Living The Dream

It was early in the park, a still eeriness filled our surrounding as it braced for the onslaught of climbers. It was warm enough so that warming up in the shade was pleasant. Allowing a better monitor on the progress of muscles and blood flow warming and not just the pleasantry of the sun pouncing from your skin. We were well warmed and had accomplish much ground by the time the parking lot began to teem with smelly climbers. We wondered the high points of North Mountain by the guidance of Tim, pointing out the classics as we made our way to the south edge of the mountain to climb a new route. Blood Line is a gorgeous streaking tufa running to the base of a gully.

The next morning I roused from a deep sleep with the feeling of accomplishment rolling over my muscles and tingling at my finger tips. “Here” I said, out of my tent I passed James an item.

“Oh thanks, but how’d you know I needed that.” “You asked for it, No?” “No.”

Hmm, it really had only been a dream, I turned to see the sun rising over Hueco Tanks, I was really here.

Sharp In The Desert

The wind howled as we packed our tents and the last of our things in the truck. I left my mark on the outhouse and we were off. The previous week had been calm clouds traced the horizon and burned away, jets over head gouged the sky, sometimes leaving scars for hours. The wind had picked up the day before forcing us to climb in our jackets, but it was an acceptable change as our stays weather was more than accompanying. Unlike the weather the bouldering was harsh on the skin ripping and tearing away at the flesh. well traveled routes if polished became a struggle, the polished rock difficult to hold. A conundrum that left the mind beaten and your finger tips worn.

The expanse of the desert of Joshua Tree National Park is mind boggling, one would wonder out into the desert tripping through the Doctor Seuss like trees for days lost and allow. the rock follows the flat lands dispersed and concentrated around rolling hills. Climbing all day and never seeing another soul is expected, unless fortune grants you a glimpse of a coyote trotting passed, unaffected by your odd presence to his home.

Many come to the desert the view is beauty, but I suspect few have the chance to truly connect with it. The day passers and strangely enough a diamond company photo shut use it as a back drop to there existence and leave affected by its immortal powers.

If the route grades are stiff then the rules of the boulders were set down by the desert gods themselves, stiffer than mortality, harder than the stone itself. If you are expecting to join the ranks of the immortals, be prepared to leave beaten and defeated, but if you expect to learn nothing of your experiences your heart is full of foolishness.

The hidden valley camp ground is for sure the place to stay, the people there are friendly and always willing to share. As for the climbing a great place to loose your breath is The Real hidden Valley, and the bouldering of Turtle Rock is tall and proud as for a route to lay pads down for, the White Rastafarian is the name of the game.

Coyote Poop and Peyote Stools

The temps in Joshua Tree are perfect today. It’s a beautiful saturday in the sun. I’m sitting here eating lunch in the boulders with a cut on my thumb (cutting onions first night), a hole in my pinky and another on my pointer finger from two separate start crimps. Plus a sprained second toe on my left foot from an awkward fall friday (it’s already feels 50% better today, but still a little swollen). the most important thing is my elbow feel great.
We took two days to get here arriving just after midnight after a 16 hour drive and a 14 hours day before with four hours sleep. So the boarder didn’t give us too much trouble, we had to go inside while they attempted to look through our over packed truck. The fat and lazy boarder guard could not understand how we could leave our work and lives behinds to camp in the desert for 5 months, but he was nice about it and let us go without ripping the car a part.
The first day drive was interesting with lots of rain on and off. we headed to the coast from Eurika to check the sand dunes out. At night fall we booked it to california through Arcata finding a camp ground in red wood park (but not before I almost crashed into a big ass mofo 6 point buck just chilling on the side of the road. We woke up at 4:30, dodging the camping fee and headed for San Francisco by ten. We continued the coast drive from there to LA, probably the most beautiful stretch of road I’ve ever seen.
Now we share a camp site with a great guy name Dave from colorado (or Wyoming or Arizona). The camp grounds full, but running into someone in the desert during the day in uncommon.
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Now Sunday, it’s our rest day, before three more days of fun here. Then off to El Paso. I’ll find some time to post some photos and interesting stories soon.
Peace and Love
Teacozy