Monday, March 3rd 2025, 0600-1730
North Fenner Hills mm10 to North Tower Mountain, mm35.5, Section 7. Elevation 4600′
25.5 miles.
The wind howled all night, but somehow my yucca block was just enough. I was able to sleep pretty well by putting my ear plugs in. Otherwise I would just lay awake, listening for the next guest to come blow my house in. The wind was even stronger overnight, with gusts up to 40 mph. It was also quite cold, only in the upper 30s when I woke. It never really warmed up all day. These were the kind of conditions I was expecting more of this hike, not the always sunny, always 80° days I’d had so much of previously. Being at a much higher elevation had a lot to do with the cooler temps, as well. I was glad for the change, mostly.
It was a good morning hiking a lot of very faint, old roads. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to find and then stay on them. I could be standing just yards away from one of these roads, not seeing it. It was only when I was right on top one that it was apparent.
I stopped at a guzzler for an early lunch, surprised to find good clear water. I didn’t need much, so I only collected a liter. I’d be coming to a campground later in the afternoon and could fill up there. Plus with the wind and cool temps, I wasn’t very thirsty.
I headed into the small Woods mountain range and worked my way up to a pass. Despite the name, there were no trees. From the pass, I swear I could still make out the Whipple Mountains. But since my Peakfinder didn’t have a label for Whipple Peak, I couldn’t be sure. The direction and distance seems right at least. Sadly, this was the last time I’d see them. I followed some burro trails down from the pass, surprised that burros were still in the area. They could have been cow trails, as well. Then there was a wash, which turned into a road. All the standard stuff of a typical day on the DWTH.
The road led me to the furthest point north that this route goes, then turned SW. I was surprised to see the plant community become dense with sage and other higher elevation plants. It reminded me of the habitat surrounding South Kennedy Meadows, just before entering the Sierra on the PCT.
The rest of the afternoon was mostly dirt road, then a real trail for a short bit leading into the Hole-in-the-Wall campground and visitors center. This was a NPS site that was part of the greater Mojave National Preserve, which encompasses a huge area. I was so relieved to reach the visitors center, just to get a reprieve from the wind. I went inside to charge and warm up. The volunteers were very nice in trying to help me, but I was not the typical visitor in need of suggestions of where to go and what to see. I just wanted a space to sit. I think they were surprised to see a backpacker at all, not quite believing my story. Not many did.
I sat quietly in the corner for awhile, overhearing a park service ranger talking on the phone to another. I learned some interesting things that were going on with the current effort to purge public service employees in the hostile takeover of the US government by billionaire reality TV stars. It was all very alarming. They were having to download all their government service history information onto private drives because some were finding that it had all been erased from government servers. I assume this was just one of many efforts to eradicate and erase the proof of their dedicated and important work over the years.
The ranger referred to it as a “war” where the first shots had been fired and it was going to be a long and drawn out battle. We’d be fighting to keep our public lands and educational and interpretive programs on nature around for much longer. It was probably a losing battle, since billionaires and corporations always seem to win out…it’s all about money in our greedy, capitalist, and now fascist society. Hail Elon. Being a fly on the wall to such a disturbing and sad reality was more than I could take. I couldn’t wait to escape back out into the desert, where I could at least pretend that the beauty surrounding me might be around forever. Living in the moment.
Leaving the VC, the route took me down the park’s famed “rings trail”. It was basically a small slot canyon with iron rings bolted into the rock for support going down the few drops. There was a bypass and the notes said it might be difficult with a pack. I even heard some day hikers talking about it in the visitors center, saying what a challenge it was. But I need not have worried. It reminded me of the plunge pools going down Saddle Canyon on the Hayduke, only with rings to grab onto. It was actually very easy, even with a pack. I constantly have to be reminded that I’m calibrated differently now. I still worry about things, but they almost always end up being easier than expected. It was also very fun and scenic going through the small canyon, a real treat.
The next few miles brought me through the backside of the park on a nice trail, with a lush garden of cactus and yuccas surrounding it. Oddly there were also cattle grazing the area, so cow poop was everywhere. I tried to find a sweet campsite tucked up under a juniper and out of the wind, but there was so much cow shit under the trees, I gave up. I finally settled on a spot up against some prickly mesquite, kind of behind a hill that was sort of blocking the wind. It wasn’t great, but still more protected than the night before.
