Astro Dome - 3.17.2022
We parked at the 'Echo T' parking lot in Joshua Tree National Park... that is Echo Rock in the center of the photo... and we will hike through the opening on the left.
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Hiking through the opening on the west side of Echo Rock.
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We have hiked beyond Echo Rock and are heading NE toward the Astro Dome... which is on the horizon directly above Denali Girl and iraman.
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After hiking a total of .9 miles we are getting ready to leave the desert floor and head uphill on the slabs that are in the sunshine in the foreground.
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I'm getting ready to leave the desert floor and head up to join Denali Girl and iraman.
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A little bit of scrambling is needed to do this hike.
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Continuing to scramble up from the desert floor.
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After gaining a hundred feet of elevation we have reached a bench (or is it a shelf, or is it a plateau)... regardless of what you call it, the Astro Dome is on the horizon directly above iraman's head.
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A closer look at the Astro Dome... but there is still some work to do in order to reach the base of it.
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Working our way over to the Astro Dome.
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Looking back as Denali Girl comes through a little cooridor.
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Getting closer to our target... but we can't go directly toward it... instead, we will need to head NW (left) and follow this little wash for a quarter mile before entering a very small canyon that will eventually get us directly below the Astro Dome.
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There are actually two Astro Domes... the north dome is on the left side of the dead tree... while the south dome (our target) is on the right side of the dead tree.
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After hiking a total of 1.6 miles iraman is leading us into the little canyon on the west side of the south Astro Dome.
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There are places in the little canyon where a person needs to make themselves as small as possible... especially when prickly pear cacti are nearby.
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Did I mention that there are places in the little canyon where a person wants to make themselves as small as possible?
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After hiking a total of 1.7 miles (only one-tenth of a mile was in the little canyon) it is time to leave the little canyon floor and head uphill in a little grove of trees.
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iraman leads us up.
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Denali Girl coming up... Class 3 climbing.
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iraman heading up... the dead tree is a good landmark.
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iraman has passed by the dead tree and continuing up the obvious route.
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Denali Girl nears the branches of the dead tree.
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iraman finds a nice perch... and that live manzanita schrub up there marks the end of Class 3 scrambling.
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Denali Girl is almost up to the manzanita schrub.
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After hiking a total of 1.8 miles (one-tenth of a mile from the little canyon floor up to the manzanita schrub) Denali Girl has reached the ramp that get us up to the Astro Dome summit.
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Denali Girl and I chose to use the ramp (lower right corner of the photo) while iraman chose to do a Class 4 route up to the summit... heart be still!
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Denali Girl on the ramp... while iraman comes over to greet us.
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After hiking a total of 1.9 miles iraman and Denali Girl are on the summit (4624 feet) of the south Astro Dome.
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On the summit... here looking NE across the southern part of the Wonderland of Rocks to Queen Mountain on the horizon.
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On the summit... here looking east (left) beyond the southern part of the Wonderland of Rocks to Queen Valley... and south (right) to Lost Horse Valley... with Ryan Mountain on the center horizon.
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On the summit... here looking SW (far left) to Quail Mountain on the horizon... and looking north (center) as the Wonderland of Rocks stretches more than 5 miles to Yucca Valley.
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We have left the Astro Dome summit as Denali Girl and iraman head back down the ramp on the west side of the dome.
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An interesting little cove between the ramp and main body of the Astro Dome.
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Scrambling our way back down to the floor of the little canyon on the west side of the dome.
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Scrambling our way back down to the floor of the little canyon on the west side of the dome.
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Back at the dead tree landmark.
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Scrambling our way back down to the floor of the little canyon on the west side of the dome.
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Back down to the floor of the little canyon as we trace our steps back to the car.
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Looking back at the two domes of the Astro Dome as we trace our steps back to the car.
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Continuing to trace our steps back to the car.
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Continuing to trace our steps back to the car... the south Astro Dome is on the far left horizon.
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Continuing to trace our steps back to the car... we can see the desert floor below.
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Back on the desert floor... and heading for Echo Rock in the center of the photo.
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Back at the passage on the west side of Echo Rock.
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Nearing the 'Echo T' parking lot with Ryan Mountain on the horizon... the total hike/scramble was 3.8 miles, gaining 474 feet of elevation.
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