Carey's Castle

The hike to Carey's Castle is a bit of a mystery.  At least in the internet age.  I won't post exact directions, but with a little internet search prowess, one can easily find the route.  I was unable to find exact directions from the trailhead to the Castle, but with the GPS coordinates of the Castle and some ever evolving Google Earth skills, I was able to easily trace the route and download it to my Garmin Colorado 450t.

On the topic of the Colorado 450t, I am now learning why it was discontinued.  Several times while on the trail it froze up, causing us to stop and take out the batteries each time to reset it.  Thinking it was fault of some bad batteries, I changed them out, but experienced the same problem with the new lithiums.  It's a respectable GPS and the signal strength is amazing, but the newer touch screen models are surely better options and will soon find their way into my pack.

On to the hike.....finding the trailhead is fairly straightforward, although my wife gets anxiety every time we get off the pavement.  The dirt road is graded and easily passable in a two wheel drive passenger vehicle.  Needless to say, it was a piece of cake for the WK2.  after trying to 4 wheel a little closer than the large parking area, we decided to turn back and park in the large lot as the National Park boundary is not passable in a vehicle.

As we gathered our packs and acclimated to the 50 degree temps with a 15 mph breeze, the stark reality of the landscape took hold.  In typical Joshua Tree N.P. fashion, the jutting granite and semi-high desert vegetation provides a nice backdrop to any day on the trail.

The trail starts out as more of an arid wash as you slowly gain in elevation.  The hike gains elevation all the way to the Castle as you are essentially following a series of canyons and drainages until you reach the Castle.  There are some narrow spots where the canyon comes to within 20 feet wide or maybe a bit less.  Quite a bit of scrambling is required so make sure you have good ankle support and are comfortable using all four limbs to get where you need to go.  On the way down we ran into a group of 3 (the only people we saw all day) and two of the guys were not comfortable bouldering so they kept trying to follow very faint trails around the more difficult areas.  I did not view this as a viable use of time and energy and had they been in my party, I would have made them stash the trekking poles and use their hands.

There are approximately 2-3 forks in the canyon where a decision is needed.  One such spot is obvious as there is a 50 foot dry waterfall that cannot be passed without a rope and the skills necessary to ascend.  The other spot can be a bit confusing, but after making the second turn, the trail levels out and follows a narrow but not deep canyon.

As you approach the Castle, it becomes evident of the existence of humans.   There are some large metal drums surrounding the Castle as well as other debris from a bygone era.   At this point, I found myself wondering what would entice anybody to make a go of it out in the desert.  Apparently there is a road where Mr. Carey would bring his supplies in on, but it enters the Castle from the north side through the Joshua Tree N.P.

If nothing else, Carey was a tough dude who did not fear the isolation of the desert.  He may fear this guy though?

Once inside, I really appreciated the architecture involved in constructing the Castle.  It took quite a bit of stone and concrete to fill in the holes between the rocks to create an enclosure safe from the elements.  There are two windows which allow light into the single room.

Don't forget to sign the trail register

Some leftover artifacts on the shelves.  The ammo box in the corner contains the trail register as well as some poorly placed advertising from some hikers taking advantage of a captive audience.  I found their business cards to be in bad taste.  

Harding Cyn Falls

Looking back at the mouth of Harding Cyn

     I started out this hike on a beautiful sunny early January day.  There were some light breezes blowing through the canyon and the temperature fluctuations from sun to shade were inherently noticeable.  I would estimate about a 7-10 degree difference.  At the mouth of the canyon I considered stashing my beanie and fleece in some bushes to shed weight, but my instincts got the better of me and I decided to hoof it with the extra ounces.  This turned out to be a wise choice as it got downright cold in the shady, sheltered canyon.  Years ago, I may have made the wrong choice, but the years have been kind to my level of wisdom in much the same way they have been unkind to my physical ability.
    With GPS and wisdom in tow, I continued up the wide canyon mouth as it quickly narrowed.  Having done this hike 4 years ago, I knew the way and frankly, it is virtually impossible to get lost due to the out and back nature of the route.  I will not call it a trail because there is no trail for 75% of the time.  My decade of routefinding experiencing came in very handy as there are many tricky pinch points in the canyon where a mistake could mean a soft tissue injury or getting soaked feet at the very least.  The wet feet would not bother me, but I somehow managed to keep them dry for the entirety of the hike.
     Jed, on the other hand, was not so lucky.  Mostly by choice, but occasionally out of necessity, Jed was forced into the water.  A couple of times he was unable to balance on a narrow ledge, and despite his best leaping effort, he bounced off the canyon wall into the chilly pools.

Jed wading the intermittent stream

  One mistake I made this time around was to constantly look at my GPS.  Not remembering the distance from my previous trip, I was estimating the falls to be about 5 miles each way based on some literature I had read from Orange Coast Magazine.  As I periodically checked the distance on the GPS, I became increasingly discouraged by my lack of progress.  Hiking through this canyon is not an expedited process no matter your level of route finding.  Most of the time you have to pick a line and stick to it until another obstacle arises.  The over and under style of hiking requires two hands and two feet and I averaged less than 2 miles per hour.  Had I given in and just decided to get wet feet, I would have increased my time considerably.  Being that I had two weeks of vacation, time was definitely on my side.  

      Further up canyon are some of the most spectacular pools.  Clear as can be and deep enough for a swim on a warm day.  Rumor has it there used to be seven of these pools until a landslide buried the majority of them.  Until numerous floods carve them back out, the few that remain will have to do.

Emerald pool on the way to the falls

     As I rounded corner after corner, doubt began to set in.  Having a vast amount of experience outdoors, I have become familiar with the mental game that doubt can play with your head.  There were a few times when I considered cutting my losses and turning back, but I knew that it was entirely possible to make it, so I continued.  At this point the only thing that could hold me back was my mind.  Seeing the mileage on the GPS creep forward was a tad disconcerting, but the reward of the falls was the only thing I concerned myself with.  Assuming that I had to do a 10 mile round trip, I mentally prepared and pressed on.  About the four mile mark, I rounded a bend and noticed a break in the canyon.  I looked up and surprisingly realized that I had made it.  A rushed sense of elation overtook me and I was happy to reach the halfway point a mile before I was expecting it.  This meant that I would have to hike 2 miles less than anticipated in total.  

Harding falls from the side

Harding Falls

     The area surrounding the falls featured filtered sunlight and I kicked up my feet on a warm rock, ate a super sandwich from Sprout's and relished in my accomplishment.  Jed didn't understand the finality of reaching our destination and continued wasting valuable energy by retrieving sticks of all sizes for me to throw.

The super sandwich

     After gorging on the sandwich, chips and a home grown tangerine, I picked up my things and started to head back.  About this time, I realized my new SOG knife was no longer clipped to my pack. My feeling of accomplishment was quickly overcome with a feeling of emptiness and I began to rehash my movements in my brain.  After a thorough search of the immediate vicinity, I concluded that it must have come off while scrambling under some tree limbs.  The good news was that I certainly had to pass it on the way back.  Wondering if I'd be able to locate it amid the rocks, leaves and water, I set out on the return trip.

    3/4 of a mile into the hike back I literally kicked the sheath with the knife and soon resumed my elated state.  1/4 mile after recovering the prized blade, I stumbled across the first people of the trip.  The lady told me she thought I was Sasquatch until she saw Jed.  I wasn't sure whether to take this a compliment or just as a silly comment.  Ignoring the social awkwardness of the situation I encouraged the couple to continue and reap the reward of the free-flowing falls.  They informed me they had previously tried and failed to make it to the falls and I wasn't surprised as this hike is as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical one.  

Do you see a trail?

     As the uneven terrain began to wear on my knees, I picked up my pace a bit reduce my time.  I was slowed a few times when Jed needed me to pull him up in some tricky spots on the "trail."  In one particular spot there was a web of well established tree roots sitting at the base of a four foot cliff.  Jed had some difficulty navigating through the maze, but eventually got into a position where he was able to attempt a jump.  The awkward positioning of his body made it difficult for him to get much power behind his jump, so on his second attempt, I grabbed his neck rolls and pulled him up.  He's quite the natural at this hiking thing and is unfazed by any and all obstacles.  In the instances where the drop off was too far for him he simply finds his own trail and bypasses whatever impedes his progress.  I have to admit I envy his agility and lack of doubt.  Sometimes a simple mind encourages clear decision making.

     As Jed is now on his sixth year of life, I was impressed with his stamina and he wasn't the least bit tired as we neared the end of the hike.  One last pain in the ass of a hill and we made it.  The last 1/4 mile is VERY steep, but it is short lived and I was back at the car in no time.  After enjoying a post hike  Anchor Steam, we were heading for home.

Photos courtesy of iPhone5