The Towers of Uncertainty - Joshua Tree National Park
Explor: December 31st of 2013
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Park the truck along a turnout on the Geology Tour Road, leaving the relative safety of being on a maintained and a somewhat regularly traveled dirt road, and set off on foot across the desert to a somewhat formidable looking pile of rocks collectively known as The Towers of Uncertainty. Afterall, the name alone demanded a visit.
And as things turned out, the only uncertainty Murbachi and I encountered was in determining the names of a few of the various giant rock formations we had set out to visit. We parked near stop #5 of the Geology Tour, "Rock Piles" (which seemed appropriate), geared up and headed northwest towards uncertainty.
Apparently, every single rock in J Tree has a name, even that sharp pointy one that always ends up under your sleeping bag. Now, I'm not talking about names like Bob, Sally or Abendigo. I'm talking about some really off-the-wall, crazy out-of-context and probably fever induced monikers possibly bestowed after a fall from said rock. And that's part of what makes wandering around in the desert fun. Getting to know the rocks out at J Tree on a first name basis. And wondering how on earth they got their names. Some are understandable, others? Well, you can be the judge. I'm pretty sure that the rock climbing community that thrives at J Tree is responsible for the vast majority of named rocks in the park. Let's take a look at some of the desert denizens Murbachi and I stumbled over in our hike to uncertainty.
Shortly after beginning the hike to uncertainty, we saw this jumble of boulders off to our left. It's know by name of Rocky Marciano. Why? Once you begin to wonder why or how the rocks at JTree got their names, it’s a steady descent into madness. Don’t take that first step. Looks more like Max Baer to me.
Not sure if any of these have already been named, so I’m going to call this formation “Father and Son.” Or “Twin Peaks.”
An impressive dike running up this rock, almost looks as if I should have tried to climb it. Luckily, I don’t have many of those thoughts when I’m actually in the park.
This spot just looks like a great place to set up camp
One of the taller formations and part of a "backbone" in the Towers of Uncertainty group, Demon Dome doesn't seem evil or demonic. But then again, I haven't tried to climb it. Yet. I learned many years ago that it’s much easier climbing up these piles of boulders than it is climbing back down.
Looks like some folks have spent some time here at Cave Rock. Just a reminder, campfires such as this are illegal in Joshua Tree. Don't take a chance at starting a fire. There are climbing routes on both the north and the west side of Cave Rock.
The other side of Cave Rock.
The large rock formation on the right is known as Sunlight Rock. It's part of a series of rocks that form the westernmost part of the Towers of Uncertainty. Some folks look at a rock like that and say, "I want to climb it." I say, "I want to take a picture of it." It may have to do with age.
That large chunk of solid rock working on its tan is Reef Rock, it’s the westernmost of the three northern formations in the T of U area. Lots of nice, horizontal cracks. There are at least a half dozen routes that the climbers use to get to the top, among them I Should Be Dancin’, Lacking Garlic, Cat’s Meow and of course, My Penis Floats (I couldn’t make this stuff up).
The shady side of Reef Rock. That dark blob at the upper right of the rock is a raptor nest. During nesting times, this area of the park is off-limits.
Gravity Rock is part of the formation which includes Reef Rock. Perhaps the reason for the name is that big chunk of rock that seems like it is defying gravity, just waiting for a 7.0 to send it crashing to the desert floor. One of the traditional routes to get to the top is, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.
The Crows' Nest didn't have any nests that I could spot. It's the easternmost rock at the northern section of the Towers. That puts it closest to the road. I wonder how many people driving by have looked at it while climbers have been sitting on top.
I don’t remember exactly where this formation is, but its location in my photo sequence tells me it is in the T o U general area. For some reason, I want to call this one The Proud Bird.
After exploring the Towers of Uncertainty, Murbachi and I set out to see if we could find the fabled Lost Pencil of Pleasant Valley. It's located about 1-1/4 miles southwest of the Towers and we thought we had enough daylight left to be able to find it and make it back to the truck without any uncertainty. The trek is fairly flat and easy going, there is no trail....just cross-desert hiking.
A view of Malapai Hill. My truck’s out there somewhere too.
We’re off to find the pencil.
Along the way we passed Jerry's Quarry, a complex set of boulders and rocks that sits pretty high off the desert floor. The piles and jumbles of boulders out here never cease to amaze me.
A little more hiking and there it was, the Lost Pencil. A giant, balanced pillar of rock high above the desert floor. It's a lot more impressive in person than in picture. We were fast loosing the light and tried to hurry around the backside for a few more pictures before shadows overtook the Pencil. Be sure to hike on over to Murbachi's website and wander through his 3D images of this same area. His photos are quite amazing. Click HERE to be magically transported.
After circling the Lost Pencil, we headed back to the truck. All in all, I can say without any uncertainty at all, that the afternoon's hike had been a great success. The Towers of Uncertainty, while still mysterious, were now certain and that which had been lost was now found. Including:
The Lost Gourd (actually a coyote melon).
The hike back. Thanks for coming along on our adventure, feel free to leave a comment below if you enjoyed the trip.
-
GoPro or Go Home - Joshua Tree National Park https://t.co/TJAShuigdc -
The Barbed Wire Trail - Joshua Tree National Park https://t.co/o0FKwmB68R
