The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Day hikes in the California desert

One year ago I wished everyone a Happy New Year from Cartagena, Colombia. At the time I set myself a challenge to reach a goal of 100 countries visited (at the time I had visited 80) by the end of the year. I went so far as to plan no less than eight different trips to about 25 different countries. I managed to visit only three new countries (El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Cape Verde) before the world closed down and my plans all went out the window. So much for New Year’s resolutions!

As the Spanish authorities did not want me to spend this winter in the sunshine of the Canaries, running out of options I returned to the States. Still seeking the sun, I now find myself under a “stay-at-home” order in Indio, California. Fortunately, the lock-down specifically exempts hiking and outdoor (properly socially-distanced) swimming pools. So, I really have much to be thankful for and hope that all of you do, too.

Here are some photos from the solo hikes I’ve been taking in December 2020 and January 2021. I’ve been adding to this blog since I originally posted it on January 1st rather than posting a new blog before I relocate to St George, Utah for the spring.

Stay safe and have fun outdoors in 2021!

The Vagabond Hiker

Looking back towards the town of La Quinta from the Bear Canyon/Oasis trail. It’s a very popular trailhead, but once I was 1/2 mile in I was alone for most of the rest of the 8 mile hike.
Bear Canyon Oasis. California fan palms (Washingtonia filifera) are California’s only native palm species – and as you shall see a favorite of mine!
One major advantage of returning to the States is that I bought a car! After four years of renting whatever was cheapest, my new 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Sport is absolutely wonderful. I had this versatile all wheel drive SUV upgraded with off-road wheels and tires and a lift kit installed. I also bought a proper spare tire, shown here in a Thule roof basket. This photo was taken at a remote wash at the southern boundary of Joshua Tree National Park.
The objective of this remote canyon hike was “Carey’s Castle,” in the Eagle Mountains of Joshua Tree. Patty Furbush’s book On Foot in Joshua Tree National Park poses the challenge of finding the site without giving much of a clue as to where it is. My AllTrails app greatly simplified the task.
The inside of Carey’s Castle. Nothing a little TLC won’t take care of. It is safe to assume that Carey, a prospector from the 1940’s, had different expectations for an abode than did the 1st Duke of Marlborough.
Plateau view with yuccas near Carey’s Castle. I love the Monzogranite rock of Joshua Tree.
A great example of Barrel Cactus, snuggled cozily in a bed of Joshua Tree monzogranite
A Palo Verde tree (Parkinsonia florida) in an Eagle Mountains canyon
49th Avenue, Indio, after overnight snow on Mt San Jacinto (on the right here). At 10,804 ft, San Jacinto is the high point of Riverside County. My local walk from the resort I’m staying at is down this pleasant avenue.
View towards Martinez Mountain heading to Boo Hoff trail in La Quinta. A relatively nearby trailhead I’ve had all to myself (since 4wd is required), I hiked the surrounding areas several times. My objective this day was Devil Canyon in the Santa Rosa Mountains, one of the many excellent hikes in Phil Ferranti’s 140 Great Hikes in and Near Palm Springs, although he calls it Lost Canyon.
Ocotillo Cactus (Fouquieria splendens) in bloom against the skyline along the Boo Hoff trail. Very little is blooming at present as most flora are waiting for the winter rains.
Reflection in a small pool, beyond Devil Canyon, taken on another day’s further exploration.
Boo Hoff trail La Quinta. This photo was taken at the high point, near the mid point of the trail.
Lovely morning light at the Monument Mountain “trailhead” along the Pinkham Jeep track in Joshua Tree NP. I had attempted this mountain several years ago as a backpack from a different trailhead (lacking a proper off road vehicle). Running low on water in the desert heat, I abandoned the attempt but vowed to return.
After two hours I reached the summit of Monument Mountain (4834 ft). This is a view NE from the summit. The Pinto Basin and Mountains of Joshua Tree NP are in the middle distance.
My second objective this day was the Cottonwood Mountains high point. My approximate cross country route is shown by the squiggly red line.
Monument Mountain as seen from the Cottonwood HP summit
Magnesia Springs Canyon entrance. This canyon is just west of the community of Rancho Mirage.
A Desert Big Horn Sheep ewe in Magnesia Springs Canyon (zoom). The area is now closed for several months for the breeding season.
Pleasant walking through the Magnesia Springs Canyon palm grove
On a separate hike in the Magnesia Springs Canyon area, I’m posing at a dryfall. Fun scrambling was had in this canyon complex!
