This was my third attempt at finding the elusive Conkling Cave. I
didn't. I went to where my Alltopo software and Google Earth said it
should be( I believe they've relied on the same source whatever that may
be). In fact when I looked at my GPS data afterward, I apparently
walked over it- a couple of times. I never really saw anything, and I
certainly didn't step over a large hole in the ground without noticing.
I was looking for any sign of human disturbance that excavation, and
repeated trips to the entrance would have surely made, but saw none. I
was so optimistic this time, although things got off to a weird start.
There's a sub-division out where the turn-off to for the Bishop Cap Road
used to be, and a sign announces that the Bishop Cap Rd. is now a dead
end. I drove around this little neighborhood in the middle of nowhere
several times before deciding to take the power line access road in the
hope that it would lead to a road that would bring me to where I wanted
to be. I ended up a little over a half mile from my Conkling Cave
waypoint for starting my hike. There is another road that will bring one
to within a 1/4 mile or so,but it's behind a fence now.
Anyway, I took
off walking and was soon stumbling up the steep ridge( it was the one 2
ridges east of and parallel to Bishop Cap, or 2 1/2 if you count the
truncated ridge immediately east of Bishop Cap). Any hike off road or
trail in the Bishop Cap area requires jeans, boots, a denim or canvas
jacket, and work gloves no matter what the weather. Not only is there
cactus, catclaw, octotillo,lechugilla, and spanish dagger to contend with, but
the first time I fell and cut my hand open, I was reminded of why
gloves are so essential. The limestone rock here is as sharp as knife.
Well, I walked all over that ridge, but to tell the truth when you're up
there everything looks the same and the photo I had as reference( from
UTEP's quaternary fossil site index) didn't reveal much. I came within
13 feet on my hand held GPS which is about as accurate as the thing is
going to get, but still saw nothing. I found a man- made wooden post
that had toppled from it's cairn and a couple of other cairns as well.
Most likely all of these were for mining claims, not to indicate the
location of the cave.
I gave up and decided to try my alternate theory,
which ran as follows: the topo map was wrong, and my recent experience
at Las Uvas Spring bolstered this idea, and the cave was actually on the parallel
ridge immediately to the west of the one I was on. I had seen some
vague paths there years ago which had given birth to this theory, but had
never tested it out. At first I followed some orange ribbons that
marked the way at along the base of the ridge, hoping for no good reason
that they were leading the way to the cave. They didn't.The "paths" on better inspection were an illusion- mere changes in the rock and soil type. I then
proceeded to walk all over that ridge too, until, exhausted, I plopped
down ate my lunch near the top. I looked over at Bishop Cap proper, and
remembered that the written accounts of the location of cave say it is
on the east side of Bishop Cap, not a parallel ridge to the east of
Bishop Cap, but perhaps on the east side of Bishop Cap itself. This is
my new theory.
The UTEP photo with some higher peaks in the upper left
hand corner may lend strength to this idea. Although I'm willing to
test the initial one with a few willing extra sets of eyes. My
alternate, I've discarded. I know this must all seem a little
ridiculous to someone who knows exactly where it is. I also wonder
what I would do if I found it. It goes straight down and one would
need a ladder or a climbing rope to enter. It has also occurred to me
that it has been backfilled, concealed or even capped and that I may
have indeed walked very close to it without knowing. Most people who
know me, would probably tell you I'm good at finding these type of
obscure places with very little to go on. This one is beginning to
stick in my craw little. IMPORTANT UPDATE: This site is on military land that is conspicuously posted NO TRESPASSING. I have not been to it, and others trying to access it must know that they should obtain permission first.
Labels: hiking, Organ Mountains/Desert Peaks National Monument