back country springs report March 5, 2010

[Jeff Baker]

We just returned from a 7 day backpacking trip around the Quemadas so I thought that I would report on the springs we found in case anyone else is planning a trip. Before I forget I found a disposable camera on the west side of Jacks Pass about half way to Smoky Springs. It probably belongs to a regular on this website.

We left from Mule Ears overlook Saturday Feb. 27 and headed straight to Smoky Spring which was flowing at least one maybe 2 quarts a minute. We had to clean out a little pool to make a place to put the end of our filter in.

The next day we headed to Dominguez ruins via Jack's Pass. As we topped the pass we found an animal trail off to the right that made going down a bit easier. The spring at Dominguez is right next to the ruins and flowing better than at Smokey Spring.

From there the next day we circled south around Dominguez mountain and with backbone ridge on our right we went north. We joined the Elephant Tusk trail right where it goes from being higher to joining the drainage. We followed the trail in the drainage (south) about a half hour to get to a spring. This seems further south than the spring is marked on the map. The spring is right after about a 15 foot pouroff that the trail leads your around. I may have seen the rear end of mountain lion scurry off into the brush, it had a very long tubular tail, but it was gray. The ranger at Panther junction said that they are very often gray. This spring was flowing maybe a quart a minute. If you have a filter keep it out of the algea and the water will smell better.

The next day was a layover day. The following day we headed to Blue Creek ranch for our water and food drop. The Elephant Tusk trail drops down into Fresno Creek briefly and where it does is a good flowing spring. The final day we went from Blue Creek Ranch down to Mule Ears Spring. We headed straight south and followed the drainage that empties into the Smoky Creek drainage. We stayed left to avoid the brush before entering the drainage. This drainage is clear and a pleasant walk. It has one large pour off, but one can easily go around it to the right.  That's It.

[mule ears]

Jeff thank you for a great springs report, I wish everyone would do the same.

Sounds like a great walk and if I understand correctly your walk down the wash from Homer Wilson was in the wash just east of Goat Mtn.  It has a double pour off with a small spring above it and one dripping off the lower level pour off.  We were through there in Dec. 2008 and they were running.

[poke]

Thanks a million. Headed out sunday on basically this same loop, and this info is really nice to have.

[quicksilver]

Jeff, thanks for the report. This is the first time for me to use "chat" for info pertinent to my own trek. On  3/22 I will be doing some of  your route and water availability is essential for this "old dude". This will be my first return to the desert since a bad experience with dry springs near Elephant Tusk back in '06. ( I went for water while my friends were climbing ET; the spring in the ET drainage by the big cottonwood tree was dry, as was I; I finally found water downstream at a pour-off, and made it back to my fiends who were in bad shape too. (poor planning led to much hurt!)

Quicksilver