The rugged landscape of the San Jacinto foothills is clear from this view from above a side canyon off Magnesia Springs Canyon. Note the grove of dead palms (bottom center). Amazingly, this photo was taken only a few miles from the Rancho Mirage Ferrari dealer.
The Painted Canyon of Mecca Hills. I had never hiked in this area at the south end of the Coachella Valley near the Salton Sea.
Morning light in Painted Canyon, Mecca Hills Wilderness. Ladder Canyon goes off to the left at the break in the canyon walls.
Looking up one of the ladders, Ladder Canyon, Mecca Hills. Volunteer members of the Coachella Valley Hiking Club maintain a series of ladders in these canyons.
Another Ladder Canyon view. This slot canyon reminded me of southern Utah.
Likely Palmer’s Indian Mallow (Abutilon palmeri), Painted Canyon, Mecca Hills. It’s a bit out of focus due to the winds. (I should have shot a short high res video and extracted a properly focused still frame, but was too lazy).
Hikers at the entrance to Ladder Canyon (bottom center), Mecca Hills. My route was a loop hike, which returned to this point.
Monument Mountain a week earlier was a warm up, but it was time for a serious climb. Martinez Mountain in the Santa Rosa’s fit the bill. The Cactus Springs trail heads East here towards the mountain, an 18 mile round trip with 4000 ft elevation gain, partly cross country. I would need all of the daylight hours for this hike.
Horsethief Creek, the only water on the Martinez Mountain hike, and not looking very enticing at that
I took this photo of Martinez Mountain (6562 ft) in the late afternoon on my return hike. My route up Martinez Mountain was by following the West Ridge from the col on the right here (behind the shrubbery). My descent was the more direct route, down the giant Northwest ravine, visible here in the center. It’s not as steep as it looks foreshortened here.
Finally! Martinez Mountain summit block from the summit plateau area. The long West Ridge had plenty of bouldering challenges and “predatory flora”.
Martinez Mountain summit block from the south east. A bit of class 3 scrambling around to the north (right) and I reached the top after more than 5 hours.
The Salton Sea from Martinez Mountain summit
The complexities of the Horsethief Canyon approach to Martinez Mountain are apparent in the middle ground from Martinez summit. Mt San Jacinto is on the right.
An easy Christmas morning hike in the Coachella Valley Preserve to the Horseshoe Palms. Four years ago I started this blog with another oasis hike in the Preserve. Unlike most oases, the Horseshoe Palms are in a line under a cliff, rather than in a canyon. This is from seepage along the San Andreas fault, which is exactly along this cliff line.
Pushwalla Palms Oasis, Coachella Valley Preserve. There was actually some running water here after a light rain the previous day.
A zoom view of the Coachella Valley Preserve’s Thousand Palms Oasis and Mt San Gorgonio (background left). San Gorgonio is the high point of San Bernadino County and indeed all of southern California. Can you spot my Crosstrek?
The Orocopia Wilderness was established in 1994 after OHV (off highway vehicle) users had inflicted some major damage to this area south of Joshua Tree NP. Orocopia Mountain was my final summit objective for 2020. This is a zoom view of the mountain from near the start. Supposedly a 2wd dirt road, I was glad I had my Crosstrek to get through some deep sand to the trailhead.
The actual summit finally comes into view after I mistakenly ascended the wrong ridge and had to traverse around some rough terrain, some of which is visible here. This and the prior photo are rather poor as the summit is due south.
Orocopia Mtn (3815 ft) summit view North to the Eagle Mountains, Joshua Tree NP
The Vagabond Hiker on the summit of Orocopia. Mt San Jacinto is on the far left, with Mt San Gorgonio (11,503 ft) just peeking out to the left of the summit cairn.
New Year’s eve sunset from my deck in Indio. A beautiful end to a challenging year.
Martinez Mountain view from 49th Ave, Indio. January and we’re finally getting some more significant winter rain in the desert.
Lost Palms wash, near the start of my Munsen Canyon hike from the southern border of Joshua Tree
At the start of Munsen Canyon I encountered this unexpected solo Juniper at about 2200 ft elevation, loaded with berries.
A Bladderpod (Peritoma arborea) blooming in Munsen Canyon
Summit Springs Oasis, Munsen Canyon. It took some substantial bouldering to reach this second of two oases in the canon. There were also a number of Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) saplings in this oasis. The Desert Willow is not a member of the Willow Family as are true willows, but is the only species of the Bignonia Family native to California.
Desert Tobacco (Nicotiana obtusifolia) flowering in the Lost Palms Wash, Joshua Tree

