Calico Mountains

10-Mar-51

By: Bob Bear

Over fifty menbers and (mostly) guest turned out for Niles Werner's and Walt Collins' TRIP TO THE CALICO MTS. on the weekend of March 10-11. The weather was swell and one of the girls turned out in shorts! Our leaders chose a snug campsite tucked in the steep walls of the upper Odessa Canyon. Thank to Sparky Wilson's description of the minerals and geologic formation of the range, complete with Geiger counter and violet ray lamp, plus entertainment in the forms of singing and charades engineered by the sisters Smith, Mary Galton, et al our campfire was a dinger. Then next day, on foot in the morning and by car in the afternoon, we explored some of the many interesting areas of the range, with particular attention to the innumerable diggings and mines from which much silver and borax has been mined in years gone by. Most of us picked up so many interesting rock specimens we must now qualify as rock hounds. After breaking camp Sunday noon many cars drove over the corkscrew route of the Doran Scenic Loop. This memorable detour is reminiscent of Death Valley side trips for its rough road and verticle canyon walls in vivid hues.