Destiny and Three More DPS Brown Lumps
(Pinto, Eagle, Indianhead)

Harlan W S
Nov 11-13 2014
I started planning my 2014 trek, after this trip in 2010. When I was driving to Borrego Springs to camp in 2010, I saw a neat mountain behind the campground, and wished that neat-looking peak was a DPS summit. Alas, it actually was -- Indianhead.  As I drove home through Lucerne Valley in 2010, I saw the turnoff for Joshua Tree, and pondered how I'd never been through that area, partly because a friend told me it was her least-favorite national park.  But I had come to like camping in the desert, so maybe I'd return some day and drive through JTree... I started plotting up GPS routes at the end of 2010.

Well, the coming years had lots of injuries, other goals, operations, and so forth.  So it took a while to get back.

0pintomap
The 1st day I got a late
start from Vegas. so I
hit the Pinto trailhead
at noon!		 DSCN7756
There it is, across a long
sandy desert expanse. It was
about 60F, but felt hot in
the sun.		 DSCN7758
DSCN7758_stitch
There it is, view ~N.
There  are a few complications,
but otherwise there is decent
use trail.		 DSCN7761 DSCN7762
DSCN7763 DSCN7764 DSCN7766
I think that is Eagle
DSCN7769
View SE as I descend		 DSCN7770 DSCN7771
DSCN7774
View back as sun gets low.		 DSCN7775
Just about 4PM, and the sun
is already setting behind
low mountains. It was dark
by the time I pulled into
Cottonwood Campground,
where I spent the next to nights.		 DSCN7776eaglelmap
Next day was Eagle. I
decided I'd try a slight
variation on DPS route
B, starting from the
campground around 7AM.
It had been a cold, moonless
night.  This route is perhaps
prettier than route A, but
goes up and down over
washes A LOT. I
did more than 11 miles and
3000' accumulated gain.
DSCN7777
View back W at cottonwood.		 DSCN7779
unprotected vertical
mineshaft.		 DSCN7780
"The Sphinx," a landmark
I used to navigate.
DSCN7782 DSCN7785
I tried a ridge route coming
up (just 1 cairn!) and dropped
over a W summit.		 DSCN7789
The area from about 5000'
up was neat, full of rocky
prominences.
DSCN7790 DSCN7791_stitch DSCN7794
Salton Sea and Rabbit
DSCN7795 DSCN7796 DSCN7797
DSCN7798 DSCN7800 DSCN7802
DSCN7804 DSCN7806 DSCN7810
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Sunset on Eagle. Even though
I got back by about 1:20, I
knew that by the time I ate, etc.,
I would be faced with another
drive in the dark, so I stayed
another night at Cottonwood.
DSCN7820Indianmap
Next morn I drove to Anza
Borrego State Park for
Indianhead, and hit the trail
about 7:40AM		 DSCN7822
The trailhead-- sign warns to
take a least a gallon of H2O
per person (just for hike to
oasis).		 DSCN7825
I think that's the peak to NNW.
DSCN7826
4 bighorns ran past at the 1st
palm oasis.		 DSCN7835 DSCN7837
Lots of water - I got 1 soaker
on way up, another on way back.
DSCN7839 DSCN7840
California Fuschias.		 DSCN7841
amazing sideways waterfall!
DSCN7843
Starting on Ridge, view back
SE.		 DSCN7844 DSCN7845
View NNE
DSCN7846 DSCN7848 DSCN7851
DSCN7852
The top 300' are composed
of huge boulders. With some
looking, you can always find a
class 2 bypass, but class 3 routes
are often faster.		 DSCN7854
View ESE from summit.		 DSCN7858
DSCN7859 DSCN7862_stitch
Neat ridge to S		 DSCN7863
view NE
DSCN7865 DSCN7866 DSCN7868
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DSCN7873
My tent is somewhere
down there.		 DSCN7874 DSCN7875
DSCN7876 DSCN7877
San J, I think		 DSCN7879
Heading back down ridge.
DSCN7881
Often I traversed high
on the sides of the
stream.		 DSCN7883
fuschias again.		 DSCN7884
View NE; Indianhead
in back, stream in front.
DSCN7886 DSCN7888 DSCN7889
DSCN7890 DSCN7891
Weather change next morn		 DSCN7894
Near Twentynine Palms.