Geo-hikes Geologic Maps Foundation

PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU RSVP. YOU MUST RSVP TO HIKE WITH THIS GROUP, IT'S A LIABILITY ISSUE.

Rain spell is starting again on Wednesday 12/31. Let's get a hike in before then.

A 4.5 miles roundtrip hike to the communication tower above Ventura and return, with a ~900 ft elevation gain, and pace is moderate, at about 2.0 MPH with several short stops. Most of the route is along an old dirt road that is closed to traffic, and the route traverses the south limb of the large Ventura anticline. I'll stop here and there and say a few words about the geology along the route. There is a great 360 degree view from the top. Dogs must be on a leash for the entire hike. Hike has no sweep and it is along the same dirt road in and out. If you are real slow we'll see you on way back down.
No guests, have them join.

Geologic map covering route of this geo-hike: https://geologicmapsfdn.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9fa974318ac44bf0992455f5c6691774

DISCLAIMER / RELEASE OF LIABILITY*
(IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ BELOW IN ITS ENTIRETY):
The hike host is a volunteer and not responsible for the group. Safety should be a priority for everyone in the group. Please treat this meet-up as hiking with a group of friends. If you become fatigued and unable to continue the hike, it is expected you will advise the hike host of this and return to our starting point on your own. If you are able to proceed, it is expected that you will maintain line of sight with other members of the group at all times and help to promote the group’s safety and fitness goals. Outdoor sports and other events we plan can be inherently dangerous and accidents may happen. By participating in any posted event, you are taking responsibility for your own safety and well-being. The Geo-hikes Meetup Group and its organizers are not trained leaders and we do not confirm the qualifications of any of its members to lead or participate in trips. All participants take full responsibility for their own actions. If you choose to sign up for this or any Geo-hikes Meetup event, you are releasing the Geo-hikes Meetup Group and its organizers from all liability in case of possible injuries. Your personal safety depends on your own judgment and experience.

• Anyone 18 yrs. or younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

A tad less than a 5.0 mile round trip hike along Shelf Road with the Fox Canyon/Luci Trail Loop added in. Pace is moderate pace (~2.0 MPH). We'll make a few short stops to discuss the geology and vegetation.

Hike starts at the trailhead parking area along Gridley Road and is "in-and-out" along the same dirt road. We'll hike out to the trail head at end of North Signal Street, turn around, and return the way we came in. On the return we will do the Fox Canyon/Luci Trail Loop that adds about 800 ft elevation gain to the hike. Hike is along a well-hiked dirt road that's free of auto traffic. Be on the look out for rattlesnakes while hiking- watch where you step, and don't reach out or sit down without looking first. Snakes are commonly out in the evening, and if it's mild or warm, just about any time of year. There is no sweep.

Geologic map viewer for the geo-hike: https://geologicmapsfdn.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=fc480aa504d04ff88db65cc549ba2930

Summary photo:
Looking east from Shelf Road near Gridley Road Parking. East Santa Ynez Range with Topa Topa Ridge on extreme left and eastern Ojai Valley on right. The giant Santa Ynez anticlinorium is shown by the tilted strata.

More on the geology:
https://open.substack.com/pub/tdavisgeo/p/shelf-road-geo-hike?r=jme6r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

https://youtu.be/16J-FfmhI3c?feature=shared

The geology of Ojai Valley will be discussed along the way. Shelf Road is in uppermost portion of the Eocene-age Coldwater Formation* and in a few places along the contact with the overlying Oligocene-age Sespe Formation**, and their sandstone dominated outcrops will be observed and discussed. Shelf Road is within a map-scale structure called the Matilija overturn that is due to folding above the San Cayetano thrust fault*** that lies just below the earth's surface. The overturn is a band of rock layers where the stratigraphic order has been reversed and older strata lie above younger strata. This is due to large amounts of crustal convergence (shortening) during the last several million years.

*Coldwater Formation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldwater_Sandstone

**Sespe Formation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sespe_Formation

***San Cayetano fault

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Cayetano_Fault

DOGS ARE OK BUT PLEASE KEEP THEM ON A LEASH DURING HIKE

NO GUESTS, HAVE THEM JOIN

DISCLAIMER / RELEASE OF LIABILITY*

(IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ BELOW IN ITS ENTIRETY):

The hike host is a volunteer and not responsible for the group. Safety should be a priority for everyone in the group. Please treat this meet-up as hiking with a group of friends. If you become fatigued and unable to continue the hike, it is expected you will advise the hike host of this and return to our starting point on your own. If you are able to proceed, it is expected that you will maintain line of sight with other members of the group at all times and help to promote the group’s safety and fitness goals.

Outdoor sports and other events we plan can be inherently dangerous and accidents may happen. By participating in any posted event, you are taking responsibility for your own safety and well-being. The Geo-hikes Meetup Group and its organizers are not trained leaders and we do not confirm the qualifications of any of its members to lead or participate in trips. All participants take full responsibility for their own actions.

If you choose to sign up for this or any Geo-hikes Meetup event, you are releasing the Geo-hikes Meetup Group and its organizers from all liability in case of possible injuries. Your personal safety depends on your own judgment and experience.

• Anyone 18 yrs. or younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Please do not sign-on unless you are committed to making the trip.

