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Please click here for – Part One
Doing a Little Tracking
Our next destination was just a few miles down Northshore Road. We kept an eye out for possible road damage from the historic rain events from last season. The designated route’s steep entry into the wash was in better shape than our last visit here. The broad wash showed that massive amounts of water had flowed but, in this area, the flowing water had smoothed the wash bottom.
The road ends at the Muddy Mountains Wilderness boundary but we stopped and made camp about a mile and a half from roads end. At this spot our truck was aligned with the setting sun and here we’d have the longest sunlight at day’s end. The location’s alignment with the morning sunrise was also excellent.
We returned to this little used area because on an earlier visit we found fossil bird, canine, and camel tracks in layers of siltstone. We returned to do a little tracking. What else could we find?
The next morning, on our ritual walk with coffee, we explored up a side canyon just up from our camp. I did not take any photos on the walk up canyon because of the dim predawn light with the overcast sky. So, my photo essay begins at our turn around point. And I took photos because, with my uneducated little brain, I found the geology so chaotic. We called this little drainage, Chaos Canyon.
Here’s our turn around point and The Lady is heading down canyon. Pay attention to the angled white layer. It may be related to something we found later in the day. Also notice it is at a different angle than the layered rock behind. This caught my attention because nothing seems to line up in Chaos Canyon.
The wash bottom here exposed layers of siltstone and fine gravel beds and looked to be tilted at the same angle as the white layer above. I believed we encountered very similar layering later in the day.
Just down canyon was a thick layer of conglomerate; hard, resistant to erosion, and it formed a very narrow steep chute in the canyon. Of course, the Lady said, “I love this conglomerate!”
Down canyon was a jumble of softer rock, easily eroded, and difficult to see any layering. Where did this fit in?
Around the corner was a thick layer of soft rock shot through with cracks and fissures that were filled with a harder mineral deposit.
Around the next corner are near vertical layers of sedimentary rock that are butted up against the chocolate-colored rock riddled with the mineral deposits (to the left of Julie).
And above it all is a thick layer of conglomerate.
The lower section of Chaos Canyon held blocks of this conglomerate that had tumbled down from above. It was amazing to see that hardy bushes could make a living on these boulders.
And then there was vivid evidence of faulting and movement in the conglomerate above.
A short way further down canyon, the layers were closer to horizontal.
And around the next bend was this chaos.
And right near camp a layer of pretty sandstone was exposed.
This was far, far too complicated for my poor layman’s brain.
After breakfast we headed up the main canyon for a day of hiking through, we hoped, was much simpler geology.
It looks like layers of sandstone ahead but to the Lady’s right is that chocolate colored rock with the white lacing throughout it. In the upper left red Aztec sandstone is beginning to appear – we will see much much more Aztec sandstone later in the day. Brace yourselves.
After crossing into the Muddy Mountain Wilderness, we came to the layers of sandstone (mudstone, siltstone?) we were here to investigate.
This, to an old hiking layman, looked like silt or mud deposited in layer after layer in a floodplain - and later uplifted and tilted. The rock shows beautiful fossil ripples and water flow patterns.
On our earlier investigation here, we found blocks of rock, fallen from above, laying along the canyon wall, that held fossil bird, canine, and camel tracks. We relocated these chunks of rock. This is so exciting for us!
Bird (bonus points if you spot the other faint tracks)
Canine
Camel
We spent some time here. We wished to see if we could identify the layer above the blocks had fallen from – we could not. And we also wanted to see if we could find any new fossil tracks – do a little tracking.
No comment at all on where we found them, but how about fossil tracks from ancient horses? Wow, you bet we were doing a happy dance.
We also returned to try to document the layers these fossil ripples and tracks occur in.
Where the fallen blocks are located is a thick, pretty consistent, outcrop of layers of siltstone. Just upstream the rock changes with the addition of layers of fine gravel.
The canyon has a fun narrow slot cut through this layering.
So, my little layman’s brain is telling me, something has changed in the world to put down these layers of gravel.
Above the slot a dramatic change appears, a thick layer of white rock.
What happened? What is going on? What is this rock? I don’t have the answer. Any help?
It was only an interruption in the pattern of laying down sediments, because the layers of siltstone and fine gravel continue above this white layer.
And large critters still lived and traveled across this floodplain after the deposition of this white layer. How do we know? Because we found one, solitary track from an ancient deer family species above this white layer.
What fun it was to do a little tracking!
The sky had cleared but it was cold in the shaded wash. Both of us were anxious for some sun. We climbed out of the canyon and headed west into what is called “The Bowl of Fire.” This is another large outcropping of wondrous Aztec sandstone.
Imagine having Nevada’s famous Valley of Fire State Park all to yourselves in a Wilderness setting. This was our afternoon of wandering, hiking, scrambling, exploring.
The Lady endured a bit more spokes model work for arches and windows.
With several cross-country miles back to camp, it was time to head that direction.
Maybe we could get back in time to grab a shower in warm sunlight? Nope. But the beautiful evening light more than made up for that.
The next morning it was time to move to a new location. Where should we go? Could we think of something? Could we continue with this string of incredible adventures? You bet.
Our adventure continues. Please click here for - Part Three
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