I’ve been visiting Joshua Tree National Park since May 2003. Following a business trip to Southern California in July 2010, I took an extra couple of days in the desert visiting my favorite place in the world. This was the first time I had visited the park in mid-summer where temperatures were over 100-degrees. With water jugs in tow, I set out on the Pine City trail with my Canon 40D digital camera. Here are a handful of shots that caught my eye that sweltering hot summer afternoon.
PINE CITY TRAIL AT DESERT QUEEN MINE
The Pine City trailhead is at the end of the unpaved Desert Queen Mine Road in the northern part of Joshua Tree National Park. It’s about a fairly flat, four-mile trail that leads to the old Desert Queen Mine. This long abandoned mine was first established in the early 1890s by Frank L. James. The site was rich in ore which caught the attention of local outlaw gang leader and cattle rustler Jim McHaney.
James was forced at gun point to sign over the property by two of McHaney’s men, Charley Martin and a guy named Myers. Martin then shot and killed James but was acquitted of murder charges on grounds of self-defense.
Despite the initial prosperity from the mine, McHaney fell behind on bank payments for loans needed to keep the mine operating. Rancher William “Bill” F. Keys assumed ownership around 1917 and operated the mine until 1961.
This was my first visit to the Pine City Trail after spending the morning hiking areas like Barker Damn, Hemingway and other spots. After sitting in my rental vehicle eating a quick lunch and enjoying the air conditioning, I set out on the trail.
I carried my Canon EOS 40D, my first digital SLR my parents gifted me in November 2007. For years, I shot photos on film with either my Pentax ZX-50, Canon EOS Rebel 2000 or a digital, small point-and-shoot Sony camera. With its interchangeable lenses, the Canon 40D was a game changer as I could finally see what I was capturing. A favorite lens in the desert was a Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8.
It didn’t take me long to find a first shot – white cotton-like Cumulus clouds against a blue sky hung over the desert trail. This was shot at 1:15 p.m. which was the hottest part of the day. Mid-day isn’t the best time for image but the clouds help diffuse the direct sun making for better lighting.
This image was captured just before the previous shot (you can see the small hill of rocks on the left). I presented it in black and white as I liked the contrast of the dark sky against the white Cumulus clouds.
With every visit to Joshua Tree, I leave with a new perspective on life. The desert, boulders, trees and landscape have existed for thousands of years. Buzz Aldrin described the moon as having “magnificent desolation.” I feel the same way when in the desert, even though Joshua Tree National Park is an extremely popular destination. There are times when I can go for hours and not see another hiker. The absence of sound (and cellular reception) are a wonderful bonus.
As I continued on the hike, I passed an abandoned home made of rocks and headed down a small slope toward the Desert Queen Mine. I stopped to photograph a Parry’s Nolina (Nolina parryi) in bloom. According to Calscape.org, this flowering plant in the family Ruscaceae. It grows in the upper elevations of the Peninsular Range, the Mojave Desert and the southern Sierra Nevada.up to 2100 meters. It can exceed two meters in height, its flower cluster reaching 4 meters.
These are slow growing plants that dot the landscape throughout Joshua Tree National Park. There are reports that some can live for hundreds, even thousands of years.
Then I came to my favorite image from my first visit to the Pine City Trail. The space ahead is the Desert Queen Mine which is accessed by the hardly noticeable trail. But for this moment, I used the 11-16mm lens to capture this shot that I would later hang on my office wall for a decade. It was taken at 1:32 p.m. as more beautiful Cumulus clouds filled the sky.
This shot is at the top of the ridge looking down at the Desert Queen Mine. You can hike down to the bottom via a switchback.
While the shafts are closed, you can still sit in the entrance to a mine. At 1:58 p.m. in the middle of summer, this spot was a welcome relief. The cool air from inside the mine floated out to the entrance. I sat here for a moment, drinking water and collecting my thoughts before making the return trip.
I hope you add Joshua Tree National Park to your list of places to visit in this world. Check out their handy first-time visitors page.