Sunrise Hike (Part II)

I'm continuing on with my Sunrise Hike in East Joshua Tree post. By now the sun had been up at least an hour and I was starting to feel human again. This absolutely huge rock formation, when viewed from the side, looks like a profile of a human face. Specifically, an old man with a big nose. Do you see it? It looks like he's talking to that little rock... may be giving him some sage advice?

What did Papa rock say to baby rock??

 

Because the sun was still low on the horizon, I was able to capture this nice sunburst through a rocky arch I came across. I used an F-stop of f22 to accentuate the sunburst. I don't fully understand the physics behind it, but a stopped-down aperture (small opening) seems to enhance a sunburst.

The interesting circular patterns in the rock are called tafoni or honeycomb weathering.

 

Are those teeth?? It's like being inside the mouth of a giant!

 

Chicken head??

 

So interesting how the rocks erode into weird shapes in this part of Joshua Tree. Look closely and you can see the moon.

 

I found a heart! 💖

 

This rock sticking out looked impossibly fragile and delicate. As if it would totally crumble with the slightest touch. I didn't test my theory.

 

Cool opening in the rocks. It actually looks just big enough to crawl through, but I decide not today. I can see the headlines now: "His body was found years later, just his bleached bones wedged in an opening among giant boulders in a remote wilderness area of Joshua Tree National Park!"
 

I wonder how many thousands or millions of years that huge bus-sized boulder has been wedged up there??

 
Below are some additional rocky openings/arches I came across on today's hike.

 

My last discovery of the day was this interesting little rock shelter. It provided deep shade and a nice flat rock at the entrance to put my pack and water bottle on. I wonder how many before me relaxed in this same shelter? A smoothed-out area on top of the rock makes me think that Native Americans might have used it as a grinding stone.

 

View from inside the shelter, looking out!

 

Thanks for joining me on another desert adventure!

Stay safe and stay healthy (and stay patient!).

Linking with Skywatch Friday.