A day after birthday hike and rock collecting expedition. Kiara and Blake accompanied but they did a different hike that include coming down some ropes and navigating through very thin slots. We did not feel like that was a particularly age-appropriate hike, so we opted for the duffer route up the drainage bottom. Kiara later indicated that it was a good experience but now that she had accomplished that, she was not going to repeat that trail.
What is interesting in the pictures that follow is the dark colored rock that is closer to the drainage bottom. This is thought to be a Precambrian metamorphic rock that is equivalent to the Pinto gneiss found extensively in the western areas of Joshua Tree NP. Some field geologists call it the Pinto Gneiss and some punt it off and just call it a crystalline unit. One worker suggests that it is the Pinto Gneiss, re-metamorphosed somewhat during the emplacement of the Peninsular Range Batholith. Whichever one is right or even better if none of them are right, it is a very interesting and very tortured formation.
Next trip up the Painted Canyon Trail, we are going to go toward the end of the out and back mapped trail and get a good look at another metamorphic formation called the Orocopia Schist.
