Climbing the Rings through Banshee Canyon
5 Days in the Desert travelog #8
Mojave Preserve, CA - Sat, 24 Dec 2022, 5pm
"It's a short hike," the ranger said. We weren't that interested. "It's in Banshee Canyon," she added. That got our attention. When she added, "And you have to climb rings blasted in the rock in the steepest spots," we were sold.
The first two-thirds of the hike (previous blog) were easy. Then it was time for the narrows- and the climbing rings!
Yup, the narrows sure get narrow. As in, stretch out both your arms and you'll scrape all your knuckles.
Part of the ascent through the narrows doesn't require climbing aids. We could scramble up the boulders just fine. Though even so, this is a tough hike, not one for "Mom, Pop, and all the kids".
Then come the rings.
There are two sections with rings like these anchored into the rock. The idea is you grab onto the rings to help pull yourself up while bracing your feet against the rock walls. Although we've done a variety of other hikes with rails, spikes, staples, and even knotted ropes, this one was not easy. The footing is slippery, and there needs to be at least one more ring at the top for people taller than 3' to pull themselves the last bit of the way out.
Here's a view back down the narrows from atop the first set of rings. Oh, did I mention those rock walls are sharp? They're very rough composite rock. I scraped a knee while trying to climb through the notch.
Once atop the second set of rings (not pictured) we scrambled up to a nice viewpoint overlooking the canyon. That floor down there... yup, that's how high we climbed basically pulling ourselves up.
Once past the rings it was basically all footwork to climb out of Banshee Canyon. Here's a view back across the maze like spires rising out of the narrows. BTW, settlers called it Banshee Canyon because winds blow through it made a wail like tormented spirits of folklore.
Up next: Back to Barstow for the ancient Jewish tradition of eating Chinese on Christmas Eve.
Mojave Preserve, CA - Sat, 24 Dec 2022, 5pm
"It's a short hike," the ranger said. We weren't that interested. "It's in Banshee Canyon," she added. That got our attention. When she added, "And you have to climb rings blasted in the rock in the steepest spots," we were sold.
The first two-thirds of the hike (previous blog) were easy. Then it was time for the narrows- and the climbing rings!
Yup, the narrows sure get narrow. As in, stretch out both your arms and you'll scrape all your knuckles.
Part of the ascent through the narrows doesn't require climbing aids. We could scramble up the boulders just fine. Though even so, this is a tough hike, not one for "Mom, Pop, and all the kids".
Then come the rings.
There are two sections with rings like these anchored into the rock. The idea is you grab onto the rings to help pull yourself up while bracing your feet against the rock walls. Although we've done a variety of other hikes with rails, spikes, staples, and even knotted ropes, this one was not easy. The footing is slippery, and there needs to be at least one more ring at the top for people taller than 3' to pull themselves the last bit of the way out.
Here's a view back down the narrows from atop the first set of rings. Oh, did I mention those rock walls are sharp? They're very rough composite rock. I scraped a knee while trying to climb through the notch.
Once atop the second set of rings (not pictured) we scrambled up to a nice viewpoint overlooking the canyon. That floor down there... yup, that's how high we climbed basically pulling ourselves up.
Once past the rings it was basically all footwork to climb out of Banshee Canyon. Here's a view back across the maze like spires rising out of the narrows. BTW, settlers called it Banshee Canyon because winds blow through it made a wail like tormented spirits of folklore.
Up next: Back to Barstow for the ancient Jewish tradition of eating Chinese on Christmas Eve.