Unnamed Peak with a Wonder(land)ful View - Joshua Tree National Park — Abandoned Places, Gold Rush & Route 66 Travel Photography

Explor Date: December 19 of 2021

MBC: 1

In the old days, we used to say, “On paper, the plan looks good.” But who uses paper anymore? Today, it’s more like — in Messenger, the plan looks good — referring to Mitch’s proposed hike to the top of an unnamed peak. And why climb this nameless hill, a summit with no trail, a lonely, wind-swept peak much like many others in the park. Sometimes the answer is, of course, “Because it’s there!” But at my age, I need a better reason. Let’s see how this turned out and why we did it.

Right at 1:30 pm, our small company of hikers set off towards that low saddle, dead center in the picture above. It was a wonderful day for hiking, with temps in the mid-50s, not much breeze and a clear blue sky. Our goal approximately 1-1/2 miles “in desert,” had no trail. It would be weaving through mojave yucca, sagebrush, cholla, creosote, barrel cactus, juniper and Joshua Trees. Climbing up and stepping over rocks would most likely occur. Often. Mitch had been this way before, so he led the way.

We only passed one group of large boulders on our way. It’s interesting how some areas of the park can have large amounts of huge rocks just laying around taking it easy, and then across the road they totally disappear. Perhaps they’re hiding underground, waiting for millennia weathering to show themselves. I wonder what the park will look like in a million years.

Just behind the pile of boulders was this group of low profile rocks. Maybe just starting their exposure to the world.

Prepare for ascent, don’t crush the brush and follow Mitch.

A family of Joshua Trees cheered us on as we trekked up the hill.

It’s funny how when you’re at your car and looking out at the way you’re going to go, a common phrase seems to be, “it doesn’t look that steep.” But as we hiked up the hills, my legs were telling me something different. Here’s a nice view looking back, with the Hall of Horrors out there in the center of the image.

From left to right, my fellow exploratographers: Mitch, Peter and Mark.

Cresting one of many small rises, we were rewarded with a view of our destination: Unnamed Hill. Still a bit of a ways to go to see what was on the other side.

Looking off to our left, a nice view of Saddle Rock, Oyster Bar, Lost Horse Valley, Turtle Rock, Hidden Valley Trail and Hidden Valley Campground. Murbachi always told me, “get a little elevation and you’ll find some fantastic views.” He was right.

And then, we were at the top of Unnamed Hill. I’m sure it has some kind of moniker, maybe Mitch has numbered it among the many other hills he has climbed in the park. The view was definitely worth the hike, a positive equation where the payoff exceeded the energy expended to achieve it. So many amazing sites, views and destinations visible from up on high, following are just a few:

The ruins of the Pink House, or Wonderland Ranch. Some call it Uncle Willie’s Health Food Store. But I believe it started out as the Ohlson Ranch. There are some nifty things to see around the Pink House, including old ranch dams, Native American shelters and rusty desert gold.

The Wall Street Mill can be seen at the bottom center of this image. It’s one of my favorite destinations in JT. Some great history along the trail. Definitely worth a visit. And the nearby bouldering and rock scrambling can’t be beat.

Catching some late afternoon sun, Echo Rock is a favorite hangout for rock climbers.

Deep in the heart of the Wonderland, the huge rock known as Astro Dome is a well-known landmark to hikers who challenge the many washes, canyons, dead-ends and amazing places contained therein.

A view of a Joshua Tree Forest, and the Dakota Domes.

This is a portion of Piano Valley, which is accessible via the Barker Dam trail loop. There are some great hiking opportunities and wonderful things to see along that trail.

A lot of my favorite pictures come from being in the right place at the right time. Here, I was lucky enough to get a shot of the elusive “Photograsauras.” This being is known to frequent the park, but this was my first sighting.

The Mojave Yucca enjoying golden hour.

A couple last panos before it was time to head back. Dark would soon be upon us, and I much rather enjoy hiking with natural light to see by. As it was, flashlights and headlights would be needed to complete our journey.

It was a bit tricky hiking back down the hills in some spots, and I may have inadvertently ended up “resting” a couple of times as my legs somehow began to turn to jelly. Which means I need to get out more often on trips like this. Thanks to Peter for this awesome, handheld shot of Mark, myself and Mitch.

It was a great adventure and I’m looking forward to the next time!