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Fear and Breathing: A lesson from Joshua Tree

I visited Joshua Tree National Park for three days in late March 2023. I had been in Phoenix visiting with family, and it took me about 5 1/2 hours traveling west on Highway 10 to reach the park. I arrived just before sunset and drove into the park by the south entrance, pausing to snap a picture of Lakester.



I drove into the park to get the lay of the land. Cottonwood Visitor Center and Cottonwood campground are only 7 miles from Highway 10. I didn't have a camping reservation, but I thought there might be a chance for overflow camping. There was not. Not a problem - I had a backup plan. So I enjoyed the sunset, used the facilities at the visitor center, and then headed back out of the park. I was feeling pretty good. I could already tell that this was a special place, and I was feeling excited and blessed to spend the next few days exploring there.



My backup plan was to make use of the dispersed camping area on BLM land that is near the south entrance to the park. Dispersed camping is camping on public land but not in designated campsites. There are typically no amenities (no bathrooms, no water, etc) and this type of camping is most common on national forest and Bureau of Land Management land. (More information on Joshua Tree dispersed camping found here: https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/camping-outside-of-the-park.htm)


I had just come from 4 days in Phoenix at a fancy hotel, so I wasn't feeling the need for any amenities. My bed was already set up, so I just needed a legal and safe place to crawl in back of my Subaru and sleep. Luckily the dispersed camping area was well marked (not all of them are.) As I turned onto the packed dirt road in the dusky light, I saw many RV's and camper vans pulled off at discreet distances from each other. The road was not well maintained, so I was careful to avoid potholes and gullies. There were a few campfires burning, but mostly everyone was in their self-contained vehicles and turned in for the night. I found a level spot, put up my window coverings and went to sleep.


At first morning light I crawled into the front seat and drove into the park. The car temperature display read 41 degrees - and that felt pretty accurate! It was chilly using the facilities at Cottonwood Visitor Center. I made coffee inside my car to stay warm. I helped myself to a free park map and studied it - enthralled and full of anticipation.


From the visitor center I drove north-northeast toward the center of the park. There were virtually no other cars on the road, and they were missing out on a stunning sunrise.


From here I'll let photos speak. The trees, the desert, the absolutely unique monzogranite rock outcroppings, and the high desert sky will tell you all you need to know.



In that first morning I explored Jumbo Rocks, Skull Rock, White Tank Campground and Belle Campground. I hiked Lost Mine Trail and cooked my breakfast near Cap Rock. I scrambled up and around various low rock outcroppings, looking for big horn sheep and behaving like one myself. For a break I read poetry in an extraordinary spot in the shade of a large rock outcropping. The weather was cool and bright and perfect, and I thought of family members and friends who would love scrambling around with me.


Skull Rock from the road

Skull Rock up close

As more visitors entered the park, I felt some of the magic of having it to myself ebb away. I decided to make my exit for the day around 11:00 a.m. As I left by the western entrance there were now streams of vehicles on the incoming side of the road, and a stop-and-start line of vehicles a half-mile long at the entrance gate. I don't always mind crowds, and I accept that our parks, our national treasures, are going to attract others who are as eager to see them as I am. I am thankful to be an early riser in a sea of mid-day tourists.


I explored outside the park and stopped for groceries in the town of Yucca Valley. I followed a road sign to a sweet little city park - Paradise Park - with accessible facilities. I shot a couple of videos in hopes of leaving breadcrumbs on my Sojo Stories website for accessible travelers. (Story and video here: https://jennyrule2015.wixsite.com/website/single-post/paradise-park-quiet-accessible-city-park-near-joshua-tree-national-park )


About an hour later, while packing up and leaving Paradise Park, I realized I was missing one of my green tubs. There were some moments of real panic and I thought I was losing my mind. Had someone gotten into my car while I was shooting the video? Had I moved it to the roof rack and forgotten that I did so? I moved everything out of my car and back in - then did it again. What was I missing?! I got back in the drivers seat and reminded myself to BREATHE. I managed to calm down and trace my steps backwards in my head. The most likely scenario was that I had left it back in Joshua Tree where I had stopped to make myself breakfast. I drove as fast as I could back into the park - driving directly to the location near Cap Rock where I had stopped and cooked eggs and sausage. My next journal entry "1:26pm OMG it's still there - am I the luckiest piece of shit or what?"


My energy expended on hiking, filmmaking and panic, I decided to chill out at Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground that night. For $55 I received security, water, electrical, wifi, a hot shower, friendly neighbors, ducks, an artsy campground, a picnic table at which to eat my salad, and very friendly park staff. I wrote some, I read some, checked social media, and crashed for the night.


Journal entry 3/29/23 7:30ish a.m. - "Sky lightened by the time I woke up around 6am. Not so cold as the night previous, and I was more prepared - long johns in the base of my sleeping bag as M. taught me. :) Brew coffee, bathroom and out the gate toward Joshua Tree Visitor Center and entrance to park.


Drove slowly taking pics everywhere in the park. The pink dramatic fades quickly, but then all the whites/blues/purples and LIGHT hitting all these rocks delights the eye. I doubt my camera phone will capture it - but I try. Rain is expected at some point. I'll drive to the coast at some point. But for now - let's explore Joshua Tree"




I pulled off the road to the right just past Boy Scout Trail parking lot. As I looked to the left - atop a large rock outcropping - someone has climbed to the tippy top and was dancing. Inspiring!


I chose a climbing spot called "Banana Cracks" and prepared myself both mentally and physically for a challenge. For some reason this included shooting a couple Insta-ready self-portraits.


Here's what I wrote in my journal later about what transpired:

"Full of energy I hiked to Banana Cracks and scrambled up. Stopped partway and sat cross legged to consider what I was doing. Is this stupid? No-one around. Climbing high. Long way down with any misstep. Meditated for a bit and slowed my breath. Realized that the spot I was trying to climb was too hard, but if I stayed calm and investigated there might be an alternate path. Breathing deeply, I felt my heartbeat slow, and I felt my brain unfreeze and my panic-response leave me. I did explore, and found a new way up. Didn't go to tippy top, but to a flattish place near the top where I could see back to my car below and see the Hemingway bathroom and rest stop below on the opposite side. And there I did some yoga and meditation. Quite breezy. Quite high. And quite extraordinary."



A short time later I departed Joshua Tree, just as storm clouds (and tourists) were rolling in. There was more to explore, but I left with a fair sense of the magic of Joshua Tree, and the a healthy respect for the challenges and exhilarations therein.


I headed for the Pacific with the desert in my back pocket. And a reminder to BREATHE.


For additional photos and videos of my Joshua Tree adventure, click here.

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