SCLR Trip April 8th and 9th, 2006

 

El Paso Mountains, including Bickel Camp, Burro Schmidtís Tunnel, and Sunday weíll travel through Last Chance Canyon

 

Trip Leader

Keith McFatridge (#483), with a little help from my friends J

Contact #(949) 742-0550

 

Vehicles

Any high clearance Land Rover should not have a problem. Sidesteps and Air Dams need to be removed. Diff guards are helpful. Off road tires are advised as stock/street tire will run the risk of puncture.

Difficulty Rating

Day 1 - Easy, beginners welcome (1 to 1.5 on scale of 1-4)
Day 2 - More difficult (2 on scale of 1-4)

Meeting Place and Time

 

9:30 am at EP 100 (Lat. N35ƒ 23, 330í, Long. W117ƒ 49, 016í), also known as Mesquite Canyon, as marked on Randyís map

http://www.deathvalley.com/exploring/rover/lastchance.pdf

 

From Highway 14 north, take a right (go east) onto the Red Rock-Randsburg Road, travel for approximately 15 miles, entrance to EP 100 will be on your left.

 

From Highway 395 north, take a left onto the onto the Red Rock-Randsburg Road, travel for approximately 9 miles, entrance to EP 100 will be on your right.

 

Itinerary

 

Saturday April 8th

 

We will travel north, up the Mesquite Canyon.  Mesquite Canyon is an old Native American Indian entrance into the El Paso Mountains.  Mining prospectors also used this as a way in and out of the mountains, precariously transporting gold through this narrow canyon.  This also attracted outlaws who would sometimes ambush the prospectors form above.

 

This will take us into the eastern portion of the El Paso Mountains.  Once in the interior, we will travel to Burro Schmidtís cabins and adventure into the tunnel (be sure to bring a flashlight or headlamp).  We will have lunch here, tailgate-style, after adventuring in the tunnel. 

 

From here, weíll backtrack to Walt Bickelís camp, an open-air museum, and walk around the site.

 

We will then proceed to camp, set up, and have a potluck dinner and birthday celebration for Hovik!

 

Sunday April 9th

 

Following a leisurely breakfast, we'll break up camp and then drop into the heart of Last Chance Canyon.  We'll follow the stream down the Canyon to the Red Rock-Randsburg Road, reaching pavement in approximately 3 hours, and only a few miles from Highway 14!  Special Note:  We may depart in two groups, separated by an hour, depending on the # of vehicles.