Our first hike last week was the into the Mecca Hills to the Ladder Canyon returning through the Little Painted Canyon. It was the start of Thanksgiving week and as we pulled into the parking lot there was about 20 cars. There is usually only a few ahead of us. The slot canyon is fitted with ladders to negotiate the steep, narrow trail but with all the people you end up waiting for your turn to climb up to the top. There are at least 5 ladders so you get to have a breather between each one.
We met a young family out for adventure, a father and two of his children. A cute precocious 9 year old girl and 2 1/2 year old boy that handled the ladders pretty good with his short little legs. Some of the ladders are close to 20 feet tall so it was good to see he had the strength and courage to do it.
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| Many hikers have a hard time finding the entrance to the ladders. I wonder why? |
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| One of the waiting areas. If you look closely the ladder only goes up about two feet and you have to scramble through the gap as best you can. |
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| Part of the canyon as it opens near the top, less claustrophobic than the lower area. |
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| This little bird is sitting wondering if he will get a handout. |
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| This Ocotillo is standing sentry over the start of the little painted canyon. Brian calls the plant re-bar with spikes. |
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| This canyon is narrower than the painted canyon and has many different features. |
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| There is also dramatic colour changes throughout the canyon. |
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| Everything goes through here in a rain storm |
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| The canyon is this wide... |
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| Mesquite tree with dried up bean pods |
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| Smoke tree holding it's ground on the canyon floor |
Our second hike of the week was to Indian Palms. It is located in the Coachella Valley Preserve and is one of the least visited trails. It is less than 2 miles round trip and hasn't many dramatic views. We visited the palms to satisfy our curiosity. You can see them from other hikes we take and we wondered what was there... more palm trees. Well there were a bunch of ravens hanging out at one oasis. I think they were feasting on the small date fruit.
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| Our view to the south. The city is on the other side of the ridge. |
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| Indian Palms |
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| A species of Saltbush commonly known as Desert Holly |
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| Some of these trees have been subjected to fire but still seem to be growing |
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| Portrait moment with the San Jacinto Mountains in the background |
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| Trees with their capes of dead palm fronds sheltering their trunk. |
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| Clusters of fruit hanging down. There is a thin covering of fruit on a small pit. |
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| View of one of the oasis from the center ridge. |
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