Patagonia Pile & Proximity
Return to Hidden Valley Campground
(2D images first. 3D Galleries further down the page will require red–cyan glasses to see the full 3D effect. Click Photos to Enlarge.)
On this Page: Part 1
- Northern end of Campground
- The Blob
- Outhouse Rock
- Steve Canyon
- Patagonia Pile
- Wall of Biblical Fallacies
Related Galleries
Steve Canyon and Blob Bouldering Area
Elliot Koeppel’s Iron Door Cave Page
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LOCATED BEHIND HIDDEN VALLEY CAMPGROUND is this beautiful extension to the campground known as The Outback. A variety of interesting formations has at its locus the Patagonia Pile. Numerous large walls and boulder piles surround Patagonia, including Steve Canyon’s east wall, The Heap, the Wall of Biblical Fallacies, along with the northern extension of The Blob and the classy-named Outhouse Rock. Within the Tidal Wave boulders (map above, photo below) is an Iron Door Cave, the inspiration for many strange myths. (Go directly to Elliot Koeppel’s Iron Door Cave page HERE. Do not pass GO. Do not collect 33¢.)
Patagonia Pile ♦ South, West, East
Campers setting up tent at HV Campground are probably unaware that the rock formations encircling them sport nicknames, often times decidedly idiotic ones. Most were named by early rock climbers during the 1970s and 1980s. I find them helpful when navigating this otherwise confusing outback that includes dead-end gullies and small rock-filled canyons. A person can easily become disoriented. Memorize a few of the key formations, on the other hand, and you will always be able to make a beeline back to the car or campground, friends or restroom facilities.
2D Selections
Patagonia Pile
Patagonia Pile, east face detail
This outcrop has routes staked out on the west and east walls. West-face climbs are less challenging than those on the east side and include: “King of the Mountain,” “Student Unrest,” “Patagucci,” “Peabody’s Peril,” “Nobody’s Right Mind,” “Filet of Rock Shark,” and “Sitting Around the Campfire Telling Fish Stories.”
East-face climbs—as high as 90ft according to Miramontes—are all challenging. If you notice, there is a narrow left wall (1/3rd the total length) and a wider upper right wall. Ignoring which climb is on which wall, routes are “Wet Rock Day,” “Male Exotic Dancers,” “No Shirt Needed,” “Jugline,” “Dangerous Curves,” “Hot Legs Contest,” “Wet T-Shirt Night,” “Ship of Fools,” “Dead Man’s Eyes,” “The Flying Dutchman,” “The Yardarm,” and “Walk the Plank.”
Wall of Biblical Fallacies
Next in line (east) is the wonderfully named Wall of Biblical Fallacies, whose nine routes measure between 55ft and 85ft high. An overhanging northeast side faces the Rollerball formation opposite. Several Biblical Fallacies routes are extremely difficult: “Fissure of Men,” “Nailed to the Cross,” “Resurrection,” and “Medusa.” After taking a breather, we finish with: “New Testament,” “Walk on Water,” “Blood of Christ,” “Burning Bush,” and “Manna from Heaven.”
Outhouse Rock
West Face
Technically belonging with HV Campground, Outhouse Rock has stupid route names as you might surmise. West and east face climbs are noted, mainly easy to moderate: “Picking Up the Pieces,” “Five-Four-Plus,” “Frostline,” “Outhouse Flake,” “Out for a Bite,” “Creamy Peanut Butter,” “Strawberry Jam,” “Diagonal Chimney,” “Mt. Witness,” “Straight Flush,” “The Loo Sanction,” and “Wise Crack.”
The Blob
East and north faces incl. Boulders
Tafoni Honeycomb Rock
An unusual rock with numerous tafoni scoops in its face can be found south of Biblical Fallacies; this unique find is a natural result of monzogranite weathering seen throughout Joshua Tree National Park, but rarely like this.
According to a useful handbook Joshua Tree National Park Geology, by D. D. Trent and Richard W. Hazlett, “at Joshua Tree, tafoni are restricted mainly to granitic rocks. The darker gneiss of the park weathers and breaks down differently than granite owing to its different mineral composition…”
A small cactus clump has found a home under one corner, no doubt luxuriating in the infrequent rain-runoff.
2D Patagonia Pile Proximity Potpourri
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3D Anaglyph Gallery
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3D Half Side-by-Side Gallery
Suitable for 3D TV viewing. Half Side-by-Sides avoid the minor Anaglyph anomalies that can occur. Click images to enlarge. 1080p resolution. Or Windows users, right-click and choose SAVE LINK AS.
Thank you for visiting HV Campground Outback. A wonderful area to explore and discover.
John Murbach
Posted 2016 Mar 28
Updated 2017 Nov 7
