The Area
We'll be travelling south from Wonder Valley in the Mojave desert, up through the Pinto/Eagle mountains, down into Pinto Basin in the Sonoran desert, then back north again. The route winds through abandoned mines, machinery, and cabins, with panoramic views of the Pinto Basin and the surrounding areas of eastern Joshua Tree National Park.
Difficulty
Moderately difficult. Pinstriping is possible, but not likely. Some crawling will be necessary, as well as the usual loose, steep trails. A few of the trails might test your nerves if you are afraid of heights. For those of you that went on the SummerFest Pre-run, this is a little easier. Walking/hiking will be at a minimum, we can see just about all of it from just outside the vehicles.
Update - I do not expect any difficulty from the rains as the area was not hit very hard. If the weather holds, temperatures should be perfect.
Rough Itinerary
Friday: I'm going to be house-sitting (thus in CA), and have cleared it with the residents to use the home as a base camp for Friday night, so it'll be an easy night after the drive out. You can bring a tent to set up (10 acres of desert available), or just a sleeping bag and crash on the living room floor. Shower, restroom and the pool will be available, as will the grill and kitchen for dinner.
Saturday: In the morning we should get underway by 8:30, which will put us on the trail by 9:30 (with plenty of time to fuel up on the way). There are plenty of great spots to camp throughout the District, so we'll explore as far as we want and then set up camp outside the park boundary and have our usual fireside feast.
Sunday: We'll work the rest of the way around the loop, eventually exiting about where we came in to the District. I'd guestimate hitting Highway 62 again around noon, or alternately we can exit via Pinkham Canyon and Interstate 10 (adds about 3 hours).
Getting There & Misc.
Friday we'll be staying at:
5851 Easy Street
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
If you are heading in via Highway 62, turn left on Lear Avenue (watch for the "military traffic" signs, same turn). Turn right on Two Mile Road, which is the first paved road headed that way (about 1 mile from Hwy 62). You'll find Easy Street 2 miles up the road on the right, it is a signed, well-traveled dirt road. The second house is the place.
There is no charge to enter/exit the park via Old Dale, but keep in mind there may be a $15 exit fee if you exit via Interstate 10 to the south (it depends on if there is actually a ranger at the gate or not). I'd like to keep the group size small for this trip, 10 vehicles max. I'll be bringing some firewood, but if you'd like to help out feel free. As usual, I already have the California Campfire Permit.
The 29 Palms repeater has good coverage of the valley starting in Joshua Tree. I'll be monitoring it on Friday in case anyone gets lost
: 147.06 +600 offset 136.5 tone.Roster
Chazz + Dani
SP Jon M3
cruiserlarry
Nick + Nolan
