It's now been nearly a month since I completed this hike, but am just now writing this report. This was the best of my various explorations, as I have done many just around my house and such, but never a major undocumented feature like this large canyon in Towne Pass. Here begin the pictures and reporting.
After an (as usual) outstanding breakfast at Panamint Springs, we parked at the 4000 foot sign, expecting to complete a loop of the two canyons I had planned on hiking that day. Weather was a bit foreboding, but we carried on anyway.
Working our way up to the canyon from the parking spot.
Approaching the canyon mouth
Dropping into the wash from the canyon.
Working our way up
Anticipation is through the roof!
Odd carin. Obviously been here for a long time. The only human sign we would see all day except for a balloon.
Reached the first narrows after 1.75 miles from the car.
Slick conglomerate in these red twisting narrows.
Small, climbable waterfalls were a recurring theme this day.
Very interesting.
Tinaje in the narrows
Beautiful HDR lighting. Most of these pictures are iPhone HDR.
Soon an impassable fall is reached in the tightest part of the narrows.
Super narrow here
Backtracking to the bypass route
The terrifying bypass route. Later we found an easier way up, but only on our way back to the car. This bypass was very loose with some exposure.
I had originally thought Hellfire would have been a good name for this canyon, but the shapes and such seen later changed that to Goblin.
Good idea of how steep and loose the surface was.
View from most of the way up.
Interesting rock, thinking maybe freshwater Tufa, but far too high in elevation. Any ideas?
At the ridge, there are marvelous views up canyon and of the first narrows.
Panorama
Single butterfly wing spotted on the way down from the ridge.
Macro lens of slightly ventifacted rock
Sliding down, not as scary as it looks!
Flower (name escapes me!)
Looking up from where we came down into the first side canyon.
Neat rock
Looking down canyon back to the main canyon.
Looking up the side canyon.
Tight notch leading into the main canyon. Very slick and beautiful.
Some waterfalls, not difficult with the help of a buddy.
First sight into the middle of the first narrows. Note the Balanced Rock of Doom.
The fall from the notch into the main canyon. About 6.5 feet tall. Slightly too high, needed to be boosted up then pulled from above. Caused much pain in shoulders!
Looking down the narrows.
Close up of imbedded quartz.
Small boulder jam
Down the narrows, below is an unclimbable chockstone fall. Just beyond the bend the top of the first major fall is visible.
The fall
The walls are a brilliant red.
Very narrow, I could touch both walls at the same time.
The Balanced Rock of Doom
Upper first narrows
Impassable fall at the head of the first narrows.
Macro rocks during snack time
I loved the red conglomerate slick rock in the notch. This is after the painful pull up the fall.
Back in the wide first side canyon.
After going up a saddle in the canyon, we attained the ridge and looked into the first narrows.
Interesting plant
Back in the main canyon, this round bush was growing out of the wall.
Looking down the previously noted high fall. We were standing down there not long before.
Looking up a colorful and whimsically shaped gully.
The Eye of Sauron
Cool formations, The Goblins
Small fall before the second narrows.
The red rock transitioned into this darker rock peppered with holes
Disney puts Hidden Mickeys everywhere!
The fall at the entrance to the second narrows. Very slick!
More Goblins high above the wash
This is how most of the walls in the second narrows looked. I've never seen anything like it before in this part of the park
Large cave in the depths of the narrows
Slick fall, easily bypassed on the left side.
The window into the future
Very impressive knobs on the walls above the canyon
More whimsical shapes and such
The impassable fall at the end of the second narrows. It doesn't appear the narrows continued much past this fall, so we probably didn't miss much.
Heading back down:
Macro shot of mud drips on the wall
Where the canyon opened back up we turned right and went up the second side canyon to explore more narrows there.
A tight turn
The walls were made entirely of rock like this
Neat short narrows.
Back into the main canyon, going back to the first side canyon to check out more narrows up there as well as an 80 foot slot spotted on Google Earth.
Pretty rock:
Looking up at Skull Rock, more of it later.
Entering the narrows of the first side canyon. It appears they don't see much water flow because it was choked with brush.
Slick fall
Looking down the narrows
Stop using mylar balloons! We packed it out.
Neat shapes
Looking into the 80 foot slot
Its very narrow. We dropped our packes before going in, it was probably less than three feet.
Going back down to head up to the ridge and cross over into the neighboring canyon.
Up at the ridge with the landmark Skull Rock
At the ridge
Great views
Another goblin, but this time in the neighboring canyon.
Neat shapes up near where we dropped down from the canyon floor.
Looking down through the nobs of this canyon
Pretty colors
Interesting Hoodoo
Eventually we encountered a chockstone fall that could not be safely bypassed from where we were. It was getting late in the day, so instead of risking getting caught between two falls we did not continue to try and bypass the fall so we backtracked and hiked back to the car. I spotted this rock with lichen so I decided to take some macro shots of it.
I like lichen =)
Looking back up the canyon.
Saw this on the way back to the car.
A wonderful day and a wonderful exploration.
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