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| Hiding under an ancient Juniper Tree |
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| Wondering if the tree got struck by lightning. |
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| Ancient Juniper taking over the Wash |
About 2.5 years ago, four club members introduced a new route leaving from Sawmill Trailhead. Since the entire Mud Springs Loop is ~18 miles and even the half loops are 9 and 9 miles, we wanted to use the established upper part of the complete loop for a more palatable 6.5 mile loop. Little did we know that the new route in the connecting wash would be so beautifully adorned with very old, shall we say "ancient," juniper trees. There are, of course, millions of old juniper trees in the deserts of the country. They are extremely hardy being able to withstand harsh dry weather in full sun. These are slow growing trees and, therefore, when you come upon a huge one (or twenty) on the sides of a single desert gravel 3/4 mile wash, you know they have been around ... well ... for hundreds of years. They appear similar to bristlecones since the trees multiply in the same square of dirt with deeply reaching roots. Another attraction the juniper trees produce are the berries. I think everyone knows that the berries are used to flavor gin but, does everyone know that the berries are a seed cone and are used for flavoring other dishes, especially in Scandinavia? They have a bitter peppery taste. Different junipers produce different tastes. But, mind you, they are poisonous to dogs!
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| Taking a break among the old Junipers |
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| Following the Wash |
So, this route begins at Sawmill Trailhead where the Lady Hikers started up the trail to the ridge where the south Mud Springs trail junctions. We followed the well-groomed trail down until we were about 2.6 miles into the hike. Here, we turned right! The wide wash in this area leads all the way over to the north side of the Mud Springs Loop. Passing many ancient juniper trees (and sometimes having to circumvent a huge tree), we continued down the wash until we reached the other side of the Mud Springs Loop. (At the very end near the junction, we cut the corner off to the right as the dry delta started spreading out.) Turning right, we began a long climb back up to the Sawmill ridge during which two motorbikes came zooming past us down the hill. They shouldn't be there. Since this is the second time we have encountered these particular kids, next time, we will attempt to get their license plates and tell someone in authority. It scared us as they approached rapidly from over the hill in front of us! Besides that, this was a beautiful hike which we will keep in our repertoire.
Stats: 6.3 miles; 1150' gain; 4 hours to enjoy the wooden sculptures
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| View of lower Lee Canyon Road from No Mans |
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| Following the north side of the Mud Springs Loop |
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