West Fork of Moonshine Wash
I realized a few weekends ago, after a few short hikes, that I need to get into better hiking shape, so the following weekend I did something about it. I chose the West Fork of Moonshine Wash since it was relatively easy but left open the option for a longer hike. The pups and I started the hike west and a little north of Saucer Basin. An old road led me to a spot where I was able to drop into the wash, where I headed downstream. The watercourse was mostly flat and sandy or gravelly, but I encountered a few places where it narrowed up and dropped suddenly. The first such spot I climbed out of the canyon to bypass it. Another the dogs and I were able to downclimb easily. Yet another required me to climb out of the canyon and walk the rim for half a mile before I could drop back in. I regret not getting to see that part of the canyon, but at the time I didn't want to add another mile to the hike.
Descent into the canyon
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West Fork of Moonshine Wash
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Small potholes that required a bypass on the right
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A cow
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Lupine blooms
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Shallow, sandy alcove with a natural arch
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Easy-to-downclimb narrows
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Boulder and Torrey in a pool
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Impassable potholes
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Dogs above the West Fork of Moonshine Wash
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Back in the canyon
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I found another mylar balloon--the latest of many this year--that I packed out with me. The lower portion of the west fork held several short side canyons, many of which had springs and/or alcoves at their heads. I hadn't intended to hike all the way to the moonshine tanks, where supposedly moonshine was made during prohibition, but when I got within a mile of there I decided to press on. I'd hiked to the moonshine tanks once before, 11 years ago, but I took a much shorter route then. Nothing much has changed, except I think the climb back up the ledge just upstream from the tanks has gotten more difficult.
Get Well Soon
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Spring water in a fork
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Ice in perpetual shade
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Short side canyon
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Alcove in a short side canyon
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Rockfall
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Above the moonshine tanks
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Hanging cactus
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Trowel at the moonshine tanks
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Moonshine tanks
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Boulder going for a swim
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Difficult climb above the tanks
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After leaving the moonshine tanks I took a small fork that quickly climbed to the west and had a couple of branches to explore. Finding nothing of interest there, I exited the canyon system and headed toward the road. I was really disappointed that I hadn't seen a single sign of historic or prehistoric occupation. I'd hoped to find some inscriptions, rock art, flint--anything really--that told part of the story about earlier inhabitants. During the walk to the road I was surprised to actually find a worked piece of flint that had been discarded before being finished. At least it was something. Once I reached the road, the hike back to my vehicle was a slog! The dogs and I were exhausted but feeling good after a hard workout once we arrived at the Jeep. The GPS registered exactly 10 miles for the hike. It was more than I'd planned for the day, though I was glad to have covered most of the West Fork of Moonshine Wash in a single trip.
Difficult upclimb in the exit fork
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Slotty
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Alcove at Moonshine Spring
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La Sals over the San Rafael Desert
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The climb up to the road
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Ooh, a pretty rock!
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Starting the two-mile road walk back to the Jeep
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The Cone
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La Sal Mountains
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Boulder and Torrey resting
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10 miles
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Interesting alignment of the Flat Tops and Henry Mountains
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Horse Bench Reservoir
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Photo Gallery: West Fork of Moonshine Wash
GPS Track and Photo Waypoints:
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