Ahhhh! Another amazing trip to Joshua Tree! Have I mentioned how much I love it here??? We visit several times a year, but we always go in January because the weather couldn't be more perfect for hiking. On our trip in November we hiked the Boy Scout Trail from Indian Cove. It's a 7.7 mile hike one way and on that day we did about 3 miles. This time we got an earlier start and we hiked it from the opposite end from the trailhead at Keys View West. The trail starts off pleasantly flat from this direction but eventually starts to descend gradually until it finally makes a bee line for the canyon floor. But the really fun part is climbing back up on the way back! We saw very few people on our hike today which was surprising since the Boy Scout Trail is pretty popular with backpackers and people who do it as a shuttle hike. But we did see a lot of desert critters including a HUGE Jack rabbit. We hiked the trail just past the point where we had turned around last time and ended up with about an 11 mile day. This was a lovely trail filled with beautiful pinyon pines and juniper. The climbing section provided a moderate challenge which was just enough to make us not feel guilty about the delicious dinner we had later at the Twenty-nine Palms Inn. After dinner, we settled in back at our cottage at Campbell House. I stepped outside to watch the moon rise and listen to their resident owls. We heard them during the night too. It was so peaceful. It slept so good. I always feel very at peace in the desert. It was a great day and a restful night. I woke up feeling relaxed and recharged.
On the way back from Johsua Tree we stopped at the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve. We’d been here once before, but at the time, I wasn’t into birding. I’d read that this was a birding hot spot, so I was super excited to go again. We didn’t do a big hike on this day. I mostly meandered about the short Marsh Trail in awe of all the different kinds of birds I was seeing and trying to get photos of them. This place is such a gem and I can’t wait to go back again for more birding!
