Monsoon Summer 2022 (Part 2)

 I'm picking up where I left off on my last post. Mitch and I have just connected with Roger and started hiking into the Wonderland of Rocks (Joshua Tree National Park). It's about 3:15PM, and what started out as a ho hum blue sky is quickly changing as monsoon clouds fill the horizon. It's exactly what we were hoping for!

 

Off we go! I'm falling behind Mitch and Roger already (see them up ahead on the trail?) because I can't resist taking pictures when the sky is so pretty. If it stays like this, it could be an epic day!
 

I've photographed the old Wonderland Ranch ruins many times, but never under such dramatic skies. Even in b&w it looks pretty good!

 

Uh oh. That's a big, heavy rain cell moving straight for us!! We were hoping for dramatic skies, but we're not prepared for a really heavy downpour. This could get ugly fast.

 

Take cover!

 

Starting to come down! (click on little square, bottom right, for full screen)

 

Coming down hard now. Geez, we're getting drenched!

 

One final video. As we were hiking in the rain past the rock formation know as the "Freak Brothers", I noticed water flowing down a crack in the rocks (between two of the "freaks"). Kinda like a mini waterfall. Amazing! I've never seen anything like it!

 

I noticed something white on the ground. Perhaps a rounded piece of quartz? It finally dawned on me that I was holding a large piece of hail! We didn't get a lot of hail, but enough to make things interesting.

 

By now I was absolutely drenched, head to foot. My cotton pants and socks were soaked through, hat was soaked through, even my backpack. I was worried about damage to my camera and cell phone. Mitch said getting cotton soaking wet can be a very bad situation on an extended overnight backpack, and might require you to turn back. Fortunately, this was just a day hike, and while uncomfortable, it didn't cause any major problems. And, thankfully, my iPhone and camera didn't suffer any lasting damage.

 

A sight rarely seen in the desert: Raindrops dripping off the needles of a Pinion pine. By now the storm was moving on, and we were left with this magical wet desert!

 

Mitch, out exploring the Wonderland of Rocks and working his magic with his Nikon. Look at those clouds!!
 

Out exploring. My pants are a shade or two darker because they are soaking wet! We haven't even gotten to our primary destination for today's hike, which is a large arch. It's supposed to be somewhere up ahead, but the wash is choked with sharp spiny things and the rocks are steep. I tell Mitch & Roger that, at best, we have a 50/50 chance of finding the arch. The rest of our arch adventure will have to wait for a future post.

 

Mitch is up on the boulders, looking down at me. He's got a beautiful vantage point, but I have something amazing that I see from where I'm standing:

You'll have to trust me when I tell you this little stream was not here earlier in the day. After 45 minutes of desert thunderstorms, it just magically appeared, snaking it's way through the Wonderland of Rocks! The afternoon light reflecting off the water is a sight to behold, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been out hiking on this particular day. It's a day I won't soon forget!

 

Thanks for dropping by and joining me on this adventure!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.