Day 6, morning: A walk down upper Monarch Canyon, Death Valley in search of Monarch Spring for drinking water
Due to a 70-foot drop-off, the road into Monarch Canyon ends just beyond where I set up camp at around 3300 feet elevation. However, the canyon continues almost two miles further until it ends at an impassable 100-foot drop-off into Death Valley at about 2700 feet elevation.
Dramatic views down into Death Valley from above the drop-off at the end of Monarch Canyon reward those who persist in pushing their way through the head-high grasses around the spring on the way there.
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Date: April 23, 2007, 10h00
Size: 19 items
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Looking down Monarch Canyon from the drop-off at the end of the road by my camp site
A narrow trail, which is apparently the remains of old mining road, leads downward on my left into the canyon.
Date: April 24, 2007, 10h00
Views: 67
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At the bottom of the the drop-off in Monarch Canyon, I look back up the trail that I came down
The trail is that ledge of earth that rises in the centre-right of the photo.
Date: April 24, 2007, 11h30
Views: 55
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Standing at the bottom of the first drop-off in Monarch Canyon
The road in Monarch Canyon above ends on top of the rock wall.
Date: April 24, 2007, 11h30
Views: 41
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Interesting drainage erosion in Monarch Canyon just below the first drop-off
Death Valley is a common destination for geology field trips owing to features like this.
Date: April 24, 2007, 10h45
Views: 46
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Another view of drainage and rock layers in Monarch Canyon
... just below the first drop-off.
Date: April 24, 2007, 12h00
Views: 63
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A little further down Monarch Canyon
Some patches of "soil" are like hardened pavement or cement.
Date: April 24, 2007, 11h00
Views: 60
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I pass the old Indian Mine site on the way down Monarch Canyon
The Indian Mine mechanics are still here, and not too badly weathered, due to the dry climate, after 100 years or so.
Date: April 24, 2007, 10h30
Views: 56
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Close-up of what remains at the old Indian Mine site
I wonder how long this will last here before it returns to the earth.
Date: April 24, 2007, 10h30
Views: 54
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Descending Monarch Canyon beyond the Indian Mine site
According to my map, Monarch Spring is in the left corner of that yellowish area down below in the centre of the image.
Date: April 24, 2007, 11h15
Views: 67
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Me, trying to figure out how to get through or around the thick brush that engulfs Monarch Spring
The grass is taller than me; I try to follow the faint tracks that I find here and there from people or animals who have been here before me.
Date: April 24, 2007, 11h15
Views: 42
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I climb the rock wall a wee bit as I try to squeeze past and above the reeds
To get past the head-high reeds and mushy earth near the spring, one must squeeze through narrow spaces between the rock wall and the reeds, or climb over the rocks a little.
Date: April 23, 2007, 10h45
Views: 55
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You can't see it here, but there's a thin layer of water on the ground under all the grass
It's strange to walk through this because one can't see how much water is actually on the ground.
Date: April 23, 2007, 11h30
Views: 52
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Coming out of the reeds at Monarch Spring for a moment to look back up-canyon
I'm not finished walking through the reeds just yet and I'm wondering if there's more water in Monarch Canyon or if this is all there is.
Date: April 24, 2007, 11h30
Views: 40
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Bushwhacking my way through more reeds
I'm starting to get used to walking through this tall stuff and am getting less prissy about it.
Date: April 23, 2007, 11h30
Views: 41
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Once beyond the bushwhacking zone, I note that some of the brush looks greener than the rest
This slightly verdant area indicates the presence of a little stream running through it, which seems to exude from under all those reeds.
Date: April 23, 2007, 12h00
Views: 39
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