Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / Fall 2011: Route 66 bicycle-camping—Cady Mountains, Sleeping Beauty and Kelso Dunes Wilderness / Day 2: Sleeping Beauty hike 44
4.2 hiking miles round-trip from my tent to a summit in the Sleeping Beauty range. Feels like much more because of the steep, rocky hills (approx. 1500 feet elevation gain). An almost-warm afternoon (60F), I drink about 2 litres of water and eat two energy bars.
Bright, sunny morning, cool breeze, perfect for the hike that I've planned up the adjacent Sleeping Beauty hills
After a slow, relaxed morning in the sun, I'm finally setting out on today's Sleeping Beauty hike
I cross a greenish-looking drainage on my way across the Sleeping Beauty foothills
I start hiking up a slope that I identifed as a possible route up Sleeping Beauty while doing my homework before this trip
I'm careful and slow as I hike up the loose rock here on Sleeping Beauty
A look back down the hill behind me says I'm making progress on my Sleeping Beauty climb
Here and there, I run into a few of these flowers on the slopes of Sleeping Beauty, mostly in relatively shaded areas
A little further up Sleeping Beauty, I pass around this large rock outcrop
A bit past the rock outcrop, I continue up a ridge above a steep-sided drainage on the side of Sleeping Beauty
I'm getting closer to the Sleeping Beauty peaks, but I still have a distance to go
I zoom in on some nice views across the hills as I gain elevation in the Sleeping Beauty mountains
There's one of the Sleeping Beauty peaks up above me; how close can I get without getting vertigo?
Delicious views as I arrive at a saddle high up in the Sleeping Beauty mountains
I take a half-hour break on this saddle in the Sleeping Beauty mountains, eat an energy bar, and suck back more water
Well, I probably could climb down that way, in front of me, but I decide to check my maps first
I take note of small tufts growing in the rocks as I walk down this Sleeping Beauty canyon that I didn't plan to explore
I head down into the shade in the Sleeping Beauty mountains
There are a few Mojave asters flowering here today, which I don't expect in November
Ah ha! A special desert flower that's occasionally found even in the most remote Mojave Desert locales: an old balloon
Hmmm, a little cave on the side of this canyon in the Sleeping Beauty mountains
Closer inspection of the little cave shows smoke stains on the roof
A few very early Desert mallow blossoms are about to open in this Sleeping Beauty canyon
I take a look at a small dry waterfall in this unnamed Sleeping Beauty canyon that I just climbed around
I pass a patch of brilliant rabbitbrush on the way down this Sleeping Beauty canyon
A river of rock flows down a hill toward this Sleeping Beauty canyon
Well, my planned hike down this side canyon in the Sleeping Beauty mountains instantly ends when I reach a 10-foot drop-off
I study my maps a bit and backtrack a quarter-mile up the canyon before turning right and climbing over a rocky ridge
On the way up the steep, rocky hill, I notice many of those daisy-like plants of which I've seen many today
I've made it up to the ridge and have great views toward my campsite down below Sleeping Beauty (which I can't see yet)
Such a beautiful canyon to descend during the hike back to my tent from Sleeping Beauty
Now that I've almost reached the bottom of this Sleeping Beauty Canyon, I take a look back up behind me
The Mojave Desert is full of interesting and colourful rocks and earth
Oops, just when I'm not expecting any further obstacles, I encounter a 15-foot drop-off in the drainage that I'm hiking
I'm up above the drop-off now in the Sleeping Beauty foothills
I look behind me at the lower part of the Sleeping Beauty canyon I've just descended
I cross a dry, sandy wash on the way back to my tent
I've seen several of these little yellow flowers on today's hike
Climbing out of the sandy wash, a few big rocks, and a lot of small ones
I'm almost back at the tent, with Sleeping Beauty behind me, right at sunset
Back home for the night in the Sleeping Beauty foothills, what a great hike that was today!
The star of the show this evening is Backpacker's Pantry Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
In the bag, Backpacker's Pantry Beef and broccoli Stir-Fry doesn't look like much, but it's good!
A relaxing evening in the tent, with my sweaters on, and I sleep really well in my new, warm winter sleeping bag
Sleeping Beauty hike, elevation profile