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| 2009 Big Bear Lake, CA / Joshua Tree National Park Trip |
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| Day 5: April 1, 2009 |
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We went back to Joshua Tree to hike a few more of the trails. It was only a day ago, but the yellow wildflowers really popped
out. As we drove into Joshua Tree, the reddish brown dirt on the sides of the road was slashed with bright yellow. It was truly a transformation.
Our primary hike was to ascend Ryan Mountain. The
hike covers an elevation gain of 1000 feet and culminates
at a peak offering 360 degree views of the park.
We were told that the trail was steep and well marked.
At the trail head, we saw a large group of teens
working with the park rangers to do some trail maintenance.
They were learning about everything - including
how to use a jackhammer.
The trail starts off with steps cut into the mountain.
It is an easy start, but it became harder quickly.
In addition to the steps on the trail, we battled
through winds that tried to peel us off the mountain.
The higher we climbed, the fiercer the wind. All
around the views were exceptional. There was a little
haze so the sky was not as brilliant blue as it
could have been but the altitude gain really helped
to showcase the park.
We arrived at the summit in approximately one hour.
The promise of views more than met our expectations.
We could see all of the mountains, near and far,
and had great views of the Pleasant VAlley and Lost
Horse Valley. The wind was very strong and constantly
shoved us around and made our eyes water. We took
a lot of pictures and headed down the mountain.
On the trip down, we noticed more lizards than we observed on other trails. It seemed like every footfall scattered a lizard or two. Fighting the wind didn't seem like it was much
of a problem and we had a quick descent. Both ascending and descending we remarked that time was a popular trail - many more people were hiking it than we anticipated.
After a quick snack, we followed the road to Skull Rock. It is a rock that looks like a skull. Here we noticed that the park generally had more people. When we drove past this site
on Monday, there was hardly anyone here, now the turnout was full and people scrambled over the rocks.
Our final hike was a nature walk to Barker Dam and
the petroglyphs. The walk was completely flat and
had a number of placards that described the flora
and fauna of the desert. This trail was swarming
with people and without the exposure to the wind,
it was hot! The dam itself holds back a small amount
of water. We were on the lookout for animals taking
a sip of water, but no such luck.
The petroglyphs were interesting and inscrutable. A few people offered their opinions on what the symbols meant. No one knows the truth.
Dinner: Sweet Basil; Italian; Fantastic dessert
- 10 mini donuts handmade with caramel, chocolate,
and raspberry dipping sauces. |
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