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rockhopper Posts: 668
1/30/2015
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Hello all. While waiting for longer daylight to head out for my Feb-May ABDSP expeditions this year I am forced to do a lot of open space mini local hikes closer to the coast mainly due to my family commitments on both sides of the family. Well, these hikes are at least at the same latitude as ABDSP.
Did a lot of "You can't get there from here" hiking through dense brush. This is a self overhead shot. I am looking head on into head high brush as I bust my way through to the clearing beyond.
Finally made it to a clearing where there was a shell midden dump site. I noticed the arrow head looking thing in the photo when I got home. It's still there :-D
Some sort of Marine fossil? This is about 2 feet across and heavy. Dusted off to photo and left as is.
Hiking near a hill crest I saw some Quartz sticking out of the ground. I always pick up white Quartz for a look see. Man made? Found 2 like this in the same area. Same size, same shape. About size of a womans fist. Hid it in a bush.
Hiking further though some brush to a clearing found this on the ground surrounded by lots of stone chippings. I cleaned the mud off it with my precious water to photo. It looks like a broken spear tip. It is about 2 inches long.
Took a turn hiking down in some gullies. Getting down was easy part. getting back up, well not so much! :-o
Some ones scallop dinner from along time ago buried about 15 feet below the surrounding surface.
Some big concretions in the area were a surprise.
Now this was interesting. On the side of another gully there was a exposed shell midden about 12 feet below the surface. Probably hundreds or thousands of shells. The shells were falling off the side to the creek bed below. After who ever ate the scallops for dinner a long time ago neatly stacked the shells! Posed a few to photo.
Finally, while climbing on a rock to get out of about 15 foot gulley I stepped on this and it flipped out. It was buried about 12 feet below the surface. Closer look it appears to be a large mill stone about 2 ft across surrounded by dissolved charcoal. I came back a few weeks later and it was gone. Probably washed down a buried again for someone else to find.
edited by rockhopper on 1/30/2015
edited by rockhopper on 1/30/2015
edited by rockhopper on 1/30/2015
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1362
1/31/2015
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Very cool.
Guessing you are somewhere near inland Carlsbad?
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https://www.anzaborrego.net/
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rockhopper Posts: 668
1/31/2015
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Surf,
Yes inland Carlsbad and Encinitas areas. I was really surprised to see shell midden dumps over 4 miles from the ocean.
Anyway I am really looking forward to heading back out to the desert soon! Bush wacking and sawing through 80 year old brush near the coast is hard on the body ( scraps ,brusies , pokes in the face ). I figure I have a good 5 to 10 years of off/on trail hiking left in me before I switch to trail or open cross country only. funny,just a few more miles inland and the deer open up the open spaces with their trails and the going is a lot easier.
btw I will try to keep my post closer to the ABDSP area
Cheers
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Florian Posts: 129
1/31/2015
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Hi rockhopper. Very interesting photos. And i'm glad to hear i'm not the only one that waits for longer days for desert camping trips. My favorite times on the desert are warm afternoons and evenings enjoying the peace and quiet. I live in Palm Springs and this time of year i do lots of day hikes in the local foothills. Cheers to you as well.
-Florian
edited by Florian on 1/31/2015
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2609
2/2/2015
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Nice post...you always carry a large tape measure??
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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rockhopper Posts: 668
2/2/2015
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Haha. No I don't usually carry a large tape measure when I hike. I went back to a gulley I had previously been in to measure the depth below the surface to the shell middens and or artifacts exposed on the side of the gulley for a paper I am writing. The photos were from a series of mini-hikes within a 10 sq. mile area.
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anutami Posts: 491
2/2/2015
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what a cool trip report. Thanks for sharing 
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hikerdmb Posts: 423
2/2/2015
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The stacked shells are very interesting. The chances of that happening naturally must be very high. I do most of my hiking this time of year at Daley Ranch in Escondido. Once time changes and there is more light later in the evening I can get to some other places farther from home. But this time of year Daley Ranch is about the only place I can get to once school is out and still get 5 miles on a trail.
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tommy750 Posts: 1040
2/3/2015
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From your first pic, looks like you have a proper bushwhacker fashion sense! Nice post.
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ziphius Posts: 911
2/3/2015
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Off-trail 'whacking' is so much fun, though I would resist cutting vegetation if it is going to establish new trails where none are desired by the local fauna. You ever run into marine mammal bones in these sites? Some sites are marked by vertebral discs of large whales. I recall stumbling across one on the Channel Islands, a big white disc a few feet away from a human skull. The archaeologists at the island were not amused when I reported the site to them, as they thought I was trampling through important cultural sites, when I was simply trying to count sea lions as part of my job. Now when I see something, I don't report it.
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2609
2/3/2015
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Jim (ziphius) wrote:
Now when I see something, I don't report it. Unfortunately I have come to the same conclusion at times...
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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rockhopper Posts: 668
2/4/2015
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Jim (ziphius) wrote:
Off-trail 'whacking' is so much fun, though I would resist cutting vegetation if it is going to establish new trails where none are desired by the local fauna. You ever run into marine mammal bones in these sites? Some sites are marked by vertebral discs of large whales. I recall stumbling across one on the Channel Islands, a big white disc a few feet away from a human skull. The archaeologists at the island were not amused when I reported the site to them, as they thought I was trampling through important cultural sites, when I was simply trying to count sea lions as part of my job. Now when I see something, I don't report it.
Hi Jim,
I would say 90% of my bushwhacking is clearing out overgrown trails from the past. Every so often after busting through thick foliage I come across a worn in trail chest high deep near a ridge pass. As far as marine mammal bones. Yes, on occasion on the sides of gullies, some about 20 feet below the surface in exposed ancient fire pits. How long ago? Tough to say without carbon dating. All of the sites are not reported to anyone. Most are just photo'd with occasional piece cleaned off , photo'd and hid in a bush for the next generation. The gully washes change from year to year. After the rains, the runoff is concentrated in the gullies and sites vanish and are washed away from their resting place.
I'll be heading out to the desert next new moon for some hot springing/stargazing/hiking. Can't wait!
Cheers
edited by rockhopper on 2/4/2015
edited by rockhopper on 2/4/2015
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