What an AMAZING day! My second day desert hiking and I spent it with the Hi-Desert Hiking Club, a meetup group based in Yucca Valley, CA. I signed up for today's hike which is "off-trail" in Joshua Tree National Park. Tim hosted this event and it was fantastic! The plant life throughout the desert is just mind blowing and beautiful! Throughout our hike, we had cool, gentle breezes. I also prepared for this hike a bit differently than yesterdays solo hikes. I wore shorts for my hikes yesterday and my legs were all sandy and dirty. I also needed to change out my baseball hat and wear something that covered the back of my neck. I wore pants for today's hike and it kept the sand and dirt off my skin. It also helped to protect my skin when brushing up against the plant life...which was often, especially being off-trail. And I bought a wide-brimmed hat, (as well as climber's tape) at Nomad Ventures.
Today's loop hike is rated moderate, with a 300 feet elevation gain, and 4/5 miles round trip. We began hiking through an area of many creosote bushes and barrel cactus. We continued up a narrow dry creek with Yuccas and California Junipers. Our hike took us along the Window Rock Loop trail for about half a mile. At the half way point of our hike, we lunched at 4,130 feet among a gorgeous, golden brown area of large granite formations. Enjoy some photos of our hike.
