in gear!
Let's go!
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