Critical Stats
Date/Time: 6:45amFeb14 to 5pmFeb15
Temps: Lows hi 30s, Highs hi 60s
Pictures taken: 206
Total Mileage: 383 miles
Trail Mileage: 151 consecutive miles of unpaved
Top Trail Speed: 56mph
Mechanical/Health Issues: 0
Background
The route that is the Devil's
Highway has a rough reputation as a thoroughfare going back a thousand years as
Indians, explorers, missionaries, prospectors, and settlers braved the harsh
environment on their way towards what is now California. If you are interested
in these things, there are many books and websites documenting the rich history
surrounding the fabled route. Between 400-2000 graves line the route and it's
said the Camino is one of the deadliest immigrant trails in North America.
My adventure follows the modern version of the route,
starting south of Ajo and traveling westerly towards Yuma. Sadly, nobody else was able to make the
trip, but we still decided to proceed with a solo excursion. After getting the
permits and calling in our trip plan, we were off. This is not an area you will
ever be invited to, but once you're here you are welcome to visit... so long as
you observe the rules, and there are many.
I have been waiting years to travel this road, my
imagination racing about the amazing hardships people endured as they traversed
the continent's largest expanse of virgin Sonoran Desert. No towns, no services, this was an ideal
expeditionary ‘campaign' into a fairly remote area that's larger than several
US states. Wide open, full of opportunities... it was time.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Starting off on
Darby Wells Road we soon entered the monument. Although expected, it was a
little disappointing that side roads leading to some old mines on my topo maps
were closed off. We got to Bates Well in good time and took a look around.
The Bates Well property represents a very complete and
intact example of the frontier ranching pattern in Arizona typical of the
Sonoran Desert during the first third of the twentieth century. It has been
entered into the National Register of Historic Places and there are Native
petroglyphs in a nearby wash. There is also a small Border Patrol substation
here, although we didn't actually see anybody.
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge
The Refuge offers a lot of diversity actually. Besides the
standard beauty of the Sonoran Desert, we passed through a couple sections of
dense tree and brush growth and crossed over the rolling Pinta Sands, a smooth
two-track winding a dozen miles through reddish sand. Bordering the
sands was the Pinacate Lava Flow with its lunar-like stark appearance. This
lava field contains a number of extinct cinder cones and small calderas, and
you have to slow down through the ancient, bumpy rock.
Not many would expect to see this along the High of the Devil,
yet on the eastern side of the refuge it can get thick in a couple spots.
The sand in the road was only about 5-6 inches deep... off the road much deeper.
These three pictures highlight the geographic diversity of Cabeza Prieta.
Border patrols
were fairly regular, including low flying helicopters, well into the night as
well. They do a heck of a job trying to track "bodies" (their term) and drag
the Camino regularly with tires to smooth the road so they can detect tracks
and prints. We had a nice long conversation with one agent at Papago Well, but
usually it was a quick chat where we would ask them questions and they would
give us strange faces. This region is a prime smuggling corridor and just west
of Papago Well is a BP encampment. You can actually see the lights of vehicles
on the Mexican highway at night, not far across the border.
The Border Patrol basecamp had several modular buildings, 10+
various vehicles, and a helipad. Metal rails were sprinkled in the sand
here and there, usually just 2 apart for the wheels. This short stretch
had 5 across.
As much as we tried, we couldn't spot any bighorn,
pronghorn, or illegals. But, the flat sandy plains interrupted by jagged,
steep-rock mountains jutting out from the surface have a secret... they hide
fascinating little canyons where microclimates exist. Tule Tank Canyon had a
number of strange trees and shrubs, including some rare elephant trees (which
interestingly has red sap). There was about a 1000 gallon pool of water in the
granite, but I did not see any petroglyphs that were supposed to be there.
Another grave, this one of of a man named O'Neil who supposedly
drowned in a stock tank... certainly the only person to ever drown on
the arid Camino!
The view from Christmas Pass.
