Pine City Trailhead

 I was looking forward to this hike for a number of reasons. The Pine City trail in Joshua Tree National Park is a trail I had never hiked, and on this day back in September of this year, my trusty weather app was predicting clouds with a slight chance of rain. So new territory to see and likely some pretty skies.

There were five of us on this hike... a large group by my standards! Travis (far left) is a professional guide and really fun to hike with because of his background and experience. Roger (in shorts) and Mitch (second from right) are my usual hiking partners. Mitch's neighbor Larry, who turned out to be a great guy, joined us on this hike.
 

I took this photo at about 12noon before even leaving the house. Look at that sky!!
 

As I recall, we didn't stick to the trail for very long. We kind of wandered toward anything that caught our eye. Here, Roger and I are checking out some red barrel cactus that seem to be growing out of solid rock. Photo credit: Mitch.

 

 

The sun was going in and out for most of the hike. In one direction, dark cloudy skies, and in the other, mostly blue skies. 
 

See that balancing rock in the center of the photo? Let's take a closer look...

 

Looks like you could push it over (we didn't try).

 

Amazing how the various rocks erode in JTNP. This looks like a well-built block wall!
 

Evidence of recent rain.

 

A narrow arch

 

Shark rocks!

 

Chuckwalla lizard skeleton.

Mitch forgot his hat, so he was alternating between umbrella for shade and umbrella for rain. Made for a good photo!
 

Umbrella for rain.

 

Here Mitch demonstrates proper technique to keep a camera (or phone) dry while taking a photo in the rain,

 

Roger models the latest fashion in hiking rainwear.

 

By late afternoon, the threat of rain seemed to be over.

 

Boo!!

 

 

Small, medium and large.

 

A prickly situation!

 

A rolling stone, come to rest here.

Travis has the ability to climb anywhere!

A portal between two rocky ledges.

 

Boo (again)!!

 

Hey, Travis!

 

Late afternoon golden light. Thinking of those people living in colder climes that don't get to enjoy the sun as much this time of year... this one's for you!
 

I thought I was done taking photos for this hike, but as the sun set behind the hills, I could see a rain cell off in the distance with a nicely balanced rock in the foreground... So back out with the camera and hustle to a vantage point to get a couple shots!

Thanks for dropping by and joining me on this hiking adventure!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.