I visited Joshua Tree National Park long before I owned any serious climbing gear. At the time I was more interested in the views and scenery than technical climbing. Almost ten years later, most people I know at the rock climbing gym would probably hate me for visiting one of the best places in the country for the sport and not even doing some simple bouldering!
The photo above shows some typical scenery at Joshua Tree. There are large mounds of giant boulders, with the occasional dramatic cliffs and walls that are excellent for crack climbing.
Exploring the Rock Formations
Worse than not doing any climbing here, somehow despite all the areas I explored I seemed to have forgotten to take photos. I did at least capture Skull Rock, photographed above, and another part of my hike below.
The Joshua Trees
At the time of my visit, I was actually more interested in the Joshua trees themselves than any difficult climbing. Just two months prior, I had gone to Socotra, Yemen, and seen the magical dragon trees.
From a distance, I thought that the younger Joshua trees looked very similar to young dragon trees in Yemen. Once these trees matured, however, they looked completely different.
With a closer and more detailed look at the bark and other features, I could see that the younger trees had significant differences. Still, I figured they could somehow be related. Both trees live in similar hot and dry climates and have some physical similarities when they are young.
Wildlife in Joshua Tree
These last two photos show some simple wildlife shots from my hike. These caterpillar nests were so white that at first I mistook them for a trash bag caught up in the trees. We seem to have the same species back home in Virginia, though they come out in early spring. The lizard below was one of many I saw in Joshua Tree.
Returning to Joshua Tree
And shamefully, I returned to Joshua Tree nearly ten years later and failed to climb again! At least I brought my tripod and was able to capture some of the amazing stars visible in the desert landscape. This picture is available to order!
