Double Bow
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Following our flights, exploration of Torrey Pines State Park, and trying to get out of San Diego at 5pm the day before, we spent the next day hiking around Joshua Tree National Park (following breakfast in a cafe/bar with a few other hikers and climbers and waiting for the park to open).
Joshua Tree is very different from most other parks. There are very few trails and even fewer roads. The philosophy behind the park is to try to get a total immersion experience with as little sign of human development as possible. While the unique Joshua tree, with it's odd appearance and short root system, is the focus of the park, there is so much else growing here that you almost wonder why the tree is the focus. The park is equally popular with rock climbers and hikers though, except for at Keys Point (which you drive up) and Twentynine Palm Oasis, we saw few other people.
We chose as our focus to climb to 5Kers, Lost Horse Mtn and Ryan Mtn. Lost Horse Mtn. is interesting and unique because it is the site of an old mine which was operated until the 30's. Our appoach way through a valley which was teeming with life. I had almost forgoten just how much grows in the desert. We followed sandy paths eventually to an old 4X4 road which took us on a contour to another path which lead us up to the mine and then via switchbacks to the summit. It was all very interesting. The VFTT were great and the landscape looked otherworldly. It seemed as though it could have been Africa or Mars.
After summiting, we headed back to the road and continued up it to a viewpoint where we ran into the only other person we saw near the mountain. She told us she was a guide for hikes in the park and I told her I was a guide in New Hampshire. She gave some of her tips on "what not to miss" and we chatted a bit before we all agreed that we needed to keep movin'! Our way back to the car was just as interesting as the way out. This time our route was ridgy and instead of taking in the surrounding fauna, we had extensive views to gape at. Back at the parking lot, we saw a van from CT.
From there, we drove to Keyes Point where winds were so strong it was hard to get out of the car. We did but, we had to brace ourselves for every picture. The views were good and we ate our sandwiches in the car while being rocked and watching others fight the wind.
After lunch, we kicked around an area known as Hall of Terror or something like that. This is a popular rock climbing area and I saw quite a few scrambles that looked like fun. Here we saw a lizard, our first wildlife of the day.
After that, we headed over to Ryan Mtn which several Views folks had recommended (thanks!). This, according to the park, is the most difficult hike in the park. Natually, this meant that we saw more people here than we had at Lost Horse. Before beginning the assent, we checked out "Indian Cave" which was interesting. The roof of it is blackened from fires in the cave.
The trail itself is interesting though a bit too "designed" for my tastes. Too many steps installed (especially at the beginning) and the trail being so smooth made it feel not quite so wild. Still, the interesting plants and spectacular views (not to mention the healthy climb) redeemed this park favorite. While we did see more people, it wasn't bad. We only saw people going in the opposite direction and we had the summit to ourselves the whole time we were there.
On the summit, we took a nice break and took in all the views (though it was starting to cool down). We were also paid a visit by a little furry resident of the summit. Once back down, we saw another park resident, a coyote! That was really exciting. After snapping some pics of him, we headed out and visited the Twentynine Palms oasis which was a disappointment. The area has been swallowed by the town of Twentynine Palms and so, wildlife seldom visits the area. Also, no standing water has been seen there since the 40's and you tour it on paved sidewalks. Still, the plants were interesting and it made for a nice stroll to end the day before touring wineries in Temecula the following day.
Here are some pics
Joshua Tree is very different from most other parks. There are very few trails and even fewer roads. The philosophy behind the park is to try to get a total immersion experience with as little sign of human development as possible. While the unique Joshua tree, with it's odd appearance and short root system, is the focus of the park, there is so much else growing here that you almost wonder why the tree is the focus. The park is equally popular with rock climbers and hikers though, except for at Keys Point (which you drive up) and Twentynine Palm Oasis, we saw few other people.
We chose as our focus to climb to 5Kers, Lost Horse Mtn and Ryan Mtn. Lost Horse Mtn. is interesting and unique because it is the site of an old mine which was operated until the 30's. Our appoach way through a valley which was teeming with life. I had almost forgoten just how much grows in the desert. We followed sandy paths eventually to an old 4X4 road which took us on a contour to another path which lead us up to the mine and then via switchbacks to the summit. It was all very interesting. The VFTT were great and the landscape looked otherworldly. It seemed as though it could have been Africa or Mars.
After summiting, we headed back to the road and continued up it to a viewpoint where we ran into the only other person we saw near the mountain. She told us she was a guide for hikes in the park and I told her I was a guide in New Hampshire. She gave some of her tips on "what not to miss" and we chatted a bit before we all agreed that we needed to keep movin'! Our way back to the car was just as interesting as the way out. This time our route was ridgy and instead of taking in the surrounding fauna, we had extensive views to gape at. Back at the parking lot, we saw a van from CT.
From there, we drove to Keyes Point where winds were so strong it was hard to get out of the car. We did but, we had to brace ourselves for every picture. The views were good and we ate our sandwiches in the car while being rocked and watching others fight the wind.
After lunch, we kicked around an area known as Hall of Terror or something like that. This is a popular rock climbing area and I saw quite a few scrambles that looked like fun. Here we saw a lizard, our first wildlife of the day.
After that, we headed over to Ryan Mtn which several Views folks had recommended (thanks!). This, according to the park, is the most difficult hike in the park. Natually, this meant that we saw more people here than we had at Lost Horse. Before beginning the assent, we checked out "Indian Cave" which was interesting. The roof of it is blackened from fires in the cave.
The trail itself is interesting though a bit too "designed" for my tastes. Too many steps installed (especially at the beginning) and the trail being so smooth made it feel not quite so wild. Still, the interesting plants and spectacular views (not to mention the healthy climb) redeemed this park favorite. While we did see more people, it wasn't bad. We only saw people going in the opposite direction and we had the summit to ourselves the whole time we were there.
On the summit, we took a nice break and took in all the views (though it was starting to cool down). We were also paid a visit by a little furry resident of the summit. Once back down, we saw another park resident, a coyote! That was really exciting. After snapping some pics of him, we headed out and visited the Twentynine Palms oasis which was a disappointment. The area has been swallowed by the town of Twentynine Palms and so, wildlife seldom visits the area. Also, no standing water has been seen there since the 40's and you tour it on paved sidewalks. Still, the plants were interesting and it made for a nice stroll to end the day before touring wineries in Temecula the following day.
Here are some pics
