What did I do on Easter?
If you guessed that I spent a nice, relaxing day with my friends or family enjoying the company of others and pontificating on the meaning of the day, well then you must not know me very well.
If you guessed that I drove into the desert until my cell phone lost reception and went hiking off any semblance of an actual trail, then you're closer.
I went here:
to Joshua Tree National Park. Those strange looking little trees in the middle distance are Joshua trees, and they're actually really cool to look at. I particularly like that picture because if you look in the foreground you can see a fallen tree, decomposing slowly in the desert air among its living cousins.
I had looked on the internet and found a hike that was described as being "well off the beaten path". Basically, the directions told me to drive down a road, then another road, then a dirt road, to a small parking lot. I was to park there, turn to the south, and walk across a wash and up a hill:
Off the beaten path was right. Negro hill has no path, no trail, nothing. I scrambled up the slope, over rocks and around plants, and reached the summit. After taking a minute to catch my breath,
I walked down the other side of the hill and took the long way back to my truck, through (and over) a boulder field. It involved lots of climbing up granite slopes and hopping down granite ledges, and was just great fun. And of course, the scenery was incredible.
I got back to my truck, and started driving out of the park. On my way, I saw a small sign that marked "Hemingway Trail", and this rock formation right off the parking area:
I decided to climb to the top of it, and take some pictures of the ridge of boulders on the other side. Having done so, I chose to descend the side opposite where I climbed up, just to see some new stuff. Boy did I.
From the top of the rock, I hopped down a ledge, walked along a short ridge, and was faced with a drop of about five feet. I looked at it for a second, wondering if my knees would survive the drop, and then said "fuck it" and hopped down. As my boots hit the rock below, I turned just to the left. The first thing I saw was some more rocks, and a small tree.
The second thing I saw was a totally naked woman, lying on her back on a rock.
The third thing I saw was her photographer, who was looking at me with a mixture of surprise and annoyance, but mostly the former. I guess when you're taking naked pictures of a woman out in the desert, you don't normally get interrupted by hikers. Why they chose a location that was less than a hundred yards from the main road in the park is a mystery to me, but there they were. What could I say? "Excuse me", I mumbled, "I'll be gone in a minute". She gave me a very nice smile and said, "OK". Her photographer said nothing.
I got in my truck and drove back to Long Beach to have dinner at my girlfriend's parents' house. Did I tell them about my encounter with the naked woman in the high desert?
How could I not?
Tags: Joshua Tree, hiking, desert
If you guessed that I drove into the desert until my cell phone lost reception and went hiking off any semblance of an actual trail, then you're closer.
I went here:
to Joshua Tree National Park. Those strange looking little trees in the middle distance are Joshua trees, and they're actually really cool to look at. I particularly like that picture because if you look in the foreground you can see a fallen tree, decomposing slowly in the desert air among its living cousins.
I had looked on the internet and found a hike that was described as being "well off the beaten path". Basically, the directions told me to drive down a road, then another road, then a dirt road, to a small parking lot. I was to park there, turn to the south, and walk across a wash and up a hill:
Off the beaten path was right. Negro hill has no path, no trail, nothing. I scrambled up the slope, over rocks and around plants, and reached the summit. After taking a minute to catch my breath,
I walked down the other side of the hill and took the long way back to my truck, through (and over) a boulder field. It involved lots of climbing up granite slopes and hopping down granite ledges, and was just great fun. And of course, the scenery was incredible.
I got back to my truck, and started driving out of the park. On my way, I saw a small sign that marked "Hemingway Trail", and this rock formation right off the parking area:
I decided to climb to the top of it, and take some pictures of the ridge of boulders on the other side. Having done so, I chose to descend the side opposite where I climbed up, just to see some new stuff. Boy did I.
From the top of the rock, I hopped down a ledge, walked along a short ridge, and was faced with a drop of about five feet. I looked at it for a second, wondering if my knees would survive the drop, and then said "fuck it" and hopped down. As my boots hit the rock below, I turned just to the left. The first thing I saw was some more rocks, and a small tree.
The second thing I saw was a totally naked woman, lying on her back on a rock.
The third thing I saw was her photographer, who was looking at me with a mixture of surprise and annoyance, but mostly the former. I guess when you're taking naked pictures of a woman out in the desert, you don't normally get interrupted by hikers. Why they chose a location that was less than a hundred yards from the main road in the park is a mystery to me, but there they were. What could I say? "Excuse me", I mumbled, "I'll be gone in a minute". She gave me a very nice smile and said, "OK". Her photographer said nothing.
I got in my truck and drove back to Long Beach to have dinner at my girlfriend's parents' house. Did I tell them about my encounter with the naked woman in the high desert?
How could I not?
Tags: Joshua Tree, hiking, desert
posted by The Disgruntled Chemist at
7:44 PM
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