I had an assigned vacation from work in November 2011. Not my first choice of seasons to set up a trip, but we made it work. Jacqueline and I found coverage for our kids (Kate only 8 months!) and headed to Southern California - using her parents' timeshare and airline miles to make a cheap trip to Palm Springs. Part of the reason for that location was the allure of warm desert climbing in Joshua Tree. It did not dissapoint. The approaches are nonexistent, the rock stellar, the routes super fun, and the weather superb. It was a great off-season getaway!
Here's a brief photo journal of our time there. We spent two full days cragging, climbing mostly single pitch routes - a mix of trad and sport.
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| Intersection Rock area |
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| The Bong, 5.5 (overhanging hand crack), The Blob area |
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| Mike's Books, 5.7, 2 pitches, Intersection Rock |
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| Mike's Books, second pitch |
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| Cute wifey belayer on Intersection Rock |
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| Lovely scenery in J-tree driving out |
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| Jacqueline cleans Swing Low, 5.8- sport, Echo Cove |
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| Double Dip, 5.6, Echo Rock |
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| Top of Double Dip |
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| Stichter Quits, 5.8+ sport, Echo Rock. Total of 4 bolts on a nearly 60m pitch. |
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| Belaying atop Stichter Quits |
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| Joshua and a tree in Echo Cove area |
