A Hike up Ghost Mountain

The wind stopped blowing through the night, so we decided to take a trip to Ghost Mountain. Before we left we took the dogs for a walk through the desert, where we found a little campsite all out lined with rocks and in the center we found this

Isn't that too cool.

So about ten this morning we took the dogs and headed for Ghost Mountain, approx 25 miles from Borrego Springs, the road was really good as it winded through Yaqui Pass, and Centenac Canyon. We turned into Blair Valley, drove beside the playa until we reached the base of Ghost Mountain. Ghost Mountain is where the poet/author/artist Marshall South and his wife Tanya moved in the early nineteen thirties, then homesteaded with their three children for sixteen years atop this dry windy mountain.

the start of the trail

Skip part way up the one mile trail that went straight up.

About half way up the mountain, I was taking a rest. the green dot in the center is our tracker

the remains of the homestead

Skip checking out the remains of the cisterns

  
The sundial was right on 12 noon

We think this is the  morteros  where Tanya ground corn and seeds etc, just as the Indians had done for thousands of years.

Being on top of Ghost Mountain, left us both in awe of the family who dared to live  life their way in such a harsh, unforgiving climate, blazing sun, wicked winds, and even snow, and yet as we sat there in silence, I could hear children laughing, so it must have been good.

Marshall South wrote about their life in a series of monthly articles for the Desert Magazine. It has been put in book form, which I just bought, I will lend it to anyone who is interested ( except a certain person
who never returns my books..you know who you are)

We were at Ghost Mountain yesterday, today we left  Anza-Borrego and we are at Salt Creek Rec. Area
at the Salton Sea.

This is kind of a long post but I couldn't pare it down.

Jean