Joshua Tree National Park

Take a look at the photos I took during my trip to Joshua Tree National Park. I added a few sentences about the trip below each photo.

There are a couple of ways to look at the photos: The slideshow just shows the pictures so you miss out on the engrossing trip report that accompanies the photos. The other way is to click on the first photo and it will show up enlarged with the text below it. You can then use the next arrow to move through the photo album. Unfortunately, you may have to scroll down a bit to see the text every time you move to a new photo.

Let me know what you think of this format for sharing photos. I'm trying to find a convenient way to share my trip reports.

See my photos at Joshua Tree National Park

Using the Scout hammock in the desert

I thought you might be interested in my first use of your Scout hammock.

I spent Friday night at White Tank Campground in Joshua Tree NP. I got there after dark and set up the hammock I would sleep in. It is a Scout hammock from Hennessy Hammock. Usually, I would hang it between two trees higher off the ground, but this is the desert, so I attached one end to a bush and the other to the car's sideview mirror. Everything is sharp in the desert. My hands got scratched up attaching the hammock to the bush. My weight caused the hammock to sag so that my buttocks and lower back rested on the sand, but it was quite comfortable, nonetheless.

I started off the night in the hammock without the rainfly. I stared straight up at the stars in the night sky. The full moon was so bright that I could only see the brighter stars. About 3 AM a breeze picked up and made it chilly enough that I put the rainfly on to trap more body heat. Winter temperatures in the Mojave desert typically get down to 30F at night and go up to 70F during the day. I wore winter clothes, including long johns, coat, hat, and gloves in my sleeping bag. As it warmed up the next day, I peeled the winter clothes off one layer at a time, until I was in shorts and tee shirt.

JT photos