Joshua Tree National Park, California

Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most famous parks in the Southwest — a magnet for climbers and desert hikers from all around the US. Hundreds of bouldering, trad, TR, and sport climbing routes on massive Gneiss metamorphic boulders shaped by pressure and heat into smooth features. We headed to Hidden Valley to rig a Top Rope on a 5.6-5.8 route for Heather to practice climbing.

After climbing we headed to 49 Palms — a 3-4hr hike to a desert oasis in a canyon. We completed it in around 1:45. The massive clustered palm trees gave a nice shade — felt like a desert island. Afterwards we found a beautiful strip of BLM land just north of Route 10 outside the park for camping. Fantastic sunsets. I'm looking forward to coming back in winter conditions.