Know Your Desert Peaks

WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY IN TAJO CANYON (Feb. 22-24) Trudie Hunt

Randall Henderson, founder of Desert Magazine, calls Tajo Canyon in the Sierra Juarez, Baja California, the "Daddy of the Palm Canyons." On a two day trip there in 1948 he counted 4518 palms and he did not enter the south or the side canyons where at least an equal number exist. Nor did he find the old Indian trail which an Indian, friend of Mrs. Meling of the San Pedro Martir foothills, had shown to our leader, Bub Bernard of Coronado.
We met at eight Friday in La Rumorosa and piled packs and people into five cars, putting eleven in Vic Metcatfe's new pick up. Bud steered us unerringly south down the 23 miles of dirt road which involved 12 choices of turns. No wonder the Riverside Chapter spent most of a weekend finding the jump-off point.
By 11 all had packs with three days supplies on their backs and were headed over an old Indian mine trail to the rim where we lunched, viewing the huge Y-shaped gorge headed by massive granite cliffs. A steep, slippery mine trail led us in three and a half hours to our campsite among palms, pools, and boulders, some scored with Indian grinding holes.
Tom Hunt and two others drove two shuttle cars around to the foot of the canyon and hiked up to the campsite. One man was exhausted and was about to camp when an alerted rescue party came to relieve him of his pack for the final miles.
The second day, groups of 2 and 3 hiked up the rough south fork. Vic Metcalfe, Graham Stephenson, and Bep Bingham reaching the head wall. Those who had spent hours peering into every cranny for pots were aghast on returning to discover that an explorer scout had discovered two perfect ollas,
 
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