Thursday, April 16, 2020

Clark's Pass- The Hike Back

So last week I took you on a hike to "Hidden Dune" in the Clark's Pass area north of Joshua Tree National Park (since the Park is closed). We came across a 100-year-old whiskey bottle and other interesting finds. Today, we need to make our way back to the car. I'm hoping to follow the wash back for a bit, then detour into a smaller wash west, then up and over a dune area. It's in the low '80s on this particular day, and my pack is heavy because I'm carrying my big telephoto lens and extra water. Fingers crossed!
I'm not sure you can call Hidden Dune a true sand dune, but the sandy soil really stands out compared to the rocks that surround it. I can also tell you it's a pain in the butt to climb! Steeper than I anticipated, and climbing in soft sand it tough.

One thing I had been hoping for on this hike was to come across some desert flower blooms. There are a number of desert plants that prefer, or require, sandy soil, and their blooms can be fantastic in a good year. The elusive Desert Lily is one of those plants. But so far, the blooms had been mediocre at best. So I was surprised and pleased to see some purple color up on Hidden Dune as I started my climb.
 I think this is called Desert Lupine, and it created a purple strip of color that could be seen from a distance. Very pretty! I also spotted a couple Desert Lily plants, but they weren't blooming yet. 


From here, we continue down the wash, keeping an eye out for the little side wash that will take us west up to the dunes. It doesn't take me long to find it, but the hike up is much steeper than anticipated. Another example of how things turn out to be much different than how they look at home on satellite view!

I decide to take the direct approach straight up the dunes. That turns out to be a mistake. The sand is extremely soft. It seems like for ever foot in altitude I gain, I slide back in the sand two feet! I get about half way up the dunes and have to stop, exhausted, for a rest. But a great time to take some dune photos and try to capture the interesting patterns.



The dunes are absolutely pristine! No human footprints. Just natures artwork.

Nature's artwork in the sand includes some little critter prints mixed in with lines caused by wind blowing long, thin leaves across the sand.
Hmmm... snake track, perhaps??

As we hike south, we come to the end of the dune area. The car is at the base of those mountains in the distance, left of center. We will follow a gently sloping bajada back down to the wash.

This is the view over my right shoulder. It gives you a sense of the downward slope we are following. The sun is low on the horizon and the shadows are getting long. My absolute favorite time of day!

Lost in thought and the natural beauty of my surroundings, something on my periphery catches my attention. The elusive Desert Lily! Two beautiful blooms, and I can only imagine what it will look like in full bloom.


As the sun sets, the view west along Highway 62 is beautiful. You may have to enlarge the photo, but you can see the highway heading off in the afternoon haze even in the upper part of the shot.



Hoping this post finds you safe and healthy.
Linking with Skywatch Friday.
Thanks for hiking with me!!

46 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Wow! Those dunes and hues over the mountains are marvellous. Some of them can be framed I feel.
    I too miss my telephoto lens here looking at the peacocks and egrets

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  3. I'm always fascinated by the patterns that the wind leaves on dunes, though I only know them from our coastal dunes. They always look so perfect - though not so good after I've walked on them - more like a herd of pigs has passed through! Those orange skies in the final photos are amazing.

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  4. That rattlesnake track was scary and seeing it so carved means it's still a fresh track. The dessert flora you shares is spectacullar! I actually though of you and your blog while I was repoting some cacti on my mini garden just this week :) How amazing would it be to someday see more species of dessert plants in its natural habitat.

    Stevenson

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  5. The desert has a beauty of it's own and not footprints by man untill you climbed the dune but they will go in time and it will look untouched again. YOu got some stunning shots with the lilly and the sunset.

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  6. Hi Peter, after a long while I'm back to enjoy your wonderful desert area. It didn't change a lot since my last visit, I think. ;-)
    The waves and patterns in the sand are wonderful, but the pictures of the Desert Lily are really awesome. I've heart a lot about them, but I don't think I have seen them before.
    Greetings from the Netherlnds, stay safe and healthy.

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  7. Amazing photos.
    Stay well.
    Greetings from India

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  8. Beautiful as always and the flowers are really a gorgeous bonus. Well done.

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  9. The dunes are charming but the flowers are wonderful.
    Be well!

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  10. Hello, The patterns in the dunes are wonderful. I love the flowers, especially the Desert Lily! Great find. The colors in the last two photos are gorgeous! Awesome photos. Enjoy your day, wishing you a great weekend!

