Ghost Mountain is a small and unassuming promontory along the southern edge of Blair Valley. At first glance, the peak doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy, but for 16 years in the 1930’s and 40’s, it was the home of author Marshal South and his family.
During the Great Depression, South and his wife Tanya built their home atop Ghost Mountain. They called their homestead “Yaquitepec,” or “House of the Sun,” and lived there for nearly two decades. They raised three children in their desert sanctuary, making their living by writing articles for Desert Magazine and hauling everything they needed to survive up the nearly 1-mile trail we were about to ascend. Continue reading Ghost Mountain/Marshal South Trail (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park)
Palm Canyon is one of the most popular trails in Anza-Borrego. With a trailhead located at the Park’s largest campground, this easy 3 mile trail is readily accessible to hikers of all skill levels. It is also regularly visited by Peninsular bighorn sheep, who venture down into the canyon for water and to graze on the various plant life that depend on the oasis’s comparatively abundant supply of water. At one point, the endangered Bighorn sheep were so rare that even long-time residents of Borrego Springs could go decades without seeing one of the elusive creatures, however conservation efforts have paid off and the sheep’s numbers are growing. Knowing that Palm Canyon was a frequent destination for Bighorns, we were optimistic about our chances of seeing one on our hike. 
