Thursday, July 23, 2020

Cleghorn Lakes Arches

I posted last week about a recent hike into the Cleghorn Lakes Wilderness Area, but I ran out of time and didn't get a chance to share photos I took of the arches and rock formations (which, in my opinion, are the best part!).
This was my second visit to the area. My first visit was over two years ago, when my wife took this shot of me trying to get up close to an arch. Not an easy angle, and the whole time I felt like I was going to slide off the rocks at any moment!

Fast forward to a couple months ago (thanks for the photo, Mitch!). I'm still trying to find a way to get closer to that same arch. With a fair amount of effort and a few nicks and scratches to my person and my camera, I'm able to climb all the way up to the arch.





The hard work climbing up to the arch payed off, as it allowed me to get shots from multiple angles in relative comfort. I even managed a couple shot underneath the arch. 

Not far from this arch are more "arches".
Arches in quotes because I'm not sure this qualifies as an arch. More like an opening or window in the rocks. Either way, it's a beautiful formation and you can see my hiking partner Mitch taking a photo.
There are actually two arches or openings. In the photo above, we are looking through the first opening into the second opening. I would bet that this area was likely full of Native American rock art. Unfortunately, it's been used a lot in more recent times by campers and hikes. Whatever rock art was here appears to be gone forever. Notice the large fire ring up against the rocks in the lower right portion of the photo above.




It's an amazingly photogenic area.

One of my favorite shots of the day: The "double-arch". You need a wide angle lens (16mm for this shot), sit on your butt, push your body back as far as it will go against the rock wall, and "click"... a double arch! I've never seen a photo with this same perspective before.

Shortly after taking this photo I heard my friend Mitch calling me. Let's go check out what he's found...

Wow, what a find! In the wash just west of the arches, Mitch has found a small section of flowing water. Something I have rarely seen in the desert. I think the area received rain about a week ago, and perhaps the water table bubbles up to the surface at this spot.

Imagine what this area must have looked like hundreds of years ago when rainfall was more plentiful. Perhaps a beautiful little stream that flowed for most of the year, and used by Native Americans as a seasonal location for food and shelter.


We were losing daylight quickly, but I couldn't resist climbing up into this alcove for the last shot of the day. What a beautiful view north into the Cleghorn Lakes Wilderness area!




We covered 4.4 miles, so not a super-long hike, but open desert/no trail over very challenging terrain. Add to that the hot temperatures and an ascent of 733' and descent of 789', and you have a challenging workout! And perhaps more importantly, a total and complete escape from the craziness going on in the world around us.

Linking with Skywatch Friday.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Stay safe. Stay healthy.

56 comments:

  1. Hello,

    Beautiful views of the arches and rock formations. I love the photos with the arch and sunburst. It is nice to find the water flow! Cute doggie! Take care, stay safe! Have a happy day!

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  2. ...Mother Nature sure is an amazing sculptor. Thank taking my along, I don't think that I would have held up well in the heat!!!

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  3. I'm always amazed at how amazing rock formations and arches are.

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  4. Another great hike and set of photos after a rigorous hike in snake heaven. Amazing stuff you come up with week after week.

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  5. Fantastic photographs! Envious; maybe I'll get there once this corona mess is over. And who's the cute pup?

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  6. Fabulous photos, love the double arches!

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  7. These are incredible photos and love the double arches (quite the shot) ^_^

    Live with love each moment,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  8. You make amazing hikes to amazing places. The arches make wonderful photographs, I especially like the sun shots. - Margy

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  9. Your so lucky being able to visit such a place, nothing like that here apart from Dartmoor which is across the country from me

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  10. Stunning views. What app are you using to track your hikes? It looks like it gathers quite a bit of data.

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    1. Thanks, Liz. Using a Garmin... I think it's called GPSmap 64sx. For a long time I was just using phone apps, but the Garmin works a little better for my needs. Sometimes still use a phone app as backup, in case the Garmin would stop working.

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  11. Amazing photos. There is so much beauty in the rocks and in the desert.

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  12. As hard as that hike sounds, it is so much better than the news these day I’d say. Such a gorgeous area!

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  13. A complete and total escape sounds more than wonderful. ... and even if this were normal times, this hike would still bee a try that! A double arch, the stream ... the history (that you can imagine).... beautiful day. Thank you for sharing it. For the minutes it took to read and look and admire, I too escaped p, if only virtually!

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  14. I always see such beautiful, professional shots here. That Arch and the playing of the lighting is super. That one formation absolutely looks like a giant squirrel holding the 'bread roll' with its chin.
    AS ALWAYS loved the trip and dialong. SWEET!
    Sherry & jack

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  15. Wonderful pictures. Well done to complete such an aggressive hike in summer temps! I can completely relate to the "total escape". This is precisely why we live in Montana!

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  16. Splendid desolation so well framed and conceived

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    1. Fun seeing you! I'm sort of showing face in a post as well.

