Happy New Year everyone! At least it was when I took this hike.
I decided to start the year out right, with a nice hike. One of my favorites is Ladder Canyon in the Mecca Hills. Roy's buddy from where he used to work, Ricardo and his family came with us. They had never been to the area before and didn't know what to expect. We arrived at the parking lot and saw about three or four cars at the trail head. We had seen quite a few other vehicles camped along the road on our drive in.
Roy, Ricardo and his family starting out from the parking lot at the mouth of Painted Canyon. Yes, Ladder Canyon is a side trip from the larger and better known Painted Canyon.
As we hike in Painted Canyon, the scenery is most impressive, not just the towering cliffs, but the collapsed ones, like the area just left of center in the picture above.
Did I mention the towering cliffs, note the size of the rest of the group in this picture
Ladder canyon is in the break in the cliffs off on the left side of Painted Canyon in the previous picture, and soon after entering Ladder Canyon, we encounter a vertical section that can only be surmounted by climbing a ladder that someone has thoughtfully provided.
This hike is very popular and it seems that the ladders get worn out by heavy use and of course, the flooding that caused the canyon in the first place. Here Roy is climbing up the new ladder.
As we hike up the canyon it quickly becomes a slot canyon, winding it's way through the cliffs.
We continue out of the narrows and find ourselves at another ladder.
As the hike continues it meanders around, exposing a number of different formations for us to look at.
We come to another ladder, this one appears to be homemade and I doubt that it is OSHA compliant.
Here's another ladder that didn't withstand the ravages of time.
Thankfully, someone continues to provide new ladders where the old ones have failed.
We are nearing the end of the canyon and soon will be out on the ridge with spectacular views of the Salton Sea, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains and the Coachella Valley. At this point, my plans suddenly changed, instead of continuing up the ridge and dropping back down into Painted Canyon for a loop hike, I got a message from work, requesting that I return and help out with a emergency. So I ran back down. During the trip back down I encountered numerous families with members of all ages. I must have seen at least a hundred people. I even knew some of the folks. One group told me that they make this hike every New Years day and have for many years. Now that's my idea of celebrating New Years.
Just a few minutes from the car, another family out enjoying the hike.
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