Distance: 12.5 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 469' (Hot), 857' (Cool), 1833' (High)
Elevation Gain: 2475'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.9
Round trip time: 7 hours
Recommended water: 104 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free in Big Wash
Difficulty: Strenuous (combined)
I went benchmark hunting just west of Salton Sea before the desert became a furnace. I was looking for two benchmarks above Big Wash (Hot and Cool), and another one somewhere in the hills below Travelers Peak (High). I planned my own route from Big Wash off highway 86. A couple of mistakes made this a more difficult hike than it should have been. Both could have been prevented with better attention to GPS.
To reach Big Wash going south on highway 86, exit right at an unmarked intersection south of Red Earth Casino, then continue south on a jeep trail until you hit Big Wash. The road started off in poor condition, then got better. High clearance and 4x4 recommended. My first mistake was a driving error. Once I started up Big Wash, I ignored my GPS and just drove. I missed a north jog and took the wrong jeep trail into a side wash south of Big Wash. I stopped where I could turn around, but that added at least a mile to my trip and some unnecessary hiking up and down loose ridges to get back to Big Wash. Once in Big Wash, I headed toward the north ridge above it where Hot was placed. I went directly at Hot, and climbed up a crumbly gully. The gully had better footing than the ridges. I reached the Hot benchmark and signed in the tiny register.
Driving up Big Wash
Looking down Big Wash from Hot BM
Next, I headed along the top of the ridge toward Cool, two plus miles away. Moving along the top of the ridge was easy and open and looked a lot better than navigating the wash below. The ridge was broken in one place before Cool where erosion had created a 100' drop. It wasn't too hard to get down and back up the other side. A little more ridge walking got me to Cool where another tiny register lived. The first page of the register was a pre-printed form placed by the Borrego Benchmark Club. I don't think I've seen one of these before, or didn't notice. I took a break at Cool and enjoyed the views of harsh terrain all around. The east side of Travelers Peak looked interesting.
Accidentally startled a bird out its nest
High BM is somewhere up there
High benchmark was less than two miles away (as the crow flies) and 1000' above Cool somewhere in the cluster of hills to the west. Because of deep canyons and cliffs, I headed toward the south side of High, then turned north where I could see contiguous ridge line. As I reached the right elevation, I made my second big mistake. Instead of tracking to the exact location in my GPS, I hiked up to a nearby high point and found nothing. I checked the GPS, then headed to the next nearby high point, then the next through the intervening gullies. I ended up wasting about 30 minutes visiting every high point and ridge line in frustration. High was near a low point on one of the ridges and I finally found it by strictly going to the GPS coordinates. It was there on a flat rock with a downed wooden pole. I signed in to the register and took a longer break. The view back to the Salton Sea was now less hazy and quite impressive. When I started back, I took a long gully I had avoided on the way up. It had accumulated some boulders that actually made descending easier. I thought about dropping all the way into Big Wash to the return trip, but it looked more difficult than just staying above it. I returned the way I came and ran out of water on the last mile. I picked up three mylar balloons during my trip.
Looking down from High BM
Travelers from High BM
Heading back
Ridge break
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