We camped at Tule Well, which has a neat little casita there
built by military engineers in 1989. We had enough time to run north 8 miles to
Christmas Pass to check out the area. We saw two Jeeps pass by, our only visual
of vehicles the whole time other than the Border Patrol. About 9pm, an hour
after we retired for the night, a BP truck stopped in our camp and shined
lights around. One guy got out of the truck and looked at my front tires. I
could hear him say "Yeah, these are the tires" to the driver as he got back
into the truck. They were there less than a minute. Such is life along the
Devil's Highway...
Barry Goldwater Military Range
The sun just starting to give light.
And then a few minutes later with sunshine hitting the land.
The next morning
we crossed into the gunnery range. Even though there was a little bit of recent
rain, you could still see the desperation of the plantlife and the bleak look of the
vast expanse gave a vibe of desperation. Annual rainfall within the region
is usually less than 3 inches a year and some areas get less than an
inch for more than a year. This is a baked, dusty landscape where looks are
deceiving. Since the mountains have no foothills they look much closer than
they really are.
We reached the Tinajas Altas, a series of water pockets
(which hold up to 20,000 gallons) climbing high into the granite wedge. There
are many grinding spots on the stone called morteros that Indians used
to process seeds and the like. Quite a few petroglyphs, both prehistoric and
more modern, can be found on the surrounding rocks. There are also numerous
unmarked graves surrounding the area.
It turns out reaching the higher pools required a level of
death-defying climbing on the treacherously steep rock I didn't expect. After
nearly killing myself a couple times I decided I didn't need to see the top
pools. A combination of exhaustion and stress made me forget to take pictures
of many of the upper petroglyphs.
Back in the Taco we decided to take the left fork of the
Camino, which took us through the Tinajas Altas Pass and up the western flank
of the mountains. It seemed the farther west you went the more
exceptionally rugged and parched the area becomes. Some parts looked like a
movie set, ie, fake.
The Tinajas Altas is right over here...
Fortuna Mine
See the fence above the shaft? Yes, it's 10 feet tall.
Our final area of interest was the massive Fortuna Mine and
ghost town, tucked into the western flank of the Gila Mountains about 10 miles
south of the I-8 Exit. Fortuna was a gold mine from about 1890-1920 and at
its peak had a post office, a saloon, a hotel, and a stage and freight line
among other businesses. Water was pumped in from the Colorado river 20 miles
away.
I don't think the whole area surrounding this mine has any
dirt. I've never seen so much stone, rock, crushed rock, and gravel. This fact,
along with the general lack of vegetation, gives this place a strange,
otherworldly feel. There are some remains, foundations, graves, and mining
garbage strewn about in an area covering at least 30 acres. Informational signs
dot the area giving insight into the land and history.
There are also a large number of holes, caves, and shafts
throughout the area. I counted 7 but I'm sure there are many more. Most were
vertical or more than 45 degrees... a long first step. Most impressive was the
main shaft, which was a good 40 feet in diameter. I have never seen a shaft
opening that huge.
Once we left the Fortuna complex it was a quick and easy 5-6
miles to pavement. Time to head home!
Reflection
In summary, it was
a fantastic trip. You really need 2 nights to do this run properly, but maybe
someday I will make this trip again and see some of the stuff I missed. Because
of the border issues, it may lack in some of the original remote/adventure
aspects, but it's still a great experience.
Even though 4HI was only used a few times, a trip like this
gives a chance to feed the wanderlust a little bit in a very pure way. There is
something seductive about the idea of turning your back on civilization, and
although the realist side knows it's impossible (and in the end, not
desirable), the romantic side yearns for tiny examples such as this... it lets you appreciate life a little more than usual.
Being a history buff, The Devil's Highway
offered me a fun way to see untamed natural beauty and connect with those that
came before us in a way that allows me to better understand the areas I explore
while instilling a desire to protect what's there. It doesn't get any better
than that.
Posted
Apr 28 2009, 01:34 AM
by
ryangibson