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Reconnoitering a Future Hike

12/10/2018

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A friend asked me to lead a hike up Milagrosa Canyon and then back via Aqua Caliente Canyon.  I read a couple of reports about the hike and references to class 3 and 4 scrambling and thought better not do that one alone but also decided to check it out.  The hike begins on Horsehead Road where residents have come up with....
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….creative Christmas displays.
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I follow an old jeep road and when it descends into a stream bed, I enter Aqua Caliente Canyon.  However, rather than walk up canyon where there are many significant obstacles, I catch a trail that heads out of the canyon, to the left of the large boulder shown above. The trail rises and soon....
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….I am looking down at Milagrosa Canyon to my left.  There is a ridge that splits the two canyons and I am climbing on the left side of that ridge.
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The canyon narrows and the walls are tall and steep.  The rock climbers refer to this canyon as "5.11 Heaven" and I spot bolt anchors and chains at the top of this climb.
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Curiously, the trail then descends into the left canyon, above a significant obstacle that from what I have ready, is difficult to get through.  Hmmmm.  I poke around a bit and studying the wall on my right, find a fault in it, shown above and begin climbing.  Yeah.....
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….I arrive onto a narrow ridge and get a good look at the next obstacle in the canyon from which I departed.  Yikes, that is going to be a challenge when I bring a group here.
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A few steps takes me to a spot where I can look down into the other canyon.  Way cool but now what?  I look.....
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….ahead and the terrain looks passable so I bush whack up and through.  Kind of steep in there and as always when alone, it gets a little creepy out here.
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I take a look back to make sure I can identify my surroundings and be able to return to this point and head up.
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Way on the right side is the ridge where I exited the canyon.  
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I kept going and the ridge between the canyons kept rising up moderately now.  I assumed at some point the ridge would end with a cliff so....
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...I explored a bit to see if there was a way down into either canyon from here but did not appear to be....maybe but don't try it alone.
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I head back, reenter the canyon, find the original trail and about half way back spot a spur trail heading back up to the top of the ridge so away I go.
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I reach the ridge and start down the other side but while the canyon bottom is close, it looks like I'll be cliffed out so I again retrace my steps, get back on the original trail, exit the canyon and.....
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….Aqua Caliente canyon on the right and barely visible is La Milagrosa on the left.  That will be an exciting hike when I return with reinforcements!   
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    Mark is a long-time cyclist, hiker, golfer and plays some table tennis...ok, it's ping pong.

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