In just a few hours I'll be back at work, loading Costco food into the back of a cube truck from a hot, concrete parking lot in Palm Springs. Just when I felt like I was really back to work in California I found myself departing Ventura for Joshua Tree to fill my interim work-free days with desert sun, old friends, and a tease of climbing.
Naturalist-At-Large staff were in full forced in Hidden Valley campground. It is easy to make a shady, boulder-strewn campground into home when every other site is teeming with friends and co-workers. Life feels comfortable when you find yourself missing a essential camping item and only have to wonder through the desert amongst the kind Joshua Tree to find a helping hand.
Another part of this mid-week weekend was getting back on granite - climbing and playing with climbing gear at Atlantis Wall with friends gave me a needed fix. While I guarded my finger throughout the day, I constantly reminded myself to use technique to sneak through the harder sections and finished the day without further injury. Just having rope and aluminum in my hands made the day worthwhile.
I bet there is no need to guess the theme of these writings are. After just a day back in the desert, Joshua Tree really started to feel like home. Old places, familiar mixed with old friends, new friends, and the heady, euphoric vibe that often tints every Jtree experience: sneaking around behind the backs of the campground rangers, showers at Coyote Corner, friends of friends (and the multitude of crazies) at the Jtree saloon, the enduring internet connection (and meatball sandwiches) at the Beatnik. Why didn't I bring my climbing gear down here again?
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