Joshua Tree or Bust!

After four hours of driving through the mojave desert we arrived in Joshua Tree California. Eric and I have recently completed two days of climbing. Our first introduction to Josh, as the locals call it, was a group free solo up a route called the eye. Atop an interesting rock formation we sat and watched the sun set. Snuggled in our beds, dreaming of climbs to come we were brutally awoken by a windstorm gusting at 60 mph. The winds persisted through the night. Eric asleep in his tent thought he might blow away. And me asleep in the car thought the car might tip over. Alas our fears were met with a faithful sunrise and the storm was gone, and we lived to climb another day.

The climbing here is like nothing I have ever experienced. There is an incredible amount of history in these rocks. The hard men of Yosemite would find themselves training here in the summer months when it was too cold to climb up north. The rock is quartz manzinite. That means nothing the lay person except for the fact that it feels like miniature knives sticking into your skin each time you grab it. None the less we are surviving and enjoying every minute of it. We are getting stronger mentally and physically. Dealing out life's questions and challenges on these rocks is the best therapy I can imagine, plus I get a tan...