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  11. ...I find it amazing how the desert can come to live with a bit of rain. The sunset is a beautiful ending to the day.

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  12. As week five of this isolation sets in here, I feast in the glorious beauty of the wander you shared. I was right there with you! Spectacular photos and script.

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  13. Beautiful...are you allowed to be out and about? Just wondering. Day 40 something here in Western NY with more over burdening governor regulations here.

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  14. Ahhhhh, to see life in the desert gives hope all round. I do hope we have one more shot out that way. Love that desert lily. And I must admit I had to look up 'bajada'. Sweet hike, probably too much for me, sadly. I had even hoped to be the oldest hiker on the AT, but probably not. OUCH!
    Jack & Sherry!

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  15. Wow, what a hike. Great photos, you are truly a desert rat.(in a good way)

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  16. I love the spine of the dune. And the sunset is gorgeous. The Whiskey bottle from last week is cool. I used to collect old glass bottles. My cat broke one with a giraffe on it. Grrr!

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  17. Your photos are works of art!
    Absolutely stunning!
    I could never choose a favorite because as I glanced at your earlier postings I just kept falling in love with each one.

    Thank you for visiting my blog today because it brought me here.

    Stay Safe...Jan

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  18. Beautiful photos, stunning skies!

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  19. Exceptional beauty in these photos. I always share your posts with my husband. This is his kind of environment.

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  20. Wow. Even outside the park you can find some great places to take pics.

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  21. I've run out of comments! Beautiful, gorgeous, loved every one, what else can I say?

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  22. The dunes are absolutely beautiful and I like the Lily specially with the sun making them glow. Don't get too exhausted way out in the middle of nowhere.
    MB

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  23. I think desert flowers are so beautiful against their stark backgrounds. You captured some very beautiful details in the flowers and the sand and those sunsets are spectacular.

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  24. What's not to like about a desert hike? :)

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  25. Marvelous shots of the flowers and dunes!

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  26. Flowers in the desert always strike me as a miracle

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  27. Thanks for the hike. Walking in sand is so hard for me. I bet your legs were stinging. I remember one trip to Joshua Tree. We took a dirt road over the hills back to I-10 and found an old home. I found a curry comb to photograph for my "treasure" collection. - Margy

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  28. Gorgeous photos. Love going on those hikes with you :)

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  29. Beautiful sand patterns and of course the skies are gorgeous!

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  30. Dünenfotos wirken manchmal wie moderne Grafiken !
    Tolle Aufnahmen und eine spannende Wanderung.
    Danke fürs zeigen.
    Liebe Grüße
    Jutta
    PS. Die Himmelsfotos sind beeindruckend !

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  31. Beautiful photos, Peter...love the sunset! Unfortunately, several of your photos would not load for me. Just happened on another blog where none of the photos would load. At least I was able to see some of yours.

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    1. Thanks for letting me know, Brian. Now as I go back and look at this post, I'm having the same issue. I may have to reload the missing photos.

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  32. Beautiful sand dunes and sunset at the desert. Happy weekend.

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  33. Fantastic desert sand photos ~ lovely desert flowers and awesome sky shots ~ some photos can not be seen on my computer and not sure why ~ ???? ~ Thanks ~ ^_^

    Be Well,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  34. Climbing that dune was risky in that heat. Love the back-lighting on the lily. Stay safe!

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  35. The desert looks like a moonscape, then a delicate, beautiful flower appears. Just fabulous! Thank you for seeing things like that.

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  36. the dessert always has its own captivating view! Cheers from Jakartaaa

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  37. For some reason some of your photos aren't showing up but I'm loving the desert lupins, goes to show there is a plant suited for every place on earth.

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  38. Stunning photography! Thank you for expending the time, effort, and talent to share this with us. Many of us cannot get to these locations. Beautiful to get there vicariously.

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  39. Amazing Desert Photos As Always - Lovely Sunset Shots - Stoked You Were Out And About - Stay Strong

    Cheers

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  40. AMAZING snaps! Even the thought of climbing a sand dune in 80 degree weather makes me long for an ice cold glass of Southern sweet tea and a fan. What a awesome adventure.

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  41. Those dune shots are so interesting. The variety is surprising, and refreshing. Glad you missed the snake! Your lupine looks very similar to the plant that grows here in our mountains - each one adapted to its environment. Thanks for sharing these gorgeous photos - perfect for Earth Day!

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  42. Oh, this is so beautiful - again! Thank you so much for sharing, I feel homesick for Outback Australia, though....

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