At some point there was supposed to be a trailpost pointing the way up Eureka Peak but we never saw it. So we decided after lunch to drop our packs and hike cross-country. We headed up a steep mountain, over a low grassy pass, then we dropped down into another wash. But this wash was narrow with steep granite walls. It was very cool back in there and I really liked the different colors of granite that we saw. We even came across a water seep back in there.
The wash broadened out then opened up to a wide valley. On the eastern edge of this valley was a ridge that had been burnt. We decided to scale this ridge and see what we could see. Jeffrey took off up the side while I followed a natural drainage which ended up being very steep with lots of loose rocks. I dubbed it Forboding Canyon and vowed to never climb up anything like it again.
At the top of the ridge a magnificent view of the central part of Joshua Tree and its plethora of rocks unfolded. We could also see to the north where some crazy rich person had built a mansion on top of a rugged rocky mountain. We wondered how they got up to their mansion as there were no roads visible. Helicopter I suppose.
Jeffrey carries a walking stick that his friend made him out of cherry wood. It is nearly as tall as he is and is smooth and light weight. I soon learned that it had many uses. One use that was discovered on this trip was launching pieces of Joshua Trees into the air. You see, the end of a Joshua Tree branch often breaks off and it has a hole through the center of it. On the burnt ridge we were on there were many of these pieces lying about. Jeffrey would thread one onto his walking stick then swing the stick forward thus propelling the piece of Joshua tree into the air. It was really quite impressive how far he was able to fling them. I think that if it were an Olympic sport Jeffrey would get the gold medal.
As the afternoon waned we hiked down the burnt hill then headed back up the rocky wash and over the grassy pass to where we'd dropped our packs. After we put them on our backs we walked a wee bit down the wash then found a nice campsite; it was on a level bench above the wash.
Just a few minutes after I had dropped my pack and was putting on a dry pair of socks and my campshoes a yucca monster showed up and demanded I put up the tent. Well, okay, it was just Jeffrey with a Joshua tree frond hat, but he made a very convincing yucca monster.
After making dinner and watching the sun set it began to get downright chilly in our wash. We put on all the layers of clothing that we had and were still cold so we began to do jumping jacks and hop around and, well, dance in the wash. With our headlamps on flashing mode it became a wash dance party. You can laugh, and you probably would have if you had seen us, but hey, it did warm us up!
In between dancing I taught Jeffrey the names of a few constellations. We also spied several satellites and I saw a shooting star. There were lots of scars up there that evening, er, um stars that is.
Once we were thoroughly toasty we crawled inside the tent and fell asleep. It was restless sleep, however, as the wind gusted around the tent all night long. Finally the light of dawn began showing and I heard a few coyotes in the distance howling and yelping and singing.
I rested a little longer then decided it was time for tea and cream-of-wheat. I sat down on my thermarest chair and set up my stove in an enclave under a scrub oak tree which blocked most of the wind. Shortly afterwards Jeffrey got up and began his breakfast preparations. He refused to leave his sleeping bag, though, and hopped around in it like it was a potato sack. He also didn't know it but I had my journal out and was writing down a few of the more colorful phrases he uttered that morning. Two of my favorites were: "Come sweet sunshine and spread thy effervescent rays." & "Hmmmmm, that's going to be some thick oatmeal... Thicker than snot."
Once breakfast was done we began to pack up and then it was back down the wash. Down down down we trod past more colorful rocks and the everpresent Joshua Trees. We began to see a few houses then we reached a fence and the boundary of the park. Soon the wash ended on a street and not near the campground like we had hoped. But here there is a park and I decided I needed to see if I could swing with my pack on. After we played for a bit on the swings and the slides it was time to try to find the campground.
After walking about 4 or 5 blocks through suburbia we found the Blackrock Campground and my truck. It was 11:45 and we decided to head into town, Yucca Valley, and grab a bite to eat. We ate at an old diner/family restaurant which had interior decorating of a questionable taste. The ceiling was painted pink to match the pink vinyl booths and there were 2 huge identical paintings of a smiling Mexican father with his two smiling daughters on opposite walls. But the food was decent, I had a avocado BLT and Jeffrey had a Manny's omelette. We decided Manny must be the Mexican guy in the painting.
We decided to take a different route back and we headed up to Lucerne Valley then Apple Valley then out to Palmdale and Lancaster and finally we headed southwest on Hwy 14 and made it back to Santa Clarita. After dropping Jeffrey off at his place I then headed up I-5 homewards.
I thoroughly enjoyed this overnight trip, the scenery was nice and we pretty much had the trail to ourselves. Jeffrey is great company and I was forever laughing at his silly antics and phrases. We both speak German, him a lot better than me, and it was fun babbling auf Deutsch. I was the first person from Backpacker.com that he has ever met and I hope we get to go hiking together again sometime :) |
