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Talk about a trip you took out to Anza Borrego

Little Blair and Thomas Mountain

hikerdmb

Posts: 423

9/15/2014

hikerdmb

Posts: 423

Got out to the desert for the first time since late spring. Headed out Friday about 5:00 PM. Didn't want to get out there too soon since it was well over 100 degrees that day. Made it to Little Blair Valley just as the sun set. It was only about 88 degrees when we got there and it was perfect weather for shorts and t-shirt. There was no wind and the stars and the Milky Way were quite spectacular until the moon came up around 9:00. There was lots of evidence on the road and in the small washes we passed that it had rained recently but everything was very dry. The ocotillo in the area were covered in new growth and a few had blooms. It never got the least bit chilly during the night so pretty much slept without any covers most of the night. Woke early on Saturday and took a quick climb up to the Shake Benchmark near our camp before the sun hit our camp.
Here is a pano from on top with Little Blair Valley on the left and Earthquake Valley on the right.

Here is looking down on the campsite from the Shake BM.

This shows some of the ocotillo near camp.

Sat in the shade for a while after I climbed down and then packed and headed to higher elevations. Drove back up S-2 and around the east and north side of Palomar Mountain. Then turned toward Anza and Thomas Mountain. Found a nice campsite at about 6,500' and enjoyed the cool temps of the mountains. Took a couple short walks around the area and enjoyed a fantastic sunset.

Here are some of the bigger trees on Thomas Mountain. They are really hurting from the lack of rain and snow the last few years. I couldn't believe the amount of dead wood on the forest floor. You can see some of the large branches which have fallen off these trees.

Here is the view looking north to Tahquitz Peak, San Jacinto Peak, and San Gorgonio Mountain.

This is the view to the west with Diamond Valley Reservoir in the center of the pic.

Finally here is a pic of sunset from about the same spot.

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Anza Borrego Desert

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Little Blair and Thomas Mountain