Summer ‘09 in Pics vol. 5
Villager Peak
This past Saturday I climbed Villager Peak, far out to the east in the desert. This 5756 foot peak lies on the southern side of the Santa Rosa Mountains, in the Anzo-Borrego Desert. The top offers fantastic views (potentially 100+ miles) in all directions, and the area tends to be quite secluded. The catch is that the trailhead is below 1000 feet in elevation, located on low salt flats only about a dozen miles from the huge inland Salton Sea. This means the prospective hiker is looking at almost a mile of cumulative elevation gain on the 13 mile round-trip hike.
Villager Peak is often climbed en route to Rabbit Peak, a higher mountain about 3.5 miles to the north. The total round trip cumulative elevation gain for this route to Rabbit Peak is an awesome 8300 feet in about 20 miles, and it’s usually hiked as a strenuous 2-day backpacking trip. Villager Peak was quite a challenge for one day, but I was slightly tempted to attempt Rabbit Peak as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t have nearly enough water or daylight to try it. Day-hiking Rabbit peak is a feat that I’d still like to try some day :)
As I was planning the trip, I was worried about the weather. The area gets extremely hot in the summer, and the resources I read recommended avoiding the trail between May and September. I came with shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt expecting 100°+ weather. There was a cold breeze blowing from the west all day, and the exposed ridgeline kept me in the wind. Fortunately I brought another shirt with me, but I was quite cold all the same. I suppose I should have looked at a forecast beforehand. During the hike I watched clouds try to blow in from the west. Coming up over the mountains, they frequently made interesting lenticular formations.
I didn’t see a single person the entire day. The last time the registry at the top had been signed was about two weeks prior. I glimpsed a mountain goat, and two red-tailed hawks put on a cool display, but other than that the only wildlife I noticed were large lizards. They could get up at least an inch off the ground and scamper absurdly fast—it was pretty cool to watch.
The flora was pretty much as I expected—the lower part of the trail is bona fide desert, with only cacti and other prickly things. Higher up I ran into a lot of agave, and the top of the mountain was home to some trees (juniper and piñon pine).
About half way up the trail, looking back.
Looking across the canyon toward Rattlesnake Spring.
All manner of prickly things.
Looking down the steep escarpment to the salt flats a few thousand feet down.
Agave bloom once, then die and fall over.
There weren't many agave flowering, but the ones that were were covered in bees.
The clouds would roll over the mountains from the west, then dissipate.
This part of the trail was a bit sketchy :)
The white rocks are marble.
The cultivated valley in the distance is on the north and west side of the Salton Sea, which is just out of view.
Some parts of the trail were borderline scramble.
The Salton Sea comes into view.
Clouds making mottled patterns on the ground.
This thing was huge—I could almost stand up under the leaves.
A dead piñon pine.
White rocks, white clouds.
Petrified wood, I think.
Finally at the summit!
The Salton Sea, as seen from Villager Peak.
Clark Valley, almost 5000 feet below.
The Salton Sea lies about 260 feet below sea level.
OMG TEH MOTHERSHIP
Well, there's the trail back down...
More lenticular-ish clouds.
There are three spiders in this picture.
Another interesting part of the path.
Only a few miles left. The large ridge is the Lute Fault Scarp, which lies directly on the San Jacinto Fault. My car takes up about one pixel in a light spot above the left side of the ridge.
I also stitched together two panoramic photographs: one from about half way up and one from the top. I did it in a hurry, so there are some pretty obvious glitches. Makes me wish for a DSLR with a wide-angle lens :-)
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