Oh, Go Take a Hike!

          So, we did! in fact, we took three of them. Two in Joshua Tree National Park and one in Tahquitz Canyon, which is on the tribal property of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.

          Joshua Tree National Park is one of those wonderfully otherworldly places on the planet that the western part of the U.S.A. specializes in. Everywhere you look is prettier than the scene that you previously were awestruck at.

          It takes a special kind of place to accomplish this feat and while Joshua Tree does not have a monopoly in this arena, it has plenty to stand on its own with.

          Joshua Tree is a mecca for the outdoor enthusiast, with Rock Climbing being the pinnacle of the featured activities there. Climbers from around the world come to J.T.N.P.  to hone their skills while enjoying the local weather that comes from being situated in what is commonly referred to as a ‘High Desert’. High Desert’s are typically range between 4000 and 5000 feet in elevation. The region that J.T.N.P. is mostly located in is known as the Mojave Desert. But hold those horses Amigo!

          Joshua Tree is actually in two deserts!

          The Mojave in the higher western part of the Park, and the Colorado Desert in the Eastern half of the Park.

          Confused?

          You bet!

           Because where these deserts all mingle together not only includes these two, but also the Sonoran to the South East and Great Basin to the North. Mix in some smaller regions with their colloquial names and you’ve got a recipe for Desert Confusion.

          Suffice it to say that it’s a desert.

          Little rain, lots of sun, hot days, and cool nights.

          Perfect for just about any outdoor activities.

          We came upon several Climbers while we hiked, and we stopped and watched for a while. The craziest ones we saw were scaling a vertical pinnacle that looked like a miniature El Capitan in Yosemite.

          Now before you go getting your climbing ropes in a wad, I’m not suggesting that this rock was anywhere near as grandiose as El Cap, just that the vertical face reminded me of that.

          And I admire anyone who could scale it!

          I took some photos of these bug-like climbers while we were on our afternoon hike to the old Ryan Ranch outpost. When we were finished with our hike we road around in the local campsites and happened upon two young folks that had climbing gear slung over their shoulders. I stopped that car and asked if they had just come off of that large pinnacle rock over there.

          When they nodded in the affirmative, I introduced myself.

          “Hi, I’m Don and I’m your new best friend.”

          Looking a bit quizzical for a moment I explained that I took some great shots of them climbing and if they gave me an email, I’d get them over to them.

          To say that they were excited would be an understatement!

          Here are the photos that I sent to them.

          Joshua Tree’s received their names from the early Mormon settlers who said that the tree, with it’s upward-reaching arms and “fingers” reminded them of Joshua in the Old Testament and his habit of praying with outstretched arms towards Heaven. These trees are actually a relative of the Yucca plant, a more widely spread succulent that thrives in these desert regions. The Joshua Tree is a bit more particular in its choices for growing environments. It requires higher elevations and specific sandy-type soils to grow. Note in the pictures how widespread they are they are. This is their way of making sure that each tree has enough moisture to survive. If they were any closer together, the ground would not have enough retained water in it for all of them to exist. It’s kind of like a natural ‘Dry Farming’ that the Native Americans used long ago when they planted single stalks of corn about six feet apart so that there would be minimal competition for the little moisture that was retained in the soil.

          Now you know how to survive in the desert.

          If you are a plant!

          Our first hike that morning was a loop trail that went through Hidden Valley, a ‘bowl’ if you will, that back in the day, was used by cattle rustlers because it was…’hidden’ and its formation is such that it is a natural corral.

          Only one way in and out (If you are a cow!)

Here are some representative photos for your viewing pleasure 😊

          After lunch we went on the aforementioned Ryan Ranch hike.

This place is from the early 1900’s and was built using adobe, which as you can see, is still there. These guys also had a gold mine down the road and the water from the well at the ranch supplied the needed water for the processing of the gold.

          They had a nice view from their homestead.

        

 Tahquitz Canyon

The next day, Saturday, we got up early and went down to the outskirts of Palm Springs where the Agua Caliente’s have a hike to a nifty waterfall that is on their ancestral lands. This Tribe has ties to this area that go back almost 5000 years. They own about 6700 acres within the city limits of Palm Springs which makes them the single largest land holder there.

          The hike was about 2 miles round trip and had almost 300 feet of elevation change. The trail followed the brook that formed the canyon and ended at the Waterfall. The water is from snowmelt this time of year so you can imagine how cold it was.

          There was one young guy that had to jump in the pond and make his way out to the rock in the middle for his photo to be taken. Apparently he and his family came here back in the day, years before you needed to pay a fee to access it.

           I’m sure his family will appreciate his efforts!