2008-02-16: Shortcut recon mission
I took some pictures of the shortcut from Sunset Peak and from the Coldwater Canyon Truck Trail (road that starts at Cow Canyon Saddle and heads down into cow canyon, etc.).
On the walk down the road I met a jogger (John) who asked where I was going. I described the spot (top of the shortcut) and he called it "The Window". I asked him about hiking in the area and he said the owner of the tungsten mine down in Cattle Canyon is a nice guy as far as hikers and joggers are concerned. Not so nice when it comes to the Forest Service though due to all the lawsuits he's had with them regarding his mine. I asked if it would be a problem hiking up into Cattle Canyon and he figured it would not be. So, one vote for ODWAG being a real pussycat.
On the way out, I met a hiker who said he was heading all the way down to Cow Canyon. Dunno exactly where that meant but he was not concerned with the mine owner. Apparently people at the store at the RV park at Cow Canyon Saddle said he was a very nice guy as far as hikers was concerned. The hiker also said that the Forest Service tends to tell the story differently - indicating that he might shoot trespassers. So, one more vote for ODWAG being a pussycat and one reference to the gun.
I also was passed by a guy in a pickup truck heading down to the mine. He just waved and smiled. I had hoped he would stop so I could get more info, but his wave was friendly enough. I don't think it was ODWAG because it wasn't his truck (according to John's description). Probably an employee of the mine. Apparently it is one of a very few tungsten mines in the world and is purported to be worth billions.
"The Window" from Sunset Peak
"The Window" from road
Looking down the shortcut
The drop in
The last picture doesn't really show how steep and loose it is. I could only see down a little ways before brush obscured the route down the chute. The chute seemed to me to be a class 3 type of descent that I won't attempt, but maybe you rock monkeys would feel comfortable doing (maybe bring a rope?). Hard to tell if there were any drop offs to deal with. Once down the chute it appeared that there would be several options on continuing further down - either stay at the bottom of the drainage or staying on the north side and picking your way down. Not my cup of tea but I'm sure some would enjoy it.
More and higher resolution pics on
Flickr.