This was our third time on this hike, including the first
time we did it where we were unsuccessful in finding the correct route.
It is one of our top five hikes of all time, and one we were
really looking forward to doing again this year. The hike goes through low deserts, through
canyons, by several old settlements, and up an old, extremely steep mining road
to a plateau high above the desert and Palm Springs. The hike would be categorized as moderate to
moderate/difficult. In our three times
in this area we have only seen one hiking couple, and they were only hiking in
the wash area, not in the area we find to be so stunning. So we almost have it all to ourselves.
This year we also located an old mill on a side canyon. I will make a separate blog entry on it.
To get to the trailhead one has to take the Geology Tour
road, which is not a maintained road. It
is one way, narrow, and bumpy, especially in a Ford Dually which has two sets
of overload springs on it. Everything
in the backseat was bouncing around like crazy.
As were our teeth. Roads like this, though, are one reason we invested in this pickup.
The hike begins by walking up a wide wash, by old
settlements. Much of this is described
in our previous blog entry about this hike.
About two miles into the wash, the trail leaves the wash to
go onto an old mining road. It is
practically impossible to see the road as it appears more like another, smaller
wash. About 1/3 mile later, one can see
the road more clearly (if you are looking carefully) going off to the
left. That is where the steep climb is.
And it is very steep in places. Both times we have taken this old road we
have been amazed at the men who could drive mule wagons on it. The strength of the mules pulling those
wagons up those steep inclines is something we can’t comprehend. But it is the ability of the drivers to
manage their teams when going down these very steep roads, with drop offs of hundreds of feet at times, with full loads of rock, that is simply incomprehensible. They must have been very
skilled, very strong, and very daring.
One of the reasons we love
Joshua Tree National Park so much is that one can combine great beauty with
very interesting history.
The sights from the top are jaw dropping. We had lunch there. As I have said repeatedly, I really know how
to take a girl out for lunch.
No comments:
Post a Comment