Willow Hole Trail

The weather the first four days at Joshua Tree National Park had been beautiful. Clear skies. Sunshine. Warm. Not hot, but comfortable. Perfect for hiking or just lounging about the camp. On the fifth day, the skies were filled with haze. They were no longer that beautiful blue, which was perfect for picture taking, but white. And bright. And it warmed up a little. But still, it was comfortable. Until you started walking through the desert!

The trail to Willow Hole is not on the Park map. I discovered it when I stopped at the trailhead for the Boy Scout Trail, which is a 7.5 mile trek one-way through the desert to Indian Cove on the north side of the park. Willow Hole trail uses the first mile or so of the Boy Scout Trail then veers off in another direction.

On the trail to Willow Hole.

The first two miles of Willow Hole Trail are through the desert and is a fairly level trail. No trekking up mountains or down into valleys. It was perhaps, the easiest trail that I've taken on my journey. It was 3.7 miles one-way, which means the 7.4 miles was also the longest trail I've done so far. The most difficult part was walking in the loose sand and dealing with the little, itty-bitty, tiny pieces of (very sharp) stone that would somehow find their way into the tops of my hiking boots!

The trail was also one of the most interesting that I've been on. Once through the first two miles of desert, the trail went through and around some of the large piles of rock. Then it went into a dry river bed. As you walked along, the scenery gradually changed from the sand and Joshua Trees to “real” trees and bushes.

It was nice that someone showed me the way to go! One couple that I talked to on the way back thought that the trail ended here.

And that dry river bed? Well, it wasn't really dry at all. Along the edges I noticed that the sand was darker. Digging into it with my hands confirmed that it was damp and going down a little further it was really wet. Further along the trail there was standing water in some spots. It was an unusual winter throughout most of the U.S., wet and cold. And that unusual winter has given us an unusual spring as well, with water showing up in places where it hasn't been for many years.

Willow Hole. A pool of black, brackish water.

This area was about a mile from Willow Hole. On my way in I had met a couple and we had talked for a while then they started back out. As I returned they were sitting on the two large rocks in the foreground with their feet soaking in the water. They said it was refreshing and asked me to join them, which I did. When I got my shoes and socks off and stuck my feet in the water, they laughed because I immediately pulled my feet out. The water was cold. Extremely cold. I was amazed and wasn't expecting that, but they were right, it was refreshing. We sat there for half an hour or more, talking and relaxing.

At the end of the trail. Done! Is my face flushed from the heat and sun or is it a reflection from that bright red shirt?

Forty-Nine Palms Oasis

The signpost for the Forty-Nine Palms Oasis trail, located in the north-central part of Joshua Tree National Park, identifies the three-mile round-trip as moderately strenuous. And I would have to agree with that description!

The trail goes up one side of the mountain, circles around to the other side, going up and down (of course) then goes down into a canyon where the oasis is located.

A view from along the trail to the Forty-Nine Palms Oasis.

There may have been forty-nine palms at the Oasis at one time, but no more. These are Desert Fan Palm trees, which can grow to 75 feet in height and live for 80 to 90 years. The Cahuilla Indians (pronounced: Ka-wee-yahs) used palm thatch to make their homes wind-and- waterproof. The leaf fibers were woven into ropes. Baskets were made with the palm fibers and sandals from the palm leaf fibers.

There weren't many flowers in bloom yet at Joshua Tree, but the few that I saw, were gorgeous! Found along the trail, this Canterbury Bell was about 12 inches in height and was nestled against the rocks.

A closeup of the Canterbury Bell. Beautiful.

Heading back. You go up, then down, around, up, and down... definitely a good workout!

Jumbo Rocks

In the northern portion of Joshua Tree National Park is an area known for its unique rock formations. It is a fascinating and fun area to explore. There were quite a few people bouldering and rock climbing, but I wasn't one of them! Although I did walk on a few of rocks, I'm just not adept or flexible enough to do the tough stuff. I'll leave that to the younger crowd and to those that know what they are doing!

O Joshua Tree! O Joshua Tree!

The Joshua Tree isn't really a tree at all, rather, it is a giant yucca plant. The trunk of a Joshua Tree consists of thousands of small fibers and it lacks annual growth rings, making it difficult to determine it's age. New seedlings can grow up to 3 inches per year in their first ten years. After that they grow only 1 1/2 inches per year.

According to park literature, the Joshua tree was so named by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree's unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer.

I was told by a Ranger, that each of the “arms” or the branches of a Joshua Tree was the result of it blooming and flowering. Each bloom creates another branch. The trees bloom in the spring, though they don't all bloom every year. In fact there were some Joshua Trees that were six to eight feet tall without any branches! And then there were other trees with an overabundance of blooms. After flowering, the blossoms drop off, leaving a length of dried stalk. New leaves grow beneath this dead portion, and a new branch begins its growth in another direction. The numerous shapes and sizes of the trees is fascinating.

This was one of the largest Joshua Trees that I saw in the park, perhaps 35 feet high. I don't know what caused it to lose the limb hanging down on the ground but it was somewhat recent damage.

It wasn't the first damage this tree sustained. On the side opposite of the new downed limb was a gaping hole from a loss in the distant past.

It also had one of the most complex branching systems that I saw. It must be very old and is still blooming!

The “furry” nature of the branches helps it to grab and retain moisture from the air.

New branches will grow from the remnants of the flower stalk.

One of the blooms of the Joshua Tree.

And another.

Joshua Tree National Park

It was on March 17th that I arrived at Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California, seeking some warmer weather. I wasn't disappointed though a few of the nights were a bit on the chilly side. Coming in on the southern side off of Interstate 10, east of Indio, I entered the park just as the visitor center was closing. The Cottonwood Spring Campground was just down the road a ways and it was there that I spent the night.

The next morning I stopped at the visitor center to get a map of the park and information on some of the trails. Half a mile from the campground was the trail to Cottonwood Spring. It was an easy walk along a gravely path and dry sandy stream. Arriving at the stream, there was simply a sign identifying the place where the Spring had been. Rather anti-climatic but it was a nice walk; the sun was shining and there was a nice breeze.

There were several other trails in the area but the southern part of the park, to me at least, wasn't all that interesting. So I hit the road and headed north where the Joshua Trees and the Jumbo Rocks were located.

Along the way there were a few things to see – the Cholla Garden and Ocotillo Forest.

The Cholla Garden was planted by Mother Nature. You do see the Cholla in other areas of the park but usually just a few hanging out together. Here in the garden they grow in abundance.

The cholla also have incredibly sharp, hooked needles that are difficult and painful to extract if you happen to get one stuck on you. I was very, very careful walking through that garden!

The Ocotillo are interesting also. They can get quite tall, this one was about 15 feet high. Much of the year it looks like a bunch of spiny dead sticks. But after it rains, the Ocotillo is covered with very small leaves. Like other deciduous trees, the Ocotillo loses it's leaves but not due to the changes in the season. Rather, for the Ocotillo, the leaves fall when there is no water. The long stems are often used for fencing material and for walking sticks.

The bright red flowers of the Ocotillo appear on the tips of the stems in spring and summer.

A “tube” of Ocotillo flowers.