Painted Canyon - 1.15.2022
We parked at the end of Painted Canyon Road in the Mecca Hills Wilderness... there are two canyons at the end of the road... and we will walk over to the information board over by the orange jeep in the distance... and head up that canyon.
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The information board at the end of Painted Canyon Road.
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Heading up one of the painted canyons from the parking lot.
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After hiking a total of one mile we have reached the first two ladders... Denali Girl is up above with Galadriel while aceman works the lower ladder.
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Lots of different colors in Painted Canyon.
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Still heading up the canyon.
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Still heading up the canyon... look out there in the distance... to the left of Denali Girl's head... and you will see the top of the next ladder.
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Galadriel is coming up the third ladder.
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aceman and Galadriel are climbing the fourth and fifth ladders while Denali Girl watches.
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Continuing to head up Painted Canyon... we are definitely gaining elevation.
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The canyon definitely narrows in places.
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aceman watches Denali Girl (his mother) climb up the sixth ladder.
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No ladder to help with this scramble.
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After hiking a total of 2.5 miles it is time to leave the canyon and see what is out there above the canyon.
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Out of the canyon now... with the San Jacinto Mountains on the horizon in the far left of the photo... and the San Bernardino Mountains on the horizon in the left center of the photo.
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Galadriel took this photo of aceman, Denali Girl and me... with the Orocopia Mountains in the distance on the far left... and the Salton Sea in the distance on the right.
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Looking across the Mecca Hills Wilderness to the Salton Sea in the center of the photo... which is located 236 feet below sea level... the Orocopia Mountains are on the far left horizon... with the Santa Rosa Mountains on the right horizon.
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After hiking a total of 3.1 miles we are nearing our high point (1454') for the day.
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aceman, Denali Girl and Galadriel near our high point for the day... with the Salton Sea and part of the Santa Rosa Mountains in the distance.
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Time to head down to another canyon and continue the loop portion of our hike.
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Almost down to the canyon floor.
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After hiking a total of 3.5 miles we have reached a different canyon... and we will loop back to the first two ladders that we climbed earlier in the day.
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Lots of colors.
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After hiking a total of 5.5 miles we have closed the loop portion of our hike... and now down climbing the last two ladders.
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Denali Girl shows that there is more than one way to get down a ladder... another mile of hiking will get us back to our car... the total hike was 6.5 miles, gaining approximately 1000 feet of elevation.
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