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  17. Beautiful pictures. Love the way you post process them to have real feel

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  18. Thanks--- The world is too much with us; late and soon. Your pictures help.

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  19. Streaming water in the desert. Thats a real find.

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  20. Beeindruckend sind diese, fast künstlerischen, Felsformation. WOW!

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  21. Your determination to find the arch really paid off SPP, superb series of shots captured here. I think my favourite are the views looking through the arches 💛

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  22. Those rocks are quite something. The arches are so amazing to see.

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  23. Fantastic arch photos. I was thinking of you this week. I saw a segment about a guy that fell and spent the night in Joshua tree. He filmed himself on the ground. Glad that wasn't you!

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    1. Yikes, me too! I very much trying to avoid that scenario.

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  24. Spectacular arches. I admire your determination to explore as much of your desert as you can.

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  25. There's always something new to see when you're on a hike. Beautiful arch photos, spectacular views and photos. Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend. Stay safe!

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  26. Wow!!! What a gorgeous place and your photos are totally amazing! Nice to escape for a bit too I'm sure.

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  27. Absolutely amazing! Some of these rock formations look like giant lizards and dinosaurs frozen in time. The water flow like a thread of gold.

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  28. Enjoyed seeing how you're carrying your camera and equipment while hiking. That's something I'm constantly working to improve upon.

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  29. Amazing arches captured. Loved the pics with light flares too!

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  30. Such beauty. It is so amazing to me since I have never seen the red arches or such crazy formations.
    MB

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  31. It is amazing to me how completely different the topography is in your part of the country as opposed to mine. Thanks for sharing!

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  32. They are impressive. I believe it is fun to discover them!

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  33. This is a complex series of photogenic rocks, very cool to use for a photographic background.

    Greetings from Indonesia.

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  34. I hope you stay safe to, this looked a little dangerous to me. The photo results were gorgeous,those capturing the sun on the arch were so great.

    Even though I have a dog who would eat any coffee table book, I still would love to see all your desert adventures compiled in a book like that.

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  35. Thank you for taking all the beautiful photos to share with us. You have shown us the best parts of the desert. Beautiful rock formation.

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  36. One of the many area I missed visiting while living in the west. Your photos make it come to life for me.

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  37. I don’t know how you can do this in the summer in the desert. I sure enjoy your hikes and your photos.

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  38. I tried to use my imagination and pretend I was a Native American living in that area hundreds of years ago. That's my home, my views, my little stream, maybe even my art (no longer existing). And to know others would follow in my footsteps and bring others the beauty of where I once lived, through technology that could reach almost everyone on Earth. What would I have thought? Now back to the present. Thank you again for bringing this to us.

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  39. I love all your photos, but the one of the arch with the sun shining through is magnificent and should be blown up and framed! I had hoped to visit Arches national Park in Utah this spring but coronavirus concerns stopped that.

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  40. Stunning ones Peter. Blown away.

    https://natashamusing.com/2020/07/paint-my-love-fridayfictioneers-fridayfotofiction/?preview=true&frame-nonce=82865eb0cb

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  41. I especially like the evening shots :)

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  42. Hi

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  43. Another great series, amazing pics, Peter !

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  44. As always, this is a terrific post, Peter - I felt like I was actually right there beside you on this hike! Those arch shots you got are truly amazing - I especially love the one with the two arches in one pic. The ones where the openings make a frame for the beauty beyond are equally spectacular. It's cool that you found running water in the middle of the desert! Hope you are well and happy.

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  45. Hey there, frequent reader but first time commenter — I found your blog while researching this “caves” spot I had found in cleghorn lakes, as there’s very little information on it online, and I had been coming out there for years to camp. This past weekend I was heading out there to explore a bit more with a friend who never had been there, and on the trail heading there I came across two hikers who were walking out. They flagged me down and I stopped to speak with them and the man was a little fired up immediately and started telling me how this was a wilderness area and it was a crime to even have a bicycle there, let alone a car. I apologized and told him I had no idea, and had been coming here for years and I didn’t see any signs or anything of the sort and it seemed like this was a pretty well-traveled road, to which he said it was a historic road, but the prohibition of vehicular traffic was “something ‘we’ fought for — the environmentalists fought for — very strongly”. I said I understood and offered to turn around, and he thanked me and loosened up a bit and I headed elsewhere for the day. So I’m not sure exactly who he worked with or anything, but I understand his concern, however... I’m one of the good guys, and I was going to leave that place with at least a bag of others’ trash as I always do, and if the area really is that big of a environmental concern then they really oughta do more about signage or gating or something because I’m pretty sure he’s not there every day to stop the more awful people, and just thought you should be aware that SOMEone now has been explicitly told NOT to drive to the location. Anyway, thanks for your photos and journals, stay safe and keep exploring and I’m glad to know I’m not the only idiot who spends his free time crawling over Google earth looking for potentially interesting desert sites — how I found this place to begin with.

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