Joshua Tree

We went back country camping in Joshua Tree National Park over the weekend.  This was my first time to Joshua Tree and it was an awesome trip.  We drove on one of the 4 wheel drive roads for about 30 minutes to come to the Pleasant Valley registration board.  We parked my car here, put on our packs and set off for an overnight camp in Pleasant Valley.  We stuck to the bottom of the Hexie Mountains to keep track of our path.  We were the only people for miles (pretty sure we were the only ones in the valley), which was awesome and creepy all at the same time.  We hiked in about 3 miles and set up camp around 2pm in the afternoon in a clearing at the foot of a cove the mountains made to protect ourselves from the wind.  It was blazing hot by this time, so all we wanted to do was sit still and drink water.  Thankfully, it cooled down considerable once the sun started to set.  As the sun was setting, the full moon was also rising, the sky was clear and lit up on both the east and west from the sun and the moon.  I think that made the trip right there. The only animals we got to see were some lizards and desert like quails, we were hoping for a tortoise or two but no such luck.  We woke up early the next morning and hiked out while it was still cool.  Got back into town just in time to get a late breakfast, after stopping at Jumbo Rocks (a huge rock pile) to check out some more views.  The rock piles are the coolest part of Joshua tree, I think, they are just amazing.  If you ever have the chance to check them out, take it.  The park entrance fee is only $15 per car and it lasts for 7 days.  Totally worth it!  Here are a few pictures and some video from our trip...Enjoy!

(All Photos and Video property of Maddie Dierkes)