Saturday, February 15, 2014

Hensen Well: Joshua Tree National Park

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This is an interesting and, compared with many of the historical sites in the park, a relatively well-preserved site.  It is on a side trail/wash from the wash that leads to the Pushawalla Plateau.  Our hiking book had directions to it, which we had followed on one of our hikes the previous year.  However, using those directions only lead us to an abandoned mine below the actual site of the Hensen Well, and we thought this must have been all there was.
This is our trail to the Pushawalla Plateau.  The little tail at the bottom is where one goes to get to the Hensen Well.


But the book referred to other structures, so we tried again, and found a better way of finding this site. 

When taking the Pushawalla Plateau hike, you leave the wash about two miles from the trail head and head a bit toward the right on an old mining road.  This mining road is hard to locate, though, and it seems more like you are just in another, smaller wash. 

At the point where you leave the wash to get onto this difficult-to-locate mining road, go left instead to find the Hensen Well.  Go about 100 yards and turn right up another small wash.  Go about another 100 yards and you will find a mound of tailings from a mine.  You can try going farther up the wash, as our hiking book recommended, but the going is very rough. 

Instead, and this wasn’t in the hiking book, instead of going up the wash at that point, go up the hill on the opposite side of the tailings and you will soon see an old, but still very serviceable mining road.  It is clear as a bell when you go up this hill.  Follow this road up the hill.  Some parts are totally obliterated, but you can easily hike it. 


Eventually you will come to the site.  There are remnants of several buildings, some old equipment, and the usual discarded tin cans. 

We also found one of the grinding wheels.  There is another laying around somewhere, but we figured it was probably covered by a mesquite bush.

Another fun discovery in Joshua Tree National Park.









 

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