The Mediterranean Steps, Gibraltar

The northern of the twin Pillars of Hercules, the Rock of Gibraltar rises 1400 ft above the otherwise uninteresting (for walking) British Overseas Territory. Attached to mainland Andalusia, Spain by a narrow spit of land, it certainly has an interesting history ever since Greek times. I had been considering a quick weekend trip earlier in the year, before Spain closed its borders to Americans and I wound up here for two weeks instead (see my last blog post).

Fortunately, however, it does boast one interesting hike that any visitor should do: the Mediterranean Steps, the focus of this short blog. Most visitors are whisked up to the top of the Rock in 6 minutes by cable car. They miss the whole experience of the Rock.

Since this blog is notably shorter than most, I took the liberty of appending a few photos from my weekend in Venice in September.

Map of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve. It is known for its semi-wild population of Barbary Macaques, a tail-less monkey. It is also an important resting point for migrating birds. Purple lines are paths, the darker ones roads. The Mediterranean Steps start at the Jews’ Gate, on the right.
Trafalgar Cemetery and a portion of the Charles V wall near Southport Gate. I started my hike from my condo, to the north of the city near the airport. At 2.5 square miles, Gibraltar is not exactly large!
Gibraltar Botanic Garden. A small bit of green in the city. Unsurprisingly, not much was blooming in November.
The start of the Mediterranean Steps.
View from Pillar to Pillar: Jebel Musa, Morocco in the distance across the Strait of Gibraltar.
A view along the Med Steps. With the lock-down in England barring most international travel, not many tourists were visiting.
View out from one of the twin Goat Hair Twin Caves. They were given this name as they were goatherd refuges in the 19th century.
Higher on the Med Steps, the view North to East Beach in the distance, beyond which is Spain.
Paperwhite (Narcissus papyraceus), one of the very few wildflowers blooming
Looking down the switch-backed Med Steps
An unknown white flower. I was a bit desperate for some macro photography!
The gun turret at Ohara’s battery, on the highest point of the Rock. An interesting exhibit, it provided a nice rest after the climb!
Ohara’s gun, a 9.2″ MK 10. Pardon the violent, phallic imagery, but I thought it was a good photo.
View from the glass-floored Skywalk with a Barbary Macaque staring out into the mist. With some precipitation from the prevailing easterlies off the Med, I shortened my walk a bit, skipping the famous St Michael’s cave.
Mommy and baby Macaques. There are about 300 of them on Gibraltar.
The upper portion of the Charles V wall, a defensive fortification dating from the 16th century. The brown lumps on the wall are Macaques.
The Tower of Homage, part of the Moorish Castle. It was rebuilt during the second Moorish occupation in the early 14th century. The pond is populated with tadpoles, frogs, and a turtle.
View from the Moorish Castle. My condo was part of the Ocean Village complex, the tallest buildings seen here. The western end of the airport’s runway is on the right, extending into the bay. The road to and from Spain crosses the runway, and is blocked with concrete barriers when planes take off and land.
Although my second floor condo balcony only had a sliver of water view, this morning the superb sky compensated.

Although I managed to complete the Rock of Gibraltar hike in 4 hours, one could easily spend a whole day, including exploration of St Michael’s cave, WW2 tunnels (closed for maintenance), the extensive siege tunnels from the Napoleonic era (where I spent a half hour), as well as additional paths and roads in the nature reserve. Allowing one day for historical sights in the town, and another relaxing on the artificial Eastern Beach, Gibraltar certainly makes for an interesting long weekend in either the spring with the flowers out or early autumn with warmish water and the birds migrating. Summer is too hot, and the winter from November through February generally cold and wet.

And now for a few bonus photos! My time in Trentino, Italy in September was spent largely in the Dolomites. However, as I mentioned in my earlier blog, when the weather deteriorated at the end of the month, I journeyed to Venice for a long weekend. With three days to wander around the largely depopulated city, I took a number of photos, a few of which are shown below.

Piazza San Marco, about 8.30 AM on a Saturday. I’ve never seen it remotely this empty. Amazing.
Basilica San Marco
Rio dei Giardini, Castello. The gardens are just visible in the distance.
Grand Canal with Gondolas near Rialto Bridge. In contrast to the overcast on Saturday, there was great early morning light on Sunday.
View of the Grand Canal from the Accademia Bridge. The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is seen on the right
The Hotel Bauer (left), Grand Canal and Campanile San Marco
A canal in Dorsoduro, one of my favorite parts of the city

I returned from Gibraltar to London yesterday, a couple days early after my flight was cancelled (British Airways is down to only two flights per week to Gibraltar during the lock-down of England). As my overseas options are extremely limited, I have decided to return to the United States. My flight to Texas via Chicago leaves tomorrow. I will spend the Thanksgiving holidays with my brother and sister-in-law. Afterwards, my winter plans include the Coachella Valley in Southern California, followed by 3-4 months in St George, Utah. My very first Vagabond Hiker blog post, from December 2016, was of a hike in the Coachella Valley Preserve. In a sense, then, I will have come full circle in four years.

Which begs the question, should I continue this blog? I will stick with the vagabonding lifestyle for now, staying in the western US at least until the world opens back up. Perhaps I’ll be motivated to continue the blog from California, Utah, or points beyond. Stay tuned,

The Vagabond Hiker

The Saxon Shore Way

Last month I walked 53 miles of the Saxon Shore Way (SSW) from Hastings to Dover. I completed this section in four days, spread over a span of one week to avoid the worst weather. My original plan was to continue farther on the 160 mile SSW to either Sandwich or Herne Bay, but due to increasingly poor weather I terminated my walk in Dover.

To the modern walker this portion of the Saxon Shore Way appears a bit of a misnomer. For much of the walk from Hastings to Dover the path is inland; often the English Channel is not even visible. Following the coast as it existed in Saxon times, i.e. before Duke William came ashore in 1066, the Saxon Shore Way gives one an idea of the changing landscape over the past centuries.

Day 1: Hastings to Rye, 12.5 miles

More precisely, I started by walking out my door in Rocklands and finished by walking the 1.5 miles from Hastings train station back home. In between I tried to capture some of the beautifully diverse scenery.

Hastings Old town, where the Saxon Shore Way officially begins (or ends, depending on one’s direction).
Looking back on the Fire Hills, Hastings Country Park, in the morning light. I left home at 7 AM, as soon as I could see the path.
Fairlight Cove village, a pleasant coastal bedroom community
Descending to the Pett Levels. After this point, Cliff End, the terrain changed from the rugged topography of Hastings Country Park to a much gentler landscape.
Swans along the Royal Military Canal on Pett Levels. The RMC runs for 28 miles, following the old cliff line bordering Romney Marsh. It was constructed as a defense against the French during the Napoleonic wars.
The first Saxon Shore Way sign I spotted, at the entrance to the Camber Nature Reserve. Signage markedly improved once I reached the county of Kent.
The ruins of Camber Castle, built by Henry VIII to help protect the Sussex coast from the French.

Day 2: Rye to Ham Street, 12.5 miles

On Day 2 I resumed my walk by driving to Rye, where I left my car. At the end, I took the train back from the village of Ham Street to retrieve my car.

A gate at the entrance to the Ancient Town of Rye, part of the Cinque Ports confederation
The rolling hills and farm near Iden Village
Ferry Inn, Stone in Oxney. Sadly, it wasn’t lunch time yet as this would have made a great stop.
A renovated Oast House near Appledore. An oast is a kiln house, typically for drying hops.
An Appledore public defibrillator, a brilliant re-purposing of an old phone booth
Gusbourne vineyards near Appledore. They have about 150 acres under vine, which as a walker was a great change from crossing muddy fields.

Day 3: Ham Street to Etchinghill, 15.5 miles

After a three day hiatus, I resumed the Saxon Shore Way, driving to Rye and continuing by train to the village of Ham Street where I had left off.

The lovely Ham Street Woods, just a few minutes’ walk from the station
A couple of long-necked locals
Priory Wood mushrooms. My flower search became more problematic this late in the season, but the rains definitely brought out the fungal fruiting bodies.
St Martins Church, Aldington. The fall colors are beginning to emerge.
Royal Military Canal view near Honeypot Cottage
Denizens of Lympne Wild Animal Park
Site of Portus Lemanis (now Lympne) Roman Fort. Perhaps in a few decades the shoreline will once again extend to here!
Lympne Castle, not open to the public but available for private functions. The graveyard is part of the adjacent church.
The Tolsford Hill Ordnance Survey Benchmark. That clump of trees is shown on my map as Brockman’s Bushes. This was my high point for the day, at about 600 ft above sea level.

After the walk up Tolsford Hill, the final climb this day, I was a half hour from Etchinghill. Rather than return to Hastings, I chose to stay there to save the hassle of catching a bus to then get a train back to my car in Rye and then having to repeat the process the next day. I enjoyed a good meal at The Gatekeeper pub and a restful sleep before continuing on to Dover the following morning.

Day 4: Etchinghill to Dover, 12.5 miles

North Downs Way stone marker. For my final stage from Etchinghill, the Saxon Shore Way coincided with the more well known North Downs Way.
Tunnel entrance, Folkestone. On January 1 it will be ground zero for Brexit, featuring miles of trucks backed up for Customs to cross the Channel into France.
An unknown purple flower. I was unable to identify it as a wildflower; perhaps it’s a garden flower that escaped.
Topography from the North Downs approaching Dover
A WW2 pillbox along the cliffs. There are many gun emplacements and observation post remnants along these cliffs.
A stainless steel sculpture of a Stuka dive bomber at the Battle of Britain memorial
Coastal view back to the west, highlighting Folkestone Warren, the undercliffs seen here
A platter-sized mushroom along the cliffs
A sailing boat in the Channel
Approaching Dover from the west
Common toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)
Dover Castle

The train from Dover back to Rye was far longer than my quick train journeys of 10-25 minutes up to this point, as it required a change at Ashford. Even so, I reached Rocklands by late afternoon, completing this portion of the Saxon Shore Way.

On the last day of October, I was scheduled to fly to Lanzarote, where my plan was to spend the winter walking in the warm sun and swimming in the ocean. Alas, British Airways would not let me board the plane as Spain had closed its borders to ALL US citizens – irrespective of their point of departure – the previous day! After about 45 minutes of discussion with the counter agent, I caught the next flight to Gibraltar, where I managed to find a condo available for two weeks. So here I am, enjoying the not-so-warm sun and swimming in the condo’s lap pool.

So where to from here? The options are extremely short as the world is closing down once more. England is in lock-down until at least early December. In any case the weather in winter is incompatible with my lifestyle. Stay tuned.

In a week or so I will post a short blog from Gibraltar focusing on the climb up the Mediterranean Steps to the top of the rock. Until then, enjoy nature as much as you can,

The Vagabond Hiker

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