Hazardous Bushwhack

Two Devil's Heads are better than one (Echinocactus horizonthalonius)

Strawberry Hedgehog

Since I was on my own again this morning I decided to bushwhack over to the large den I spotted yesterday.  It was more difficult than I'd imagined; I had to claw my way through and around Catclaw, Creosote, Hedgehog Cacti and Prickly Pear to reach the base of the cliff the den was in.  And then I had to scramble up to get a look inside.  What seemed to be a den from a distance turned out to be nothing more than a huge, shallow hollow carved out by rainwater runoff.  It's possible that some animals have used the hollow for shelter in the past, but I found no tracks or prints to indicate it had been occupied recently.  Oh well.  I didn't feel cheated in any way because I got to explore a section of the desert west of the mountain that I'd never venture into before.

Cat's Claw

West of the mountain

Imagine bushwhacking through this

The "den" I spotted yesterday

I got right up to it

I'd never been in this section of desert before

Rugged west side of Tortugas Mountain

A bit closer look

On the road west of the mountain

On the small trail that cuts between two dirt roads

In a small arroyo west of the mountain

Same arroyo

Same arroyo, looking the other way

Soaptree Yucca

A forlorn hiker