Desert Waters, Ghost Town

About 4,000 feet above the last known home of Charles Manson, in the Panamint Range is an old abandoned mining town. I always find it strange to find abandoned places that were easier to get to a century ago: the best example in Los Angeles are the remains of the White City Resort on Echo Mountain, where you could get by train from Downtown Los Angeles in two hours 100 years ago. Now it is a 1,400 foot ascent- still not that hard to get to, but you have to at least put on walking clothes, and get yourself motivated for a hike.

In the case of Surprise Canyon, a town that once had a full-time population, and even a local newspaper (picture Deadwood), now has a rare desert waterfall where there was once a gravel road (see below):

After decades of abandonment, the remnants of the gravel road were swept away in an apocalyptic storm in 1986 that unleashed an underground riverbed that now flows from the town down to the beginning of the hike, leaving rare desert greenery behind:

Today there is a angry dispute between environmentalists and off-roaders, who want to run their vehicles up this "road" or as it appeared to me during the hike, riverbed. Shortly before I went on this hike I went off-roading with a group from the Valley, who were very much in favor of taking their jeeps up the impossibly steep cliffs of the riverbed. Though I enjoyed the ride with them, and appreciated their passion for their sport, I think they are overreaching in their desire to use this area for off-roading again.

Which, for now anyway, leaves it to us hikers. There is no easy way to reach this one-time silver-mining community besides a round-trip 13-mile, 3,200 foot altitude gain slog through the desert heat. The upside of the hike, however, is that hiking up a riverbed you have plenty of water. Without the stream I think I would have exhausted myself carrying enough water to satisfy my immense thirst in the desert dryness.

To see the location of this hike, check out this new hiking map I am working on. Though it is a work in progress, it is easy to get directions to the several hikes that are listed. Check back for more descriptions and info