Valhalla Dome and Wall Street Mill - 1.14.2020
We parked in the dirt parking lot located a short distance NE of the paved parking lot for Barker Dam... we will start hiking toward the Wall Street Mill.
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After hiking less than an eighth of a mile the trail splits... we will go left toward the Worth Bagley Ranch... later in the day we will close the loop portion of our hike by returning to this spot from the Wall Street Mill using the trail on the right.
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The Worth Bagley Ranch (aka the 'Pinkhouse') is a short distance from the split in the trail from the previous photo... it is located just outside the southern border of the Wonderland of Rocks.
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Entering the Wonderland of Rocks... I call the formation the 'Matterhorn'.
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Approaching Shark Rock... the wonderland opens up some just past the shark.
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The two Astro Domes are in the center of the photo.
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Shortly after seeing the Astro Domes we left the floor of the wonderland and started to scramble up to the west... searching for a plateau above the wonderland floor.
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Looking for that plateau.
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Denali Girl found a path through some huge boulders.
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I'm on this huge ramp... with the main wonderland wash to the left... and the higher plateau below on the right... with Valhalla Dome on the right.
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I walked out the ramp in the previous photo until I couldn't go any further... now I have turned back and will need to trace my steps back and find a way down to the plateau below on my left.
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Dropping down onto the plateau.
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I will leave the plateau and head up to the tree above which will get me up to Valhalla Dome.
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Working my way up to Valhalla Dome.
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There are lots of huge boulders on Valhalla Dome.
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Looking out to the Astro Domes from Valhalla Dome.
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Astro Domes from Valhalla Dome.
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Looking over to the summit (4475') of Valhalla Dome.
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A close up of Barker Lake and Barker Dam from the summit area of Valhalla Dome.
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A pano shot from the summit area of Valhalla Dome... the Astro Domes on the far left... to Queen Mountain on the horizon... to the summit of Valhalla Dome on the far right.
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On the summit of Valhalla Dome... looking at Quail Mountain and the Little San Bernardino Mountains on the near horizon.
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The Astro Domes from the actual summit of Valhalla Dome.
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Looking out to Lost Horse Valley from the summit of Valhalla Dome... with Ryan Mountain on the far left.
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The Astro Domes on the far left to Queen Mountain on the right... and the Wonderland of Rocks in between.
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Time to leave Valhalla and get back down to that first plateau.
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Looking back at Valhalla Dome as we look for a route down to the plateau.
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Still looking for a route down to the plateau... Ryan Mountain in the distance on the far left... with Valhalla Dome in the foreground.
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Star Dancer and Denali Girl have found the route that they used earlier in the day to come up to Valhalla Dome.
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Going down to the plateau.
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Following the tunnel out to the plateau.
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Down to the plateau.
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Tracing our steps back to the gap where we first gained the plateau.
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Now we need to get back down from the plateau to the wonderland floor... The Camel is out there in the center of the photo... we will head over that way to find The Freak Brothers Dome.
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Scrambling down from the plateau to the wonderland floor.
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Back in the main wash of the Wonderland of Rocks... heading for the Freak Brothers Dome.
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The Freak Brothers Dome is in the center foreground.
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From the Freak Brothers Dome we have left the main wash in the wonderland and are heading through a wash that runs to the east toward Queen Mountain.
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Hiking east in the wonderland... approaching the Red Obelisk.
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Beyond the Red Obelisk and continuing toward Queen Mountain... in search of Garrett's Arch.
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Garrett's Arch.
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Continuing east in the wonderland toward Queen Mountain on the horizon... entering what Star Dancer refers to as Little Tibet.
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In Little Tibet... now heading south in the direction of the Wall Street Mill.
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Queen Mountain from Little Tibet.
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I'm looking back as Star Dancer and Denali Girl hike through Little Tibet.
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Continuing through Little Tibet.
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Heading toward the Wall Street Mill... still need to give up some elevation as we connect a couple plateaus on the way out of the wonderland.
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Continuing through Little Tibet.
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Almost out of the wonderland.
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The Wall Street Mill... out of the wonderland now... with a 1.2 mile hike back to our car.
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Hiking the Wall Street Mill Trail back to the car as it follows along the southern border of the Wonderland of Rocks... our loop hike was 4.8 miles, gaining 649 feet of elevation.
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