Paul Bloland & Ed Lubin Co-Leaders
We car camped Friday night at a site about one mile north of the ghost town of Ballarat, on Panamint Dry Lake; alongside Happy Canyon Road, just off Wingate Road. We had intended to stop at a more private site, a turnout about four hundred feet to the south, but the area is a popular destination for outdoor recreational vehicle groups, and that site was already occupied. We posted a DPS sign at our intersection. It distinguished us from the other gatherings.
About 8:15am on Saturday, David Buchanan, Marlen Mertz, Steve Norman, George Pfeiffer, Bill T. and Pat Russell, Alan Takahashi, Jim Whitted, Paul and I, caravaned the short distance to the Surprise Canyon trailhead, Chris Wicht's Camp (el 2640') for our backpack to the historic townsite of Panamint City in the Panamint Range; a distance of about five miles, and a gain of about 4000'.
Backpacking roughly one mile up Surprise Canyon, along the path of a mostly washed out road, we encountered the only two obstacles we would face:
Located where the canyon narrows down to about 15' wide, are two sets of waterfalls, commonly known as the "Falls". Polished rock spanned wall-to-wall on both; and water, probably seasonal, cascaded down what was climbable. Slippery surfaces and too few handholds made climbing with a backpack not easy.
Just above the second falls were three old vehicle wrecks and a pair of fresh tire tracks in the mud. The tracks were a mystery, because the road over what is now the "Falls", was washed out in 1984, and there is no other vehicular access. It must have been hard to maintain. Above the falls, the road would be classified in the DPS Guide as "good", even after the worst winter in years.
Fine tasting spring water was available at two ideally situated places enroute. At Limekiln Spring were ferns, and a form of moss that is reputedly found only a few other places in the world. There is a turnout on the north side of the road, with a lone three foot square boulder. Together, they form a landmark. At Brewery Spring the water gushes in great volume from the cliff alongside the road. For over a hundred feet along the road, there is a canopy of trees.
The tall, square-shaped smelter smokestack
that marks the townsite of Panamint City (el 6400') is constructed of brick;
the color of which blends in well with the beautiful juniper and Pinyon Pine
covered mountain backdrop.Just uproad, the quaint setting is marred by a large modern structural steel shed finished in two bright gaudy colors. Camper shells and house trailers also detract. (Inside the shed is a faucet that gives excellent water.)
Approaching us from behind as we entered town, came a Jeep, the source of the mysterious tire tracks at the "Falls". The driver was friendly. He is residing in the "Main Cabin" across from the shed, while doing something linked with mining. He drives down to the falls to park when he goes out for supplies. The Jeep has a winch and has been over the Falls, but was helicoptered in originally. At least one hole has been drilled for winching.
He was asked if any cabin was off-limits, and indicated none. We decided to stay at "The Castle" (which does not appear at all like such architectually). We still discovered a "No Trespassing", sign, on the porch door, once settled.