Stirrup Tank, Hidden Tank and Point 3819 - 2.21.2020
From the north pay entrance to Joshua Tree National Park... drive 4.6 miles on Park Blvd and turn left onto Pinto Basin Road... then drive 3.1 miles and turn right onto an unsigned and unpaved Stirrup Tank Road... then drive 1.5 miles to the parking area... we are heading for those slabs out there in the distance above the car.
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Heading for the slabs.
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Heading up the slabs in search of Point 3819.
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Heading up the slabs and looking down to the parking lot... the Pinto Mountains are on the horizon.
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Denali Girl is scrambling up the slabs.
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We are above the slabs and near the top of Point 3819.
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Standing on Point 3819... looking SE toward Pinto Basin in the distance.
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Standing on Point 3819... looking NE toward the parking lot... and the Pinto Mountains on the horizon.
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I've left Denali Girl and Star Dancer and heading down to the wash on the south side of Point 3819... a month ago when we did the Hexahedron Mine I thought I had seen a structure in the wash and I wanted to check it out.
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There was not an obvious route down to the wash on the south side of Point 3819.
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Continuing down to the wash and looking back up toward Point 3819.
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Continuing down and looking back up at my route on the shoulder on the south side of Point 3819.
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Just following my nose on the south side of Point 3819... now heading in an eastern direction as I work my way down to the flat area below.
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Looking back at my route... just enough room to get past those large boulders on the right.
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Almost down to the flat area... I came down from the shelf on the upper right.
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Incredible rock formations in this area.
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A brushy wash awaits on the south side of Point 3819.
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Continuing down the wash... here looking back at Point 3819.
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I didn't see this coming.
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Following the wash as it turns to the east... I never did find the structure that I thought I saw a month ago.
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Still working my way down the wash... here looking back at Point 3819.
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Flowers and plants are blooming in the park.
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Heading back toward the parking lot.
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Star Dancer and Denali Girl are standing up by Hidden Tank.
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On our way over to Stirrup Tank... we will follow the outer perimeter of the rocks for awhile.
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Searching for Stirrup Tank.
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Searching for Stirrup Tank.
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This tunnel leads to Stirrup Tank.
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On the way to Stirrup Tank.
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A pictograph.
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Stirrup Tank is not as obvious as other tanks in the park... here we are heading for what looks like an arch... but it really is more of an arch shaped rock.
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Scrambling underneath the arch rock.
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Scrambling beyond the arch rock.
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Scrambling beyond the arch rock.
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Scrambling beyond the arch rock... Star Dancer relaxes as she waits for us to catch up to her.
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Denali Girl scrambles to join us... the arch rock is back there in the center of the photo.
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Heading back to the car... Point 3819 is out there on the left horizon.
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Working our way back to the car... with Point 3819 on the horizon.
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Almost back to the parking lot... some folks call the rock formation 'the stirrup'... I call it 'the lost freak brother' because it reminds me of 'the freak brothers' rock formation in the Wonderland of Rocks.
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The parking lot is in view... the loop hike was 3.8 miles, gaining 764 feet of elevation.
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