Joshua Tree National Park

At 9 p.m. I pull my trusty backpack off the hook where it regularly hangs in my closet. The dust had begun to accumulate on top of the straps because the truth is that it had been too long. Too long since I pulled the pack off the hook. Too long since I ventured out into the wilderness. Too long since I felt free, inspired and excited about just aimlessly walking. Walking with no idea where my feet would take me or what I would experience.

But at 9 p.m. I was preparing to adventure.  

That adventure was a quick one night, two day backpacking venture through the backcountry of Joshua Tree National Park. The weekend was originally going to consist of climbing Mt. San Jacinto, but when weather intervened with that plan, we did a quick reevaluation of our capabilities as a group and decided to settle for a more leisurely walk through the desert. This ended up being one of my favorite backpacking escapades thus far.

Going with a group comprised of a few friends plus a few new folks that have since ended up being some of my favorites, made for an experience that was filled with fun conversations, star gazing and warming our hands around hot mugs while the desert night brought a chill to our campsite, and early morning explorations as the sun rose over the rocks. It was just what I needed that weekend and these are just a few of my favorite photos from the trip. Enjoy!