Joshua Tree 2003
Detail
Monday Jan 20th, 2003—Day 1
I headed toward Joshua Tree around 7am. The weather was fair, work has
been light, and I had the desire for more desert experiences. I stopped
at a few places along the way for various reasons—gas, food, thrifting.
There was one thrift store in Apple Valley that looked promising, but due
to small flying nuisances, I got out quickly with only a quick scan of the
books.
I decided to check out the Twenty-nine Palms chamber of commerce. Inside
were ancient and sub-ancient human stock playing arcane games with cards.
I picked up some free literature and asked about the job possibilities
in the area. Their answers were not favorable.
On my way into the campground, I stopped at the headquarters at Mara
Oasis to buy a map. The Trails Illustrated maps are pretty good. If
you find other maps of the National Parks that you like better, do let
me know.
I setup camp at Belle campground, number 4. I was able to nestle my tent
between some rocks hoping to avoid any heavy wind. This later turned out
to be a futile venture.
I met Debra and Blair from BC and chatted with them quite awhile about
different adventures we have taken. He runs a landscaping business in
BC that was on its downtime, so they took a six week vacation. They,
like most of the people at Belle campground, use a trailer for the
camping; tents don't seem to hold up as well in Joshua Tree wind.
As the sun set, the temperature dropped markedly; I could actually see
my breath. The temperature was not daunting since there was little wind.
I had some dinner, then took a fair amount of time just sitting
in my collapsible chair staring into the night sky. There were so many stars,
and it was peaceful.
Around 1:25am, I remembered that I hadn't brushed my teeth, so I took
a moment to do so. The silvery moon had rise and the wind was nil. It was
breathtaking. I've heard a bunch of coyotes last night; many were pups—I think.
Tuesday Jan 21st—Day 2
I headed toward Cottonwood Springs for the Lost Oasis hike. It takes about
45 minutes to an hour to get to Cottonwood Springs, and if you go early morning
you will have the sun in your eyes the entire way. On the flip side, you get
the sun beating in your eyes from the side window on the way back. Nothing
a bit of creative engineering with a newspaper can't fix. The Lost Oasis hike
is four miles one way, unless you venture off to Mastodon Peak which adds a bit.
Mastodon Peak was high enough to make a cell phone call, so I chatted with
my Dad for a bit. The trail to Lost Oasis is non-technical, and I didn't
see any other hikers all the way to Lost Oasis.
Lost Oasis has 110 fan palms. It takes about ten minutes to walk from the first palm
you see to the last one. I stopped for a sandwich, then headed back. Just as I passed
the last palm (the first one upon entering) I saw a couple who had come up from
Palm Springs. The guy said that his camera died, so I suggested that he might have
some of the photos I had taken. I gave him my E-mail address & website address.
Coming back from the hike there were many people—mostly couples. I saw perhaps
eight vehicles in the lot upon my return. I think most were doing the short hike to
Mastodon Peak.
After returning from the Cottonwood area, I still had some daylight so I went to see
Barker Dam. Fatigue started setting in; I probably would have enjoyed the nature trail
more on another day. Still, I got some fun pictures.
The evening was considerably windier than the previous night, but still not as unbearable
as Jumbo Rock when last I was there. The sky was clear completely clear. Belle
campground fills up rather quickly, so get there early. On a weekend you are
better off hitting a backcountry board.
There was a coyote within 20 yards of me. He started howling in sympathy to brethren much
farther away. Turns out it was a pack of them. I wasn't about to go out there and shoo them
away. A pack of coyotes against me... no contest.
Wednesday Jan 22nd—Day 3
Lost Horse Mine became my destination of choice. This is a two mile hike starting at the end of a
passable gravel road. I reached the trailhead around 8am, which is what the sign states as
the earliest that I could be there. The trail originally had been a primitive road used in the mining
days. The weather was pleasant enough—ample sunshine—so I shucked my sweatshirt quickly.
There are some nice views along this hike including Gorgonio and desert valleys. I have to
imagine that this area would be quite beautiful when the wildflowers are in bloom.
There are a few 5,000 foot peaks nearby and a wash that had many footsteps. Also, there is a trail
depicted on the Trails Illustrated map. There is much to see in this area.
The mine itself is blocked off. There is a lot of historical mining machinery behind fencing.
I saw a couple on my way back, both speaking non-English. It seems that foreign people like
to travel to National Parks.
The Lost Horse Mine hike turned out to be rather short, so I decided to check out the
nature trail at Hidden Valley. The nature trails in Joshua Tree National Park are chock
full of placards with interesting information on the flora and fauna of the area.
Hidden Valley is a valley surrounded by granite boulders. Apparently the guy named
Keys (famous for the area) blasted a way in so as to feed his cattle. There were
several climbers in the area, some who had scaled amazing heights—amazing to
me, that is. I think it might be fun to do some boulder hopping here. The nature
trail is fairly short, so I finished and decided to try yet one more hike.
My first attempt at finding the parking lot for Ryan mountain was in error.
As I was counting degrees, minutes, and seconds on my map and GPS, a friendly
guy came by to give me a hand. He told me that his neighbor was the guy
who created the Trails Illustrate maps. I also saw a coyote slinking along
looking at me.
Finally arriving at the correct spot for Ryan Mountain, I began to prepare
for the climb. A young Jewish couple from New York drove up and asked where
the trailhead for Ryan Mountain was. Mistakenly, I sent them the wrong way.
Fortunately, when I realized my error, I was able to wave to them and point
them in the right direction. I later met them at the top. The gal was
inappropriately dressed for the climb, but she made it. They built some sort
of rock shrine with Hebrew glyphs.
The climb itself was fairly easy with perhaps 1,000 feet elevation gain.
Just as I was about to leave Ryan Mountain, a couple arrived whose names were
Joyce and Doug. They had lived in the Yucca Valley area for about a year and
really liked it. I offered to take their picture and E-mail it to them, but
the address they gave me bounced. Oh well.
At this point I had finalized the question of returning home that I had been
mulling over all day. Although very tired, I hit the road and caffeine brought
me in for a safe landing.
See some images of the trip.
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