Star Dancer Arch - 12.31.2020
We parked at the Wonderland Ranch parking lot in Joshua Tree National Park... a dirt parking lot located a quarter mile NE from the very popular Barker Dam parking lot... the trail on the right goes out to the Wall Street Mill... but we will take the unsigned trail going to the left.
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It took less than 5 minutes to reach the Wonderland Ranch... aka the 'Pink House'... aka the 'Worth Bagley Estate'... google it for a history lesson.
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Continuing to hike north into the Wonderland of Rocks from the Wonderland Ranch... just before reaching Shark Rock.
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After hiking a mile or so into Wonderland Wash we got this nice view of 'The Camel'.
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The Astro Dome... south dome on the left... north dome on the right... there is a scramble route up to the one on the left... but not from this side.
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The 'Freak Brothers Dome' from the Wonderland Wash.
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After hiking a couple miles north into the Wonderland Wash we headed to the NW in search of Star Dancer Arch.
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Lots of rocks... I like having my GPS.
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Star Dancer leads us deeper into the rock piles.
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Some scrambling is required.
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A close up of Star Dancer Arch.
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I started scrambling over toward the arch... here looking back over at Denali Girl and Star Dancer... I want to come back here and try to scramble up to the high point above them.
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Star Dancer took this photo of me heading over to the arch on the far left... I was able to get about half-way over to the arch, but the route soon disappeared... perhaps another time from the back side of the arch.
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A pano shot from my high point... looking west (left) and NW (right) across some of the Wonderland to the Little San Bernardino Mountains on the horizon.
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A pano shot from my high point... here looking east across part of the Wonderland to Queen Mountain on the right horizon... look hard and you might find Denali Girl and Star Dancer.
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Time to find our way back to the Wonderland Wash.
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Star Dancer leads the way... 30 years of exploring the Wonderland pays huge dividends!
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Looking across part of the Wonderland to the 11,503 foot, snow covered San Gorgonio Mountain on the left horizon... the high point in the San Bernardino Mountains... the two high piles of rocks in the right-center foreground of the photo are located in the Shangra-la section of the Wonderland.
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Still scrambling our way back to Wonderland Wash.
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Lots of options... some work... and some don't.
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Almost done with the scrambling.
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Back in Wonderland Wash... heading south back to the car... with 'The Camel' out there on the right.
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Heading back to the Wonderland Ranch.
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Heading back to the Wonderland Ranch.
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Back at the ranch... leaving a quarter mile walk back to the car... the hike was 5.4 miles, gaining 462 feet of elevation.
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