Joshua Tree National Park Adventure

Going to Joshua Tree National Park has always been on my San Diego bucket list, but for some reason the last four years flew by without checking this adventure off. Well, I'm stoked to say I finally got to experience it last week.

I went with my best friends for two days and one night. Normally when I go camping, I usually stay for a few days and a couple nights, but with a larger group and less supplies we played it safe with a shorter trip.

Driving out to the park took about two and a half hours with not much to see along the way. Once we got there, we paid the $30 for a vehicle and found a spot right away in the Hidden Valley Campground. This is a first come, first serve area, but there were a ton of available spots right now. Each spot is $15 and can have two cars.

The spots come with a picnic table, fire pit and bathrooms which was perfect for us.

After grabbing the spot, we went out to hike. We hiked to Skull Rock, which was right off the road, and then to the Jumbo Rocks. It was a little after midday, so it was super hot. We were definitely dehydrated at the end, so we decided to head back to camp. This hike didn't have any shade, but the rock formations were awesome.

It looked like someone had dropped a bunch of balled up clay everywhere. I felt like I was in a claymation film or series like Wallace and Gromit. I joked that a couple of the rock formations looked like armadillos all curled up and chunky looking.

Throughout the trip, we climbed on a ton of these massive rocks. They are made out of granite which helped your shoes find grip easily. The surface of the rocks are very rough.

After those blistering hikes and the short drive back to our spot, we set up camp. We hung out, climbed on more rocks, played drinking games and relaxed. Once it cooled down a little, we went back out for one more hike. This hike was easier because it was nice and flat. It led us out to an old adobe ranch building that has been breaking down for years.

Some of us chilled at the adobe structure, while the two boys climbed a massive rock structure. We could barely see them because they were so high. We walked to the base of the rocks and talked about all types of deep conversations before heading back to the car.

There is something about a huge expanse of open land where all of the pressures weighing down on you lift. At least that's what is feels like for me. Nature has a way of opening up my mind and senses to this whole separate dimension.

I can feel the rocks' and plants' energy surrounding and flowing into me. It is an incredible experience. I feel lighter, almost like my mind is floating outside of my body.

After my enlightening experience on the last hike of the day, the whole group headed back for dinner. Connor grilled hot dogs and burgers. Kyle and I set up our tents. The girls prepped their van for car camping. The whole group watched the sunset from a large group of rocks right next to our campsite. The rest of the night was filled with fun games and stories around the campfire.

We all experienced something super odd that night though. Being in the desert at night time, we thought we would see the most stars we would ever see in our lives. However, the almost full moon illuminated everything the whole night.

And by illuminated, I mean the moon was so bright, everything had shadows. I have never seen anything like it. The moon was like a dim, glowing version of the sun. We could walk around and do activities without ever needing a flashlight! I have never gone camping without needing a flashlight to use the restroom at night.

We were bummed to not see a dark sky full of stars, but I did manage to see two shooting stars.

The bright night sky made sleeping weird because even when I woke up at 3 a.m., the moon still cast my shadow.

Almost the whole group woke up for sunrise the next day. There were not any clouds or cool sky features, but I thought the sunrise was beautiful. I loved the way the low, distant mountains glowed a saturated orange and then faded into a light yellow until the sun finally peeked over the edge momentarily blinding me.

The bright light hit the rocks softly as it started to slowly travel down the rock faces. We were high up on the rock formations, so it hit us first, but it was fun to watch the sun light up the rest of the rocks as we scrambled back down to camp.

A couple of us, including me, went back to sleep, but it was super difficult with the quickly rising temperature. As soon as the sun came up, so did the heat.

The group decided to not hike this day because it was already scorching for San Diegans. We didn't bring nearly enough water to sustain us either. The recommended amount is a gallon a day per person. We had five people with six gallons of water for both days.

After that, we packed up our campsite early and made breakfast. Breakfast consisted of beef jerky, granola, rice cakes, Cuties, and peanut butter bread. We set up our chairs in the shade and talked until 10 a.m. when said goodbye to Joshua Tree National Park.

The park is rightly named as we passed hundreds of Joshua Trees along the curving road to civilization.

Once we got to town, we bought some fun items at a thrift store and grabbed food at a local diner. The diner was delicious and empty because of recently lifted quarantine regulations. The diner was called Route 62 diner. The food was cooked perfectly and the service was fun and attentive. We got burgers, onion rings, a malt, a sandwich and an omelet.

After refueling on food and water, we headed home. Everyone was wiped out when we got home after cooking in the heat, but we all had a blast. The trip was a super fun adventure with the only flaw of excessive heat and a severe lack of hydration.