Joshua Tree National Park

National Park #24: Joshua Tree, Day 3

Posted on by Carl

Previous Day

Ever since our Zion NP trip, we’ve been talking about how some parks are “playgrounds” for adults.  Parks filled with those activities you loved to do as a kid but larger and grander.  Our last day at J-Tree would be a play-day.  Once we packed up camp, we headed for the Boy Scout Trailhead. (F)  This is the access route to most fantastically named climbing area I’ve ever visited… The Wonderland of Rocks!!  The specific area we were headed is Wonderland North, Middle Kingdom, Outer Mongolia. (E)  (Climbers kick ass at naming things.)  Most of the climbs at J-Tree are trad routes which restricted where Aly and I were could climb, since we’re sport climbers.

If you’re not familiar between the two styles of climbing read this for “trad” and this for “sport.”

Boy Scout Trail

Joshua Trees at the Boy Scout Trailhead

Not only are the climbs here epic but the approach could be a day’s adventure on its own.  As you walk through the expanse of flat earth spotted with scrub and Joshua Trees, you can see the large boulder forms in the distance.  The monolithic rocks are so prominent as you’re walking that it’s almost difficult to understand their scale.  Once at their base, Aly and I began scrambling up to our route.  The boulderfield is a great scale to practice all sorts of climbing maneuvers without the knowledge and gear of vertical rock climbing.  I wished we had more time to go back to this area and make a full circle of Outer Mongolia, just scrambling at the base.  Once we got to our route, we laid out our gear and stretched out.  I’m usually better at cleaning routes (the last person on a route, their job is to take down all the gear to leave nothing behind) so leading is Aly’s responsibility.  She did a marvelous job on a tougher-than-its-rating 5.9.  In all, we climbing 3 routes in the Wonderland area and enjoyed great views of the area where the Colorado and Mojave desert systems meet.  Sweaty, with chewed up fingers and nicked up knees we hiked back to our car.

Outer Mongolia Scrambling

Alison scrambling on boulders in Outer Mongolia

Alison Leading

Aly’s first outdoor send!!

Belay Shot

Me, cleaning the route

View From the Top 2

View from the top… this is why we climb (click to enlarge)

To say this park left us wanting more would be an understatement.  I’m not sure a full week or two would have been enough to satiate us.  While no park can ever be fully experienced in a short visit, many parks we go to and they feel like an end unto themselves; we’re there and we satisfyingly cross it off the list.  Alison has the stamp in her national park passport book that says we’ve been to Joshua Tree but, I don’t think either of us feels like we’ve experienced everything we want to in the remarkable desert wilderness of Southern California.

24 National Parks visited… Climb on!!

Joshua Tree NP

Click for the full Joshua Tree album!!!

Even though we were climbing, you can’t turn the birder inside off…
My eBird Checklist: Hike to Outer Mongolia

National Park #24: Joshua Tree, Day 2

Posted on by Carl

Previous Day

Waking up, we headed down to the southern end of the park for a little hike.  We parked at Cottonwood Spring, at the trailhead of the Lost Palms Oasis Trail. (D)  It was a very comfortable hike in the rocky desert that pays off most notably at the end.  The numerous faults that cross the park have created all sorts of interesting rifts and canyons, exposing huge granite rocks.  This geologic activity has also created small havens where standing water and fan palms can be found.  The hike there was pretty quiet as far as wildlife was concerned (Phainopepla and Northern Mockingbird being the only sightings) but, the Lost Palms Oasis was a haven for wren.  Cactus, Canyon, and Rock Wren were all found darting among the dense vegetation.  I was very surprised at the size of the Cactus Wren, I thought it was some sort of woodpecker.

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Rock Wren

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Canyon Wren

After a couple days of rock climbing, birding, and hiking, Aly and I were quite pungent. Luckily, there were showers in town. We headed back to Fortynine Palms and enjoy every second that our 5-minute shower token bought us.  The sky was still clear and the air calm, making it a perfect night for a campfire.  After buying some sausage and veggies from the grocery store, we drove back to our site at the Indian Cove campground (C) with some firewood in tow.  The still air allowed for Aly and I to sit right next to the fire without getting smoked out.  As we cooked our dinner, we watched a couple fellow campers climb up a nearby boulder and perform some sort of acro-yoga display while a third filmed them.  Across the campground road, a dozen or so people in their 20’s appeared to be gathering for a winter climbing trip.  We continued to people-watch while we ate as the sun set and our fire slowly died.  We pulled our sleeping bags out of the tent and watched the moon until it was time to rest up for our final day in the park.

My eBird Checklist:

Lost Palms Oasis Trail

National Park #24: Joshua Tree, Day 1

Posted on by Carl

Previous Post

After spending a day in the Salton Sea area, we made it to our intended destination, Joshua Tree National Park.  We only had 2 total days here so it was going to be a challenge to jam in everything we wanted to do; and J-Tree has a lot to do.

Entering into the park has a similar feel to Zion, where one moment you’re in a small town and then the next you’re surrounded by wild nature.  Oddly enough, there was more snow on the ground here than back in Chicago.  Despite the cool air, the sun kept us comfortable with only a light jacket.  The Indian Cove campground (C) was packed with climbers and campers.  There are crags peppered throughout the campground and many were occupied by winter breaking college students, teens, and, in some cases, families with multiple generations of climbers.  It was pretty evident that J-Tree is an old-school crag that has been climbed for decades.

Camp & Climb

One pitch of the tent, one pitch climb

Belay Shot

The obligatory butt-shot from the belayer

The climbing routes were so close to our site, I could have belayed Aly from the tent.  After messing around on some short routes, we drove into Twentynine Palms and grabbed some pizza and beer.  We were looking forward to admiring some stars however, the Moon was ridiculously bright.  We brought our headlamps but, had no need for them as you could walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night and never miss a step.  (As an aside, Alison aka “National Park Rustic Camping Toilet Expert” considers the bathroom facilities at Indian Cove campground to be the nicest we’ve ever come across.  It was a pit toilet but, it was impeccably clean. The best part, however, was that a very kind camper placed a huge scented candle on the floor.  This both made the bathroom smell like lavender and also provided just enough the right amount of light.  Lesson learned: Bring a large scented candle when car camping.)  Besides the glorious restroom facilities, this was some of the best camping we’ve ever done; still, cool air made climbing into your sleeping bag a joy.  Knowing we were going to start early the next day, we settled into our tent soon after dark and went to sleep.

Mountains and Desert Plants

Desert plants & mountains

Next day