The day started later than the last few after a much needed sleep in.  I spent a little time perusing maps and my wish list of hikes before heading out towards the far other end of the park, Cottonwood Springs.  Along the way I made a stop to hike out to some dunes.  The trail from the parking area is clearly an old road, the two track was quite obvious in places.  In other areas, there were many user trails that wound their way across the desert.  

Something to remember when hiking in a national park is to double check the park's policies on off-trail hiking.  Some parks are open to walking anywhere, the ecosystem is resilient enough and visitors few enough that it doesn't cause problems.  Some parks, like Joshua Tree, strongly prefer or require that hikers stay on established trails.  Many people think the desert looks tough, it's mostly sand, so it should be harmless to walk on.  What's not so obvious is the fragile nature of certain ecosystems.  Here in Joshua Tree, many areas are home to cryptobiotic soil crusts that go unnoticed by most visitors.  Soil crusts have many benefits, including an ability to trap and store water, nutrients, and organic matter that might otherwise be unavailable to plants.  Damage from a footprint, not to mention tire track (yes, people will bike and drive where it is prohibited, I found dirt bike tracks on the way to the dunes today) can cause significant, lasting harm, making areas susceptible to erosion.  Areas that have been impacted may never recover.  According to an NPS article, "under the best circumstances, a thin veneer of cryptobiotic soil may return in five to seven years.  Damage done to sheath materials, and the accompanying loss of soil nutrients, is repaired slowly during up to 50 years of cyanobacterial growth.  Lichens and mosses may take even longer to recover." To help protect the ecosystems of the desert, always hike on established trails and washes.  

After the dunes I drove down to Cottonwood Springs, talked with a ranger for a while about the hike I was planning, and then drove to the appropriate parking area.  There's a lot I could say about this hike that doesn't fit this format.  In the end I failed to make it to the intended destination.  After further research tonight I think I know what went wrong.  I knew that floods had washed away the first part of the trail, I was given instructions by the ranger on how to start the hike following a wash.  I was missing a couple key bits on information, and ended up staying in the wash far too long.  There were abundant footprints from previous hikers, so I didn't realize my mistake until I was a very long way past the side track I should have taken.  After the footprints trailed off and were replaced by abundant wildlife tracks, including some that looked an awful lot like mountain lion, hard to be confident with tracks in the sand, it doesn't hold the shape well enough.  There were many coyote tracks, but some were enormous, and the distinguishing X of a dog print wasn't there.  I also saw another red tailed hawk as well as something very large moving through the tall, thick brush along the wash.  Possibly several somethings.  Enough on that, here are some images from my hikes, and my stop among the cholla cactus for sunset.

Starting the hike to the dunes.

A clear view of the two tracks of a former road.  I believe that this falls within the area of land that gained new protections in the 1990s.  There are many roads all over this landscape, vestiges of the mining history here.  Most are in process of being returned to a natural state.

Pinto Mountain, one of my favorites in this park, from the dunes area.

Light and shadow.

My second hike of the day, this is a little ways in.  The sign you see is marking the largely intact remains of an old road for horses and wagons.

A better view of the road.

The wash drops down these rocks and continues below.  I didn't realize, bit should have turned off to the right before here.  Instead I continued, which meant a steep scramble down slick boulders.  I realized a little too late that it was going to be mighty tough to get back up.

Continuing along the wash, a lovely area, with tall, steep walls of rock.

  

Along the walk back, fascinating pathways of water.

That black slot in the middle is my escape out of this enclosed wash.  The lowest rocks are about 150% taller than I am, and about two feet apart from each other.  I had to do the classic vertical shimmy, supporting myself on the way up by pressing outwards on the rocks with hands and feet until I got high enough to get a grip on the first ledge.  I was doable, but not for everyone.  A reminder to make sure you don't blindly follow the path others have taken.

Looking back on the wash I hiked.

Since I was nearby, I took a quick walk to the fan palms of Cottonwood Spring.

A tarantula, a fantastic find along my drive back home from Cottonwood.

I just love cholla cactus, particularly when backlit by sunrise.  Driving past the area where they grow in abundance as the sun dropped behind a bank of clouds,  I had to stop.  I think I now love them by sunset as well.

And a couple Joshua Trees in front of the twilight sky.