Joshua Tree - A Short Trip
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October 2009
Once again this year, I was able to get to Joshua Tree National Park. And once again it was only overnight. But any night in the outdoors is a gift these days, since it's hard to get away.
My friend Marc came with me and, since it was his first time here, I wanted to give him the quick tour. We drove directly to Keys View and were blasted with high winds, which is pretty typical for the area. We then went on a hike to one of the Sierra Club's Hundred Peaks Section Peaks, Mount Inspiration.
We passed a large rock cairn on an adjacent peak, which looked like it should have been blown over a long time ago. After a few false summits, we reached the first of two summits for the day.
Coachella Valley from Mount Inspiration
Mount Inspiration benchmark
The cairn on the way to Mount Inspiration
We then headed down the road a bit and began the longer hike to Lost Horse Mine. The trail showed the signs from burning in May of 2009 and was wide enough for us to hike side by side and talk about our lives. The view from the mine is pretty epic, but we were headed towards the summit of Lose Horse Mountain, which gave us a great view into the valley below, which seemed to go on forever.
The Lost Horse Mine Trail, burnt from May 2009
Lost Horse Mine
Squaw Tank from Lost Horse Mountain
We made our way back to the car and drove to Indian Cove, where we hung out by the fire and drank a few bottles of wine. The next day, we had to make our way back home, so we took the route through the Pinto Basin and visited the Cholla Cactus Gardens. It was a speed round of Joshua Tree, but very enjoyable.
Moon over Indian Cove
Cholla Cactus Garden
