What started as a suggestion to go hike Kelso Dunes evolved into a driving loop through the Mojave to go to both Kelso and Rainbow Basin/Owl Canyon near Barstow. I wasn't expecting much in the way of wildflowers this year, but hoped maybe we would see a desert tortoise or two. I sketched out a possible loop hike that would go up Owl Canyon, cross over and attempt to descend the main canyon draining into Rainbow Basin, then cross back over to the Owl Canyon trailhead. We got an early start that got us to the campground and trailhead around 8am when the air still had a little coolness in it still. We hiked up the wash, enjoying the many tilted layers of the sedimentary sequence and related changes. A brief detour had us checking out the hundred-foot long mud cave in the "rainbow sherbet" rocks, before continuing up the wash.
After the mudstone we entered the mint chocolate chip narrows of the alluvial Owl Canyon Formation which had some nice corridors and towering cliffs.
Further, we traversed the granitic breccia unit of what I think is almost certainly a megaslide. The canyon here had dryfalls to climb, archways, and lots of alcoves that the canyon's namesake owls sometimes frequent (none seen this time). At one point we saw a single solitary pothole of water.
After the breccia the canyon opens up with some sandstone and monolithic breccia units before the fault contact with the spongey-looking ignimbrite of the Pickhandle Formation. This ancient explosive volcanic deposit has been hydrothermally altered into an artist's palette of pastel greens, purples, and reds. We continued up the wash further than I had been before to where the canyon opens up into network of drainages and then clambered up a steep loose scree slope to gain the ridge to the west of the canyon.
Once on top we had expansive views, including of the snowy backside of the San Gabriels about 60 miles away. We dipped in and out of a few minor drainages, passing some solitary Joshua trees and working our way down a few minor cliff bands. Eventually we reached the abrupt horizonline of the dropoff into Rainbow Basin. Cautiously approaching, it was even more dramatic than I could have imagined, requiring at least one 30 foot rappel and another loose downclimb. This was more than we bargained for today but we did enjoy the Grand Canyon-esque views from this perch before traversing the drainages above the escarpment. It's too bad- the canyon looked interesting below. I'm sure one of them would make an interesting loop but probably best approached from below.
Skirting across the slopes and then over to the old alluvial surface, we got great views of Rainbow Basin as we went. We found an easy enough way down the slope back into Owl Canyon and to the car.
We had less time remaining in the day than we hoped, didn't want to spend too much more of it driving (Cajon Pass traffic already starting), and overall were satisfied with our varied 4.5 mile loop hike. We decided against the 5+ hours driving to get to Kelso and home, and briefly toyed with driving to some petroglyphs nearby, before ultimately deciding to just head home to miss the worst of the traffic. It would have been great to see some more flowers and a tortoise or two but Owl Canyon was every bit as good as a hike as I remember it, easily rivaling just about any hike in Death Valley for its variety.
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