Secret Desert Hideaway!!

Actually, this is Part III of my Pinto Wye Arrastra hike in Joshua Tree. Keep in mind this was only about a two mile hike (as the crow flies) but, wow, what an amazing array of stuff I stumbled across! For this part of my hike, I am heading back toward the main road (Park Blvd.) where my Jeep is parked. I'm taking my time, because it's nearly sunset and I'm enjoying a really beautiful sky and taking lots of photos. During this time of day the desert has kind of a magical feel to it. Not sure how else to describe it... totally quiet, beautiful, and the quality of the light is amazing.

I notice some stones up against a rock ledge off to the left that look funny (not natural), and sure enough...

Wow, I must have walked right by this place on the hike in and totally missed it! So cool, I wonder who built it and what it was used for??

Here's the view from the inside looking out... spacious, comfortable, heck it even has a little BBQ area for cooking. All I need is internet access and I could move in!! There are some old rusty cans that make me think this place has been here for quite a while.

Assuming I could find it again, it would be a perfect spot for overnight camping!

A short distance from my newly found "secret hideout", I notice this rock that looks eroded along the base. 

If you look really closely, you can see a hole or small cave on the bottom left of the rock. Let's go check it out...

Yes, definitely a small cave with some debris scattered about. Looking even closer...

Someone used this hole in the rock as a place to throw their trash! The hole goes deep into the rock, and appears to be filled with old trash. The cans are old and rusted, so this little trash dump has been here a long time. The miners of the Pinto Wye arrastra used this area as a camp site back in the '20s and '30s, so I wonder if this is old miners trash from that era?? Wish I had more time to look through it, but it's getting late!

After taking this photo, I put everything back just the way I found it. Hopefully some future hiker will enjoy their discovery as much as I did today!

The sun has set, and I'm hiking "cross-country" without a trail to follow, so feeling a sense of urgency to get moving.

Good, there's my Jeep! It's getting dark, so the timing is perfect. So ends one of the most amazing short desert hikes I've ever taken, and the end of my three-part blog post about the hike to the Pinto Wye Arrastra in Joshua Tree National Park! Hope you enjoyed it.

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