10.23.2010

J Tree to Owens River Gorge







Joshua Tree National Park...an experience I'll never forget. Jordan Miller, Devin Hess and I embarked on an adventure that would turn into much more of a journey. It was a journey into a place of mystically subtle moods and abounding discoveries. From climbing in the dark to the chasm of doom, from jumping red snakes to the mystery of the missing moon, J Tree captured our hearts and pushed our souls.

We stopped by Owens River Gorge on the drive home for a day of burn out and ended up staying out past daylight. We scrambled out of Owens, lacking headlamps, over small river logs and stinging nettle strongholds; only the stars illuminated our dim path. The following night I walked right over a rattlesnake unscathed.

We did not see our moon until we crossed the Oregon border.

Beyond these few words, I cannot summate the experience we had. I will let the images tell their part. If you ever get the chance to go to J Tree, do it. You will not be disappointed no matter how you go about it.

-Mel