Trip Planning Thread

Hi all,My girlfriend and I are planning a trip to Joshua Tree National Park in California. We'll drive through a bit of the park, do some hiking / backpacking / camping, then leave to go outlet shopping the next morning. We'll be arriving at about 8am on Saturday morning, and leaving at around 9am Sunday morning.I'm looking for some advice on planning our time spent there. Here's our itinerary for now:

1. Drive to the Cottonwood Visitor's Center, get some info & a camping permit
2. Drive along the park's inner roads, stopping at "Cholla Cactus Garden" and "Jumbo Rocks".
3. Drive the "Geology Tour Road" (short version; 5.4 miles)
4. Backpack the "Boy Scout Trail" to "Indian Cove"
5. Camp at "Indian Cove"
6. Hike back out to the car at sunrise, then drive off to do some shopping!

Any suggestions / comments? Would be greatly appreciated!Here's a park map for reference.Thanks!
BenThis message has been edited by Ben, Thursday, 2005/11/17 06:47 PMThis message has been edited by Ben, Friday, 2006/04/14 02:43 PM

Plan some night time -- the stars, nighthawks, owls.http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/...othrdata/chekbird/r1/joshua.htmElf Owl
Burrowing OwlEnjoy.This message has been edited by RAZD, 11*17*2005 11:25 PM

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RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
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Well,Didn't get to see any owls (but thanks RAZD for the info); did a little star watching and sunset / sunrise, but not too much. Not even much hiking--there was so much ground to cover over the park, that one full day wasn't enough to see what we wanted and hike too. A disappointment for sure.But I did get some trip pics; nothing special, but fun nonetheless. So Queen, this is for you:Day 1 photos
Day 2 photosNote that I have NOT added information about any of the photos yet. Well...BenThis message has been edited by Ben, Wednesday, 2005/11/23 06:31 PMThis message has been edited by Ben, Wednesday, 2005/11/23 06:33 PMThis message has been edited by Ben, Wednesday, 2005/11/23 08:02 PM

And there I was hoping for the burrowing owl ... as that appears to be what the furry critter in your admin avatar is ... :sigh:It is missing from my life list too. {note: "listers" are considered fanatic birders) .{abe}My astute powers of observation also let me conclude:(1) that I agree with your assesment of interest in the objects photographed, and(2) that you experienced wide swings in temperatures consistent with mountain desert environments.This message has been edited by RAZD, 11*24*2005 01:50 AM

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we are limited in our ability to understand
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RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
to share.

There were innumerable holes suggesting burrowing creatures all throughout the desert, but very few visible creatures. But I guess that's the whole point.They had a nice informational flyer on burrowing (desert) tortoises. Didn't get to see them either.But the chollas were cool.Ben

ah, but what about footprints and scat ... (you know you are serious if you are even mildly interested in scat :rolleyes

Well... we stayed on the VERY "beaten path" all day, straying only to scramble up some rocks at different points. On the rocks, we found some scat (I assume mammalian; it was small and numerous in a consolidated area, like miniature deer scat) but of course no footprints on the rocks...Owls regurgitate pellets with fur and bones, right? Certainly didn't stumble across anything that I recognized to be like that. And there was no scat or footprints that I could recognize around any hole... by the end of the day, I began to think that most of the holes must be abandoned; when we camped off the side of the path, it was easy enough to step in the wrong spot and have a little burrow collapse under your weight; it was that "developed." But nobody ever came running out of anywhere (thank goodness; the first time my foot sank like that, I really jumped--while completely freezing ).

Excellent "low impact" behavior. Special for sensitive areas of environment where growth (and recovery) is slow. Yes, gila monsters can be a problem. Did I mention those before? ...
Gila Monster - DesertUSA

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we are limited in our ability to understand
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RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
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Yup. Well I have a friend who works for the Oregon State park service, and has previously worked for the National park service, so ... hiking with her is a great way to get interesting information, including how to have a low impact.It's gotten to the point where, when hiking off-trail in order to find a backcountry camp site (and they require you to be off-trail by at least 500 feet), it can feel really REALLY uncomfortable, like you're feeling worried about the impact you're making. 500 feet of high-slow-stepping with a backpack gets old real quick, but you gotta do what you gotta do.But I love backcountry camping, and I'm glad I was able to do it with my girlfriend. Camping out of the car feels no different than the everyday experience to me... and I don't particularly enjoy the everyday experience. Especially given the dynamics of backcountry camping Ben

Yes, once you have experience wilderness camping it is hard to go back to controlled campsites with RV's 20 ft away with generators running all night to power the TV's and {heaters\ACs\dishwashers}.Give me a foam pad, a light bag and a {tarp\poncho} and I'm happy. Roll the pad inside a duffle like backpack so it becomes the frame, with other bags to hold gear inside the roll, put the tarp on top. Use a hip-pack for a waist-belt and for rapid access items and fix with snaps or quick release buckles to the other bag: no frame necessary, no tent necessary. Telescoping hiking sticks become tarp supports when needed. For winter I add a second bag, though this doubles my pack weight.For a stove try the "Pepsi-can" Alcohol Stove ... I have made a couple of improvements on the design to make manufacturing easier and include a built in wind break pot support system. hmmm ... might need to make pictures.

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we are limited in our ability to understand
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RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
to share.

Here's the pics to save load time the others are
http://razd.evcforum.net/stovepictures/pot-stove-assy.jpg
http://razd.evcforum.net/stovepictures/stove-in-pot.jpg
http://razd.evcforum.net/...tures/stove-inside-windbreak.jpg
http://razd.evcforum.net/stovepictures/stove-closeup.jpg
http://razd.evcforum.net/...pictures/stove-windbreak-pot.jpg
http://razd.evcforum.net/stovepictures/stove-bottom.jpg
http://razd.evcforum.net/stovepictures/windbreak-closeup.jpgyou can also download (5.14 megs)
http://razd.evcforum.net/stovepictures/campstove.ppt
for the pictures and some notes on construction, assembly and use.Enjoy.

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we are limited in our ability to understand
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RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
to share.