Astro Dome - 11.12.2024
We parked at the 'Echo T' parking lot in Joshua Tree National Park... and we will start by hiking between Echo Cove and Echo Rock.
|
At the 'Echo T' parking lot... and that is Echo Rock in the foreground.
|
Denali Girl is heading for the gap between Echo Cove on the left and Echo Rock on the right.
|
We have passed between Echo Cove and Echo Rock... now hiking NE toward Astro Dome... the huge flattish formation on the horizon in the middle of the photo.
|
Denali Girl is getting ready to gain 90 feet of elevation.
|
Gaining 90 feet of elevation.
|
Denali Girl working her way up the first 90 feet of elevation... Ryan Mountain is on the horizon in the middle of the photo.
|
We are getting closer to Astro Dome on the horizon in the middle of the photo... but there are still a couple of small rock walls to navigate our way through.
|
Working our way through one of those rock walls.
|
Working our way through one of those rock walls.
|
Working our way through one of those rock walls.
|
Feels like we could reach out and touch the South Astro Dome on the right... but we still have some work to do to get over there.
|
Looks like we have found a passage to get through this little rock wall in order to get over to the Astro Domes.
|
The passage through the rock wall worked... Denali Girl decided to go up this rock wall to see how the Astro Domes looked and then came back down to join me as we head up this little canyon between the Astro Domes and where Denali Girl just climbed.
|
Heading up the canyon between the Astro Domes and Denali Girl's rock wall... searching for a reasonable place to start scrambling up the south side of the North and South Astro Domes.
|
Denali Girl is holding up the huge rock so we can find a place to head up the south side of the two Astro Domes.
|
We have found a good place to head up the Astro Domes.
|
Denali Girl said she was done with the climb and that she would go back to the top of her rock wall and watch me keep climbing.
|
Still scrambling up that 110 to 120 feet of steep terrain from the little canyon.
|
Pretty easy now... following a nice ramp the rest of the way to the summit of the South Astro Dome.
|
Hiking SE on the nice ramp... with this little hiding place near the summit.
|
Following the ramp as it takes me up to the South Astro Dome summit.
|
Denali Girl took this photo of me as I was following the ramp up to the summit.
|
After hiking 1.7 miles I have reached the 4,624 foot summit of the South Astro Dome... here looking NE through the southern portion of the Wonderland of Rocks in the foreground... with Queen Mountain on the left horizon... then SE to Queen Valley in the left center of the photo... the south to Ryan Mountain on the center horizon... then SW to Lost Horse Valley in the right center of the photo.
|
The Wonderland of Rocks dominates the foreground of this photo... looking SW on the far left horizon to Quail Mountain (at 5,816 feet it is the high point in the park)... with the San Bernardino Mountains on the left center horizon... and Queen Mountain on the far right horizon.
|
Oops... pretty much the same photo as the previous one.
|
Heading down from the summit... getting ready to get on that nice ramp.
|
Almost on the flattish part of the ramp.
|
Denali Girl took this photo of me almost off of the ramp.
|
Getting ready to work this terrain back down to the little canyon.
|
I have been able to see Denali Girl ever since I headed down from the South Astro Dome summit.
|
Almost back down to the little canyon between the Astro Domes and Denali Girl's rock wall.
|
Looking back up at the two Astro Domes as we come back through the passage that got us over to the little canyon between the Astro Domes and Denali Girl's rock wall.
|
Taking a slightly different route here on our way back to the car... but not all that much difference... and Valhalla Dome is out there on the horizon in the left-center of the photo.
|
Working our way through one of the rock walls... pretty much tracing our steps back to the car.
|
Almost back to where we gained the first 90 feet of elevation... with Ryan Mountain on the horizon in the center of the photo.
|
Giving up the 90 feet of elevation... almost back down to the desert floor.
|
Back to the desert floor... heading for Echo Rock in the left center of the photo.
|
Hiking between Echo Rock on the left... with a very small portion of Echo Cove on the right... almost back to the car.
|
The parking lot is a stone's throw away... the total hike was 3.5 miles, gaining 504 feet of elevation.
|
