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.