Geology field trip consists of a driving tour and short hikes in the Mojave National Preserve*. Trip is for non-geologists and rocks, minerals, faults, and other geologic features and concepts will be explained on-site and an easy to understand manner; geologists are welcome on the trip too. This will be a small group Geo-hike event visiting several key locations in the Preserve, including the Rings Loop Trail with petroglyphs, Volcanism at the Wood Hills and Wild Horse Mesa, ancient crust of North America at Mid Hills, Bonanza King Mine (with a visit to the ruins of the nearby Providence mining camp), the unusual limestone and dolomite dominated terrain of the Providence Mountains, a ranger-led-tour of the Mitchell Caverns, the historic Kelso Train Depot and Dunes, and the Granite Mountains.

*Mojave National Preserve: https://www.nps.gov/moja/index.htm

Meet at noon 11/21 at Hole-in-the-Wall Campground, Campsite 21, https://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/camping.htm
IMPORTANT: The Hole-in-the-Wall campground will remain open during the Federal Government shut-down. Bathrooms remain open, potable water is available at spigots, and security continues to operate. The visitor center is closed.

Highlights:
11/21, Set-up camp. Hike the Rings Loop Trail from the Hole-in-the-Wall Campground and discuss the geology/flora/petroglyphs. https://californiathroughmylens.com/rings-trail/
Volcanic rocks and history of the Wood Hills and Wild Horse Mesa. If time allows a drive along the Black Canyon Road to the Mid Hills Campground and visit ancient crust of North America (Early Proterozoic gneiss and schist with U–Pb ages ~1.76–1.71 billion years).

11/22, In the AM, drive and then hike 3 miles (roundtrip) along a dirt road to the Bonanza King Mine, https://mojavedesert.net/desert-fever/providence.html
https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/UnitRefs/BonanzaKingRefs_12404.html
In the afternoon, a range led tour of the Mitchell Caverns followed by a short hike looking at the geology/flora of the Providence Mountains, https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=615

11/23, Pack-up camp, Make a driving tour of the Mid Hills, southwesrtern New York Mountains, the west flank of the Providence Mountains, Historic Kelso Train Station (the inside is closed for now), a 3-4 mile roundtrip hike at the Kelso Dunes, https://www.nps.gov/moja/kelso-dunes.htm
and overview of the Granite Mountains. Drive home.

I will be explaining the geology and natural science of the area along our hikes using maps and diagrams. A guidebook will be provided.
This is a Fund Raiser for the Geologic Maps Foundation, a 501.3.C nonprofit. Tickets are $220/person. Includes guided cavern tour, guided geology field trip, campsite cost, and a geology guidebook (.pdf copy). Please pay by check, made out to the Geologic Maps Foundation at the beginning of the trip.

IMPORTANT: If you are added to the trip, please send me ASAP an email with your name and the name of trip you are on. Send to geologicmapsfoundation@gmail.com

Trip will be a small group (8 or less). I have reserved and paid for two tent campsites (#20, #21) at the Hole-in-the-Wall Campground. There is only one vehicle allowed at each campsite but there is overflow parking nearby. We will pre-arrange car-pooling as much as possible. More information on the Hole-in-the-Wall campground:
https://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/camping.htm

I have also reserved and paid for eight folks going on a ranger-guided tour of the Mitchells Caverns on 11/22 @ 1:30 PM (all cavern tours must be with a ranger). We can add two more people if needed. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=615

I will be driving, and I can take two folks with me, if you are willing to share gas costs, and pack all your gear in heavy bags or luggage so it can go in the bed of my truck. I plan to leave Ventura about 7:00 AM on 11/21 and return to Ventura about 9:00 PM 11/23.

You must be prepared for tent camping, bringing and preparing your meals (there are no stores nearby), and hikes up to 4 miles with a ~2.0-hr pace. You need to be in decent hiking shape.

You'll need to bring car camping gear: food, water (there is potable water at the campground), cooking gear, tent, warm sleeping bag (this place can be cold at night, it's nearly 5,000 ft), warm clothing, folding chairs are nice, and whatever else you need to be comfortable.

You'll need to bring your hiking gear: day pack, water bottles, hat, sun-screen, etc. November can still be warm during the day and hiking in the desert can be challenging as there are many things to maneuver around, like cacti and rock obstacles (best not to wear shorts). Again, nights can be cold. I will bring some firewood for the evening campfire. If you have firewood please bring it too.

Please do not sign-on unless you are committed to making the trip, are willing to camp and hike with the group, and are in good hiking condition.

For the most part, there is no cell coverage within the Mojave National Preserve.

DISCLAIMER / RELEASE OF LIABILITY*
(IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ BELOW IN ITS ENTIRETY):
The hike host is a volunteer and not responsible for the group. Safety should be a priority for everyone in the group. Please treat this meet-up as hiking with a group of friends. If you become fatigued and unable to continue the hike, it is expected you will advise the hike host of this and return to our starting point on your own. If you are able to proceed, it is expected that you will maintain line of sight with other members of the group at all times and help to promote the group’s safety and fitness goals.

Outdoor sports and other events we plan can be inherently dangerous and accidents may happen. By participating in any posted event, you are taking responsibility for your own safety and well-being. The Geo-hikes Meetup Group and its organizers are not trained leaders and we do not confirm the qualifications of any of its members to lead or participate in trips. All participants take full responsibility for their own actions.

If you choose to sign up for this or any Geo-hikes Meetup event, you are releasing the Geo-hikes Meetup Group and its organizers from all liability in case of possible injuries. Your personal safety depends on your own judgment and experience.

*Anyone 18 yrs. or younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.