June Milky Way

 For the June Milky Way, Mitch & I decided to keep it simple. Just find a Joshua Tree for the foreground, +/- some boulders. What could be easier in Joshua Tree National Park? There was only one problem: There was something called a "heat dome" in effect. When I left my desert house to start hiking at 4:30PM, it was 102 degrees. That's dangerously hot for a hike, especially for a couple of old farts like us!

 

Hot weather hike tip #1: Hike only early morning (best) or late in the day. Never at mid-day.

Hot weather hike tip #2: Keep hikes short and simple. Nothing long or challenging!

Nolina flower stalks catching the late afternoon sun, putting on an amazing show!

 

 

Mitch (lower left) spots this tall, gangly Joshua tree. He says it looks like it has two broken arms, so we decide to use it as our foreground.

 

Hot weather hike tip #3: Wear a loose fitting long sleave shirt, long pants, broad-brimmed hat, and lather yourself in sunscreen. The less of your skin that sees the sun, the better.

 

Now that we have our foreground picked out, we have time to kill. We have about 45 minutes before sunset, and another 3 hours after sunset for the Milky Way to become visible. Yes, LOTS of time to kill! I start hiking up into the hills just to see what's up there (this strange tiki rock, for one thing) and what's on the other side. So far we've hiked about 1.5 miles, and we're feeling the heat, so this is a good place to set up camp for our photo shoot later in the evening.

 

Hot weather hike tip #4: Do I have to say it? Carry lots of water!! Carry more than you think you will need. And hydrate BEFORE you start hiking. Some people recommend the night before. I prefer to carry about a liter of water in the car, and just before starting the hike, I drink it down. Works great for me.

Pretty view from the top of the hill.

 

I love how the hills fade in color as they get further away!

 

It's time to get comfortable. We're not spending the night, so our only set-up is some chairs, food and water, headlamps, and wait for the sun to set and the Milky Way to rise. We even brought a portable cooler with ice and cold drinks. It feels like I've died and gone to heaven on this triple-digit day in the desert with an ice cold drink!

 

Hot weather hike tip #5: Always carry a headlamp, even if you don't plan on being out after sunset. Stuff happens and you want to be prepared just in case. It's also a good idea to carry a Garmin InReach (or similar device) in areas without dependable cell phone coverage in case of emergency.
 

11:12PM. Mitch photographing the "broken arms" Joshua tree and stars.

 

My first image, with focus on the old scraggly Joshua tree. The light on the tree is from our headlamps. I take a few of these with various exposures and lighting to be sure I have one that I like. Next I'll take photos with exposure and focus set on the stars, being careful not to move my camera on the tripod. Then I can blend the two images. In theory, this blend should give me relatively sharp focus on both the Joshua tree and the stars. 

 

Ta da!! I'm pretty happy with this one. The Milky Way is partially blocked by clouds, but that's OK. Next, I'll turn the camera on the tripod for a horizontal exposure and repeat the same steps.

 

Hot weather hike tip #6: Always tell someone where you are going, with who, where you are parking, what car you are driving, and when you expect to return (this is true for any kind of weather). If you are hiking off-trail, you should be creating a route to follow, or at least waypoints, and you should share this info. with someone too.

 

Horizontal camera orientation.

 
After we are both satisfied we have the photos we want, we start packing up our gear and begin the hike back, making our way back using headlamps. The temperature has dropped considerably, and we are cool and comfortable on the hike back to the car.

 

Hot weather hike tip #7: Hiking at night is a great way to beat the heat, but don't do it solo. Go with someone experienced who is very good at navigating using a GPS app or device. Many of the landmarks that you rely on for orientation may not be visible at night.

 

Here's what we are all trying to avoid:  https://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/couple-rescued-joshua-tree/

 

Thanks for stopping by, and stay safe out there!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.