Today I headed out with a few guys to the In-Ko-Pah mountain range along the U.S./Mexico border south of Anza Borrego. The Wells SoCal Guide lists the trail as difficult. There were some difficult sections for sure with loose sand and well worn ruts. I even had to use the locker a couple time although i'd like to think if I bothered to air down I wouldn't have needed it.

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View north toward Anza Borrego/Salton Sea/Plaster City.

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Black line is the border fence

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I knew our border is porous, but come on really?

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Difficult climb up toward elliot Mine.

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Peak of Elliot Mine

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Elliot Mine

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Border Patrol agent who came to check us out. He was hiking in full gear with vest, machine gun, pistol, backpack. He decided to stay and keep an eye out from the peak. He said it's a well known smuggling gulch with traffic on a daily basis. We told him we hadn't seen anyone but he assured us the smugglers had seen us.

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Couple more shots of the border from his vantage point.

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Coming down the Elliot Mine trail

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Angeles Del Desierto designation. A volunteer group that leaves food and water for migrants to prevent deaths in the hot desert.

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A Coyote head shaped hole in a rock. Clever graffiti or smugglers symbol?

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The last hour of the day we were being watched by this plane. It circled us until we got off the trail.

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Cool ! Was it hot ? Who all was there ?

Nice pictures. I was out there last weekend with only my wife, but we turned around right at the tough down hill part on the moderate section of the trail. The vehicle is still stock so I didn't want to do any damage, but I would have followed you guys at least until the start of the difficult section.

I didn't see some of the areas you have in your pictures. Are they closer to the border? We hiked from Smugglers Cave up to the top of Elliot Mine and back and didn't walk any of the other roads or check out the Valley of the Moon.

Cool ! Was it hot ? Who all was there ?

It wasn't too bad because the wind was really whipping through. Elevation there is about 4500 ft.

Some guys from Expo.

Nice pics. looks like a fun trip.

Nice pictures. I was out there last weekend with only my wife, but we turned around right at the tough down hill part on the moderate section of the trail. The vehicle is still stock so I didn't want to do any damage, but I would have followed you guys at least until the start of the difficult section.

I didn't see some of the areas you have in your pictures. Are they closer to the border? We hiked from Smugglers Cave up to the top of Elliot Mine and back and didn't walk any of the other roads or check out the Valley of the Moon.

Smugglers Cave is right there. On foot instead of going up to Elliot Mine if you walk around the point there you'd see the fence. You were probably 1/4 mile from the border. The rusted cattle fence is the border fence in that region.

Nice pics. I had the opportunity to go on a behind the scenes border patrol tour with a buddy of mine once. I couldn't believe it. In most cases the Mexico barbed-wire fence was in better shape then ours....and the fence was only 3 feet tall if it was even still standing.