49 Palms Oasis and Eureka Peak

I headed out a little early to hike out to 49 Palms Oasis. It's a great hike, with some decent elevation gain to go up over the mountains and drop down into the oasis. Desert Palm trees are really cool plants. These stand has seen some fires, so most are missing their full frond skirt, but fire is good for healthy trees, it kills off some of the competing smaller plants and allows the palms to thrive. I really enjoyed sitting on one of the big rocks at the end of the trail for a while, listening to the birds. Sadly, while I was out there, I watched a number of groups of people come and go, and every last individual chose to hike beyond the park signs that ask visitors to stay on established trails to avoid damaging this sensitive biological area. I overheard one woman who was climbing around the palms where she shouldn't be exclaim in frustration that she scratched her manicure "on this stupid rock." And I found myself hiking behind a pair that were carrying a portable speaker, playing music: highly disruptive to a peaceful hiking experience. This would be why it's nice to find the less traveled trails, the ones that aren't boldly marked on the park map. Too many people don't follow hiking etiquette.

After 49 Palms I headed home for a quick lunch, then drove out to the Covington Flats area of the park, and up to Eureka Peak for some of my favorite views. The trip takes a solid 45 minutes of driving on sand and dirt, which is pretty well maintained so a lot of fun with no real concern for issues.

This evening I had dinner and sat and watched the last half of The Outlaw Josey Wales with the astronomer who I know from Badlands and has been out here to help with the festival this weekend.