We haven't let moss grow under our feet since we returned home from Guatemala. And yes, Bob is working on more Guatemala posts. We explored a new area in the Slate Range. Our inspiration for this hike was a photo of initials and the date 1862. Could it be real? The letter style certainly looks appropriate for the era.
Turns out it is real. JWS is John Searles and WD is Willet Dunn. I haven't figured out who WM or DS are. John Searles marked his mining claims by pecking his initials into a rock at the site he was claiming. This was one of his gold mine claims. Unfortunately, there is a bunch of modern graffiti marring this site, so it is hard to tell what is original, and what is later fakes.
The rest of the hike was a keeper as well. We started out by exploring the mining holes. They seemed to be everywhere. On the way back, we dropped into a wash with a fun narrows section.
As usual birds were in short supply, but we did score a white-throated swift. Our ebird list is here.
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| Bob and BJ in a mine shaft. |
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| Looking north. |
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| Another hole in the ground. |
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| Looking east. |
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| BJ is heading down a wash. |
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| The power of flowing water. |
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| Trona in the distance. |
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| Look, even more holes. |
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| The wave. |
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| Start of the narrows. |
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| Bob does some fancy footwork. |
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| BJ uses the traditional approach. |
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| But wait, there are more holes. |
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| Processing plant foundations. |
What fortitude those miners had! We know it, but to see where they were and what they did makes it more real. Another area that's awesome.
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