Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / Fall 2011: Route 66 bicycle-camping—Cady Mountains, Sleeping Beauty and Kelso Dunes Wilderness / Day 7: Cady Mountains day hike 44
A gorgeous fall Mojave Desert day, perfect for today's moderate hike into the rocky hills: no precipitation and a high of 71F and low of 43F. 8.3 miles and about 2000 feet of elevation gain.
- Another beautiful morning, hot sun, cool air, and I'm ready for the last hike on this trip, into the Cady Mountains behind me
Another dry granola-and-fruit breakfast with coffee (and a couple of Vietnamese honeyed-kumquats for dessert) and I'm slowly psyching myself to go. I first woke up at 6h30 (too early!), but went back to sleep until about 8h45. - I start walking up and down across the rocky fan and pass one of several jackrabbits that I'll see today
I usually can't catch them in a photo because they're so fast! But this guy thinks I can't see him because he is stationary. Thanks for the photo! - I notice several "Chinch weeds," if that's what they are, as I walk across the alluvial fan
According to some photos I've found on the web, this might be Pectis papposa. I saw some of these while hiking in the Sleeping Beauty area also, a few days back. - I've seen Brittlebrush a few times on this trip
I didn't realize Brittlebrush can flower this late in the year. - Big ant hill at the mouth of my chosen canyon in the Cady Mountains with a nice view of Broadwell Dry Lake
Hyten Spring, where I hiked a few days ago, is behind the Bristol Mountains peaks at the left. - As I hike up the canyon into the Cady Mountains, I come across a balloon stuck in the brush
I make the mistake of removing it for later disposal, scraping my hand on thorns in the process! - I keep walking up the Cady Mountain canyon, looking for possible easy routes up into the rocky hills
I saved several possible upward routes on my GPS so I wouldn't miss them while hiking past. - I climb a short distance up and around this dry waterfall, but decide it's more slippery than I was hoping for
An adjacent hill looks like it might be worth a try instead. - This adjacent hill has good views of the hill I just climbed, but it too is quite slippery
Lots of loose, fine gravel and sand in some spots here. That's OK on flat terrain, but I don't like that on a hill. - I return to the main canyon, looking for a better route up, and head straight toward the Cady Mountain peaks and a rock outcrop
The route ahead might be blocked by those rocks ahead, but it might be easy too. I'll find out when I get there. A fly (a yellowjacket?) has been following me for a while along here. - Great, the rocks look like a really easy step up to the next level of this Cady Mountains canyon
I'm at around 3750 feet elevation here. - A few steps up...
- I take a quick look back down beyond the rock pile I just climbed up
On we go... - Above the little dry waterfall is easy walking on gravel below the Cady Mountains peaks
I see what looks to be an easy way up the hill off to my left, so I follow it upward. - This climb right here is short and steep, but fairly easy, with mostly good footing
Views are suddenly getting better. - Arriving at a saddle in the Cady Mountains, I notice a little cave
I climb up onto the saddle at my left to see what's up there. - I feel like I'm on top of the world as I arrive at a local summit in the Cady Mountains
There are higher points in the Cady Mountains nearby, however. - I take a nice water-and-energy-bar break up here on my Cady Mountains summit to enjoy the views
I'm at about 4125 feet elevation here, nice place to sit for a few minutes. - I slowly climb back down the Cady Mountains gulley that I just came up
Despite a few loose, slippery spots, it's mostly pretty good. A family of chukar flutters away noisily. - Cady Peak, behind my hat, is not all that far away, but I'm not really on the route up to the peak
I'll enjoy the view from here, since I won't make it that far today. - I spot a larger cave in the Cady Mountains next to the smaller one I saw earlier, on my way up the saddle
I'm wearing short sleeves all afternoon, but still in long pants. The cool wind up here is comfortable, but not cold, while the sun is still shining. - On my way down, I notice a solid way up the next hill, so up I go to reach my high point of the day in the Cady Mountains
Even better views than earlier as I head upward. Hey, there's Ludlow down there! - I'm already in the shade while climbing up this Cady Mountains hill after 14h in late November
I love the autumn daylight in the desert, but the days are so short (of course, they'd be much longer if I could wake up early like a real Morning Person[TM]). - Now I'm really above Broadwell Dry Lake!
I haven't seen any other people all day. Sunshine and a bit of wind are my friends and neighbours today. - I climb up the rock staircase to another Cady Mountains summit of sorts
I stare at my GPS and realize that I could probably continue further upward to the ridge of the Cady Peak, but I'd end up returning to camp after dark. Decisions, decisions... - Awesome views everywhere; I decide to be content with my Cady Mountains summit of 4350 feet here today
I take another short break here and then begin my way back down. - On the way back down the Cady Mountains, I notice a tiny hole in a shaded rock outcrop at my upper left
Rock holes like this generally go unnoticed unless they're backlit like this one is right now. - I head back down from my Cady Mountains summit
The excitement of gaining elevation is over, but the late-day sunlight is setting in for a scenic 4-mile hike back "home" to the tent. - A few steps down that rock pile I climbed up earlier on the way up into the Cady Mountains
- As I head down the wide canyon in the Cady Mountains that I hiked up, I realize I gained more elevation here than I thought
The grade is gradual enough that it didn't seem like I rose 1000 feet in the canyon on the way up. - I pass an interesting "gravelslide" on the way back down my Cady Mountains canyon
- Nice blue shadows are being cast in the Sleeping Beauty peaks area as I hike down my Cady Mountains canyon
With the gentle downhill here, hiking is quicker than expected, and I start thinking that maybe I could have tried hiking the rest of the way up to Cady Peak after all. Next time! - I wonder about this U-shaped deposit of rock in the Cady Mountains as I walk past it
- Many of the Smoke trees in the lower part of this Cady Mountains canyon look a bit dead (just dormant in the cold season?)
Some of them look like they might have been burned in a brush fire. - Despite the many dead or dormant Smoke trees in the area, here's one with a bit of foliage
I saw many much-healthier-looking ones while hiking to Hyten Spring a few days ago. - I contemplate the views across Broadwell Dry Lake to the Bristol Mountains, past Hyten Spring, where I hiked a few days ago
- I hike cross-country in the Cady Mountains foothills one final mile to get back to my tent, avoiding the powerline road nearby
I was up near the top of one of those peaks of Sleeping Beauty a few days ago. I'm piecing the visual map together in my mind. - Hmmm... here's a little yellow flower that I'm not familiar with
The foliage reminds me a bit of a datura. - The power lines crossing the pass in the Cady Mountains pick up the end-of-day sunlight quite sculpturally
- And there it is, home for one last night on this trip, my tent
The sun goes down so early at this time of year! - The last light of the day in the Cady Mountains shines on the power lines, with the Sleeping Beauty peaks in the background
- Just after sunset, my cheap pocket Canon camera picks up the final glow of the day, and a crescent moon
There's even a bit of moonlight tonight, thanks to the clear skies. The nights have been beautifully dark out here this past week. So many stars in the sky... - It wasn't an especially strenuous hike today, but I'm hungry, and boil water for my instant evening meal
Mountain House instant Rice and Chicken, mmmm. Evening is quiet and serene, almost wind-free, but there are numerous explosions down at the nearby military base. I get to bed before 23h, in preparation for tomorrow's longish ride back to Barstow. - Cady Mountains hike elevation profile
8.3 hiking miles and about 2000 feet of elevation gain.