Got a restless nights sleep due to the very cold temperature overnight. It seemed the coldest about 5am. Woke up to frost over everything.
I lingered a bit until the sun was just about to the tent. Then it was coffee time ☕️
Got everything packed away and wanted to check out the morteros and Marshal South homestead before headed to June Wash for Diablo Peak. The morteros were a quick walk from the road. Without all the current technologies, the Native Americans lived in harmony with nature and selected sites that provided food, shelter, or hunting areas. I never cease to be amazed when seeing these artifacts.
Headed on from the morteros, came to Marshall South homestead. Really didn’t know what to expect. Started headed uphill and thinking how difficult it must have been to live here. There is no shelter from the wind or storms coming off the Laguna Mountains.
Unbeknownst to me until afterward, this was Ghost Mountain. About a mile past the homestead is the actual peak of Ghost Mountain. There is a registry and it had been several weeks since the last entry. I could see the geothermal generators near Niland on the east side of Salton Sea and the windmills near I-8 in Ocotillo.
Looking at Whale Peak 
Ghost Mountain Peak 
Headed back to Smoky and got on road over to June Wash. Expected a bit of route finding and it was already 11am. Stats on this hike:
