Desert Life: Not For the Faint of Heart!

Since leaving the lush, green, forest-filled mountains of Idyllwild, we have spent the last few weeks in the dry, dust-filled, windy, hot-and-simultaneously-freezing desert. My overall impression--the desert is NOT for me. I, like a little, magical wood elf, belong among the forests, rivers and mountains. In my opinion, every aspect of desert-life is aimed at hurting humans...the cacti (I spent over an hour picking out little cactus spines that had somehow penetrated my sore fingers), the venomous spiders and snakes (warning, creepy huge spider pictures below!), the incredibly dry climate and utter lack of water, and the unbearable sun during the day and utterly freezing temperatures at night. Nope, the desert is not suitable for life! But, fortunately, despite the harshness of the desert, we really enjoyed the last few weeks of our seemingly endless journey across the country. And, despite the tough conditions of the desert, I managed to see much incredible beauty and wonder in it (we saw the craziest wildlife!).

First up in our desert adventures was Joshua Tree. We spent just over a week revisiting the national park that we had been kicked out of due to the government shutdown. I am VERY happy to have made it back to Joshua Tree for three reasons: (1) the climbing (bouldering and routes) is stellar, (2) we were able to explore the park and hike around with one of my dearest college friends, Kristi, and her boyfriend, Eric, and (3) the scenery is UNREAL and completely breathtaking! As for the climbing, the boulder problems in Joshua Tree are probably the hardest problems we have yet to encounter on our trip. They 100% kicked our butts. But, as I've said before, when it comes to climbing, Marco is a glutton for punishment and loves to get shutdown on sandbagged, classic boulder problems. But this time, his persistence and eager attitude paid off. He had one of his best sends of the trip--White Rastafarian, a 23-foot highball V2 with the crux at the top! Don't be deceived by the V2 grade; the climb is no joke (used to be a V3 in the older guidebook and is still listed as a V3 on many websites). The grade aside, according to locals and some internet perusing, it is consistently listed as one of the best climbs in North America. After a long day of bouldering, Marco sent it just as the sun was creeping behind the rocks. It was a pretty fantastic moment for him (I would say it was fantastic for me too, but my palms were sweating and I was so nervous watching him...thankfully there were tons of spotters and pads around!). In addition to the phenomenal bouldering, we got on some very fun routes (but only for one day...it was hard to tear ourselves away from the boulders). Check out our climbing pictures.

Marco getting ready to tackle the crux of White Rastafarian, V2, in the Outback Area.

Our friend Brett sticking the crux on White Rastafarian. It's such a reach! And the topout is a tricky mantle, so it's not even over after the crux.

Torquemeister, V4 -, on the False Hueco Boulder in the Outback Area.

Roof Romp, V4, in the Outback Area.

Marco pondering over Peabrain, V4. Unfortunately, this problem shut both of us down. It's so hard!

When we weren't climbing, we were taking in the amazing and beautiful scenery that exists in the park. And, even better, we got to do it with one of my besties from college, Kristi, and her boyfriend Eric! It was very fun to have "house guests" for the weekend : ) We hiked around and ventured through a really long and fun chasm in Real Hidden Valley--I highly recommend looking around for it and checking it out if in the area. It was incredibly fun and adventurous to squirm through tiny squeezes in the dark chasm! And, even better, it was great to spend some quality time and share some quality meals with Kristi and Eric. Miss you guys already!

Hiking through Real Hidden Valley.

Marco and Eric peering out of the entrance to the chasm.

Kristi and Eric among the Joshua Trees.

Barker Dam. Constructed by cattle ranchers in 1900 and raised by rancher Williams F. Keys in 1949, the dam is allegedly a spot for wildlife to gather in the desert. However, the only wildlife we saw was a single duck. Regardless, it was a nice oasis in the middle of a dry desert.

Staino and me in Joshua Tree!

Rock Art!

Skull Rock.

As mentioned before, despite the harsh desert conditions, we were able to see and appreciate the beauty and enchantment of the desert. Though not captured on film, we saw some incredible little critters, including a Greater Roadrunner (it looks nothing like the Looney Tunes Roadrunner!) and a Kangaroo Rat (it has huge back legs and hops just like a kangaroo!). Marco spotted two coyotes early one morning and followed them as they slinked through the desert (we heard them howling/yelping every night!). And, despite being the victim of a certain cactus, I was able to see and appreciate the beauty of the Cholla Cactus. We even spotted the nest of a Cactus Wren and the bird itself while meandering through the Cholla Cactus Garden. And, of course, we caught some epic sunsets. Though I may not have plans to move to the desert anytime soon, I am very happy to have spent some time absorbing its beauty and experiencing its quirky and intriguing way of life!

Marco and I have a Flintstone moment...a caveman-style rock sofa and TV!

A random climber making a night ascent, illuminated by the moon.

Looking up at a Joshua Tree!

Joshua Tree! The trees were named by Mormon settlers because the trees reminded them of the biblical story of Joshua reaching his hands up to the sky.

Another stellar sunset!

Close-up of a Joshua Tree.

Cholla Cactus Garden! They are called Jumping Cholla, because many an unsuspecting tourist gets pricked by the spines of the cactus. Even the slightest brush up against them causes the spines to stick to your clothes. Another nickname is the Teddy Bear Cactus...don't you just want to hug them!

The nest of a Cactus Wren! We saw the little bird perched on a cactus. It's crazy the bird doesn't get pricked!

Another shot of the nest.

Pinacate Beetle. When they feel threatened, they stand on their head, lift up their butts and emit a foul smell. Check out the next picture...I guess he felt threatened by us!

Stink bug in action! Danny, I hope these weren't the beetles in your apartment : )

The next stop on our desert extravaganza was Las Vegas! We spent a weekend in Las Vegas with our lovely New York friend, Ms. Claire Bourne! Claire competed in her very first triathlon in Henderson, Nevada, just outside of Vegas, and I am thrilled we were there to support her. It was SO much fun to spend the weekend with Claire and cheer her on as she completed the marathon. It was incredibly inspirational for me--after witnessing her achievement, I am very motivated to train for and compete in a triathlon myself. She put on an incredible showing and finished in under 2 hours! And, after completing the marathon on Saturday morning, she came out to Red Rocks with Marco and me and spent the afternoon climbing! A true inspiration!

The start of the Athleta Iron Girl Triathlon!

That's Claire! In the middle of the pack...gray rash-guard and black shorts!

Go Claire!

Finishing the bike portion with a big smile : )

Getting ready to cross the finish line...

Claire is a tri-athlete!

Red Rocks!

Claire, getting up on some routes AFTER completing a triathlon! Can't keep those Brits down!

Marco on some route on Panty Wall (we didn't have a guidebook, so were a bit unsure what we were climbing).

I'm up on some route in Black Corridor.

Another route in Black Corridor. It was fun, easy, and, most importantly, SHADY climbing. A relaxed day with great friends!

After sadly parting ways with Claire in Vegas, Marco and I hit up the last stop on our Desert Tour 2013--Death Valley! And, as the name implies, Death Valley fully supports my view that the desert is the MOST harsh environment in which to live. We happened to visit Death Valley during an extremely windy day--there were extreme weather warnings and gusts were predicted to reach up to 60 MPH. The wind only added to the crazy environment that is the desert. Our first stop in Death Valley was Dante's View, a 5,475 foot view down into Badwater Basin. Badwater Basin, at 282 feet BELOW sea level, is the lowest point in North America. I was on driving duty that day, and, as I cruised up to Dante's View, I happened to spot this thing in the middle of the road. I slammed on the brakes, swerved to the side of the road, and banged the fastest U-turn ever! Marco was like: "WTF!" My response: "We just passed a tarantula! I saw it! I did, I did!" Those that know me, know that I am irrationally, unhealthily petrified of spiders. However, this trip has helped ease that fear (it's impossible not to find one or two in the van every month). And, prior to the trip, I knew the chances of me encountering a tarantula during the trip were pretty high, so I did some research on tarantulas to understand them a little better. Hey, I am a firm believer that people fear what they don't understand. During my research, I actually started to somewhat adore the little critters. The desert tarantula is non-aggressive, reclusive, docile, and, based on what I read, a tarantula bite is no more serious than a wasp sting (in most cases, I guess this varies depending on the type of tarantula). Anyways, I went into the trip actually wanting to spot a tarantula! When we made it through Joshua Tree without spotting one, I thought that was it. No spottings for us. Until I cruised past the little guy in Death Valley! He was kind of cute, in a creepy way. Marco and I were PSYCHED on this find!

That's him in the rearview mirror!

Note, even though I am coming to terms with my fear of spiders, Marco took ALL the pictures! Like I said, it was an extremely windy day. The poor little guy was blowing across the street. I honestly was afraid to stand too close, particularly downwind. Can you imagine that spider getting picked up by a gust of wind and dropped in my hair. Um, you would be reading my obituary in some newspaper...death by heart attack due to flying spider to the face.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but he was roughly the size of Marco's hand. HUGE!

Just a docile, harmless, slow-moving chap looking for a place to rest. Sweet little thing.

The tarantula was probably the highlight of our Death Valley visit. Unfortunately, in addition to the above little guy, we did see two squashed tarantulas in the road. So, for anyone planning to visit the desert region, PLEASE drive slowly and be aware. What a horribly sad thing to crush a tarantula. And, I'm no expert, but I guarantee you get instant bad spider-karma if you kill one of the most peaceful spiders around. Drive with care.

And now for some pictures of our visit to Death Valley. Like I said, the desert is no place for me, but I am sure glad to have spent some time taking in its beauty. The places we saw in Death Valley were more beautiful than I ever thought the desert could be.

Dante's View of Badwater Basin.

Zabriskie Point.

Badwater Basin! Below sea level! And still, very windy.

VERY windy!

The accumulating salts in Badwater Basin make the water undrinkable. We heard that Badwater Basein received its name from an early prospector who came upon the water but was extremely disappointed when he could not even get his mules to drink it. It was deemed "badwater."

Close-up of the salt flats.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.

Marco exploring the sand dunes. The sand was whipping through the air due to the wind.

And that wraps up our tour of the desert! So, though I was initially very skeptical of and negative towards the desert, my ultimate takeaway is that the desert is unique, captivating, quirky, alluring, and constantly surprising. It is well worth a visit--though be sure to pack ample sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, warm clothing, water, and tweezers to get those cacti spine out of your hands!

As always, we miss our family and friends incredibly! We think of you all often and wish you could be here to share in our experiences. Lots of love to all!