Canon Tajo's "Great White Throne"-Jan 7-8 -John Robinson
Magnificent Cañon Tajo is the deepest and most spectacular of all the gorges that slash the precipitous eastern escarpment of the Sierra Juarez. In its upper reaches, canyon walls tower over 2,000 feet above the shaded bowels of the chasm. Rising just west of the canyon-head is a huge granite monolith that resembles, though on a slightly smaller scale, the Great White Throne of Zion National Park, A close-up view of this great rectangular dome was the objective of Frank Sanborn and myself this second weekend in 1967.
Early Saturday morning we crossed the border at Mexicali and proceeded west on Mex Hiway #2, then south over the vast alkali expanse of the Laguna Sa1ada, a poor man's Bonneville Flats. From well out on the Salada this great white throne is visible, and dominates the western skyline. A sandy road leads about two miles into the wide canyon entrance; from the end it is about a nine mile hike to the canyon head.
A five-hour backpack took us to a splendid palm-shaded campsite near the canyon head, almost directly under our objective. In these upper reaches Tajo is at its spectacular, scenic best. Sheer cliffs of white granite contrast sharply with crumbling walls of dark metamorphic rock. The cascading all-year stream darts over and around huge house-size boulders that have fallen from the canyon walls. Lovely pools of clear water reflect the surrounding palms. These stately fan palms, both Washingtonia and Erythea crown the canyon bottom and dot the slopes above, providing a luxuriant tropical backdrop to nature's primitive scene.
Arising at dawn we scrambled up 1500 feet to the base of the Throne. We were amazed to see tall palms growing up the slopes, far up, some right at the giant's base. One full-sized Erythea (the Blue Palm) is wedged in a narrow crack high on a vertical wall, at an above-4000' elevation. We searched in vain for a route to the top, but only class 5 and 6 cracks and narrow ledges were sighted.
Perhaps the west side might offer better possibilities. We hope to explore this further on a future trip, probably from the Sierra Juarez tableland.
Smatko Ramblings in some San Bernardino County Desert Ranges- Andy
During the past few months, on selected weekends, a party of four of us visited several interesting and various Desert Ranges in the country's most spacious county. This is part of my long range project to climb the high points of all the named and unnamed mountains in San Bernardino Co.
On one of these weekends, such a summit lying west of Cadiz Valley was attempted and entered on my list of successful ascents.
To better locate this point for those interested, it stands W and SW of Cadiz Dry Lake and E of the Sheephole Mtns. It is possibly part of the Calumet Mtns to the NNW but topographically it does not appear so. Time wise this is a fairly long climb from the paved road-such roadhead being about 30 miles east of 29 Palms. There are no technical difficulties, Class 2 prevailing. Colorful canyons, large cliff bands, and typical desert flora made this one a fine climb.