joshua tree and mount san jacinto
i have lived all my life in southern california, yet never had i or my immediately family truly explored the surrounding nature spots. i’ve never been to sycamore canyon, runyon canyon, or santa paula canyon, all of which are within short driving trips from oxnard. between ventura and la, there are tons of hiking trails and nature walks, and unfortunately, i can count how many i’ve been to in one hand. and all within just the last few years.
i say unfortunately because one should never live without nature as much as i have. if you appreciate true peace and quiet; if you appreciate true mindfulness; if you just appreciate the wonders nature has to offer, you should surround yourself with nature as often as you can. i always had the curiosity for it, just not the avenue to satisfy it.
but this weekend i finally went to my first-ever national park, joshua tree, and for the first time, took the revolving tram up to mount san jacinto. surrounded by blues, greens, browns, tans, blinding whites and with no city noise or dirt to pollute the air, my problems seemed insignificant. complaints i had during the week about work, money, just life in general, seemed to vanish midst the breathtaking rock formations at hidden valley, the trail through jumbo rocks, sunset at the cholla cactus garden, and resting at a rock atop mount san jacinto overlooking the desert. the next time i noisily complain and whine about some ultimately insignificant moment in my life, i promise myself to close my eyes and remember how it felt to be at peace with myself in the middle of joshua tree or on top of the world at mount san jacinto.
huge thanks to deuce, the coordinator of the entire trip, to whom i'm so grateful for keeping us well fed, well hydrated and well rested throughout the whole weekend. and if there ever is a nobel prize for packing, he'd the be the first one to get it. thanks to his fantastic packing skills, we had sweet strawberries, bananas, deliciously cold thin mints, plenty of water, and fresh oranges at our disposal. and he so sweetly brought layers and layers of jackets to keep a city girl like me warm in 45-degree weather (which i would've gotten used to given the chance). and just an enormous thanks for the great idea to go- it's definitely one of the best weekends i've ever had.
finally, i have only one photo to share of the whole trip. (the rest will come later once i’ve figured out why my FM2 won’t wind my film…) i can now only fantasize what it felt like when i first saw the view atop a rock and rested for what was too short a time. to experience it again, i won’t mind driving the 2 ½ hours to palm springs and taking the revolving tram up again to what is now, without a doubt, one of my favorite spots in the world- mount san jacinto.
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