Walkabouts
Onyx Summit Hike - Aug 2 2005
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| I love to roam wilderness areas new to me. The excitement of
discovery remains my constant companion as I meander around trailbends
and over hills. Will I find a new rock? An edible or medicinal plant I
haven’t used yet? Maybe some bobcat tracks in drying puddle mud...\
Prickly Poppy (Argemone munita)
The seeds have been used (roasted and mashed) as a healing salve for
burns. |
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| Upon returning to the base of Onyx Peak, I discovered wild Flax (Linium
lewisii). I hope to extract some fibers from the outer stem sheath
and make fine cordage at the end of it’s growing season. |
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| Mr. Bunny relaxing on a Tumbleweed (Salsola tragus). |
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| Bear scat—another soothing burn salve (just kidding...maybe). |
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| About 150 feet above Blue Sky Meadow Science Institute, where I
teach and live for the summer. San Gorgonio mountain is in the
background. Still has now in its north-facing valleys. |
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| As I ascend Onyx Peak, named for the mineral that was once mined on
it’s eastern flank, I encountered some Pinyon Pine. I was impressed with
the low-lying cones presented to me, full of pine nuts. Easy pickings
come September... |
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| Pinyon Pine cones—quite resinous to the touch. |
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| I think this is Lake Williams—seems too small to be Big Bear Lake,
which would then be just to the left of the photo, out of view. When I
gaze upon high-mountain lakes like this from above, the lakes seem
tilted, unlevel. |
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| And just to the right of Lake Williams, dumping down into Yucca
Valley and the baking-hot-pit-of certain-death Mojave Desert, is Pipes
Canyon. As I turned onto a 4x4 side trail to photograph a flower, I was
hit in the face with a rush of HOT air on this south-facing slope! Very
noticeably hotter... |
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| As I approached the summit the vegetation became stunted; dwarfed,
gnarled Mountain Mahogany, Sierra Juniper, Pinyon Pine and White Fir
rose only a dozen feet above my head, with shrunken Rose Sage and
buckwheat on par with my ankles. I was impressed that there were a few
wet seeps up here, given that the area is so dry. Seeps are a sign of
active geologic faults and frequent tectonic activity—another reason for
me to love this place! |
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| The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail clings to the side of Onyx
Peak... |
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