Leaving San Diego I headed east to Joshua Tree. I’d climbed in J-Tree many years ago, in 2011 to be exact. This time I wouldn’t get as much climbing in, but being solo and only there two days, that is to be expected.
My objectives were to do some of the OHV roads in the park, of which there aren’t many, and to top rope solo at the Thin Wall. I ended up reserving a campsite in Black Rock Campground because having a cell signal would be nice and knowing that I have a site waiting for me is even better. Some of the campgrounds in the center of the park are first come first serve and I didn’t feel like dealing with that, though I’d find out that there were plenty of spots at these.
I did a ride on Covington Flats road which was not far from the campground, this road is pretty easy even for cars/SUVs. It did get into a section of the park I hadn’t seen and I did a quick hike to the summit of Eureka Peak. From there I could see the massive dust clouds from the wind down in Desert Springs.
After getting back to camp I was able to squeak out a short run from the campground. The desert flowers were nice, but not as plentiful as I’d hoped. The Joshua Trees are far less strange to me than they were in 2011, since we see them on occasion in some areas of Utah. The late day run was great and the trail was largely empty.
The next morning I headed into the park to TR solo at Thin Wall. This is the spot that I took Jamie and Jeff, not super long after they’d met. This time around there was not a snow squall and the conditions were clear, hot, and sunny. The temps were actually pleasant in the shade. After working the best routes at the crag I packed up to do some hiking to check out the abandoned mining equipment in other areas of the park.
To finish out my time in J-Tree I packed camp (easy when it is all in the van) and took the bike into the park. From there I rode the Geology Tour Rd out and back. Unfortunately there were no pamphlets at the entrance, nor at the trailhead to explain the geologic sites along the road. The loop is casual with a some sand, but most modern SUV’s could easily do the road. I would have liked to make a bigger day by exiting the park via Berdoo Canyon, but some videos I saw made that road look a little more difficult than I wanted to tackle solo.
Next up: Lone Pine
