Visions of oaks fill my memories as I walk up Mission Creek from the
desert floor. The 8000 ft ascent out of the Colorado desert into the
pine forest of the San Gorgornio Wilderness is a long one, crossing
all the ecological zones of the mountains of so cal and three major
faults of the great San Andreas. We marvel in the deep narrows at
tortured granite gniess, twisted in circles and resisting change. A
sharp contrast to the open fields of the canyon the give much needed
shade and water. I know Jake would send hours just trying to figure
out this complex geology here, as I feel myself wanting to do. Yet of
is the biology that strikes me the most.
On my last hike through this long canyon, I caught myself amazed my
the mix of oak, mamzanita, and joshua trees extending up the canyon.
Each holding thier corner of the canyon to the water that flowed down
from snowy heights on Gorgornio. But since then a fire raged through
the groves leaving only a few untouched near the narrows.
Black and white highlights the remains of these plants, but with all
things of nature fire leads to rebirth. Almost as a recent reminder of
the fire still burning on Jacinto, the rebirth had an unexpected
beauty. All the land of this desert canyon was radiating with fields
of vivid purple and gold. For at the base of each tree remains was a
bloom of purple cantebury bells. The were as big as each finger and as
alive as the hummingbirds and sphynix moths that hovered about them.
Among these flowers, the shoots of new trees grew. Here the forces of
life over fire showing through.
The rest of the climb brought us up to the company of grand vanilla
smelling Pondos and Oak groves. By the end of the day we were throwing
snowballs back and forth and sauntering through the ancients. Back in
the forest again...
*:0)
Ridgewalker
Sent from